Need New Home NAS - Thinking of Going w/ Synology

[BraveSirRobbin]

My trusty DLink DNS-323 has failed (two bay NAS) and I'm in need of a new, modern device for our home.  We don't stream or record security cameras on a NAS, only need very reliable "local" file storage.
 
I'm thinking of going with a Synology 2-Bay NAS DiskStation DS220+ with two Western Digital Red SA500 1TB SSD (made for NAS use).
 
What are forum members using for home NAS applications (and with what hard drives).  I don't want the noise of mechanical drives spinning and really don't need their larger storage options; but, are SSD's reliable for NAS use in terms of reliability?
 
I've read a bunch of reviews, but wanted to see some opinions here.
 
Thanks,
 
BSR

 

[LarrylLix]

I use a WD small 2.5" ? pocket drive connected to my router via USB 3.0. USB powered and it doesn't make a sound that I have heard. My ASUS routers spin it down when not in use to preserve life etc.. Very fast once spinning up again.

 

[RAL]

I use a QNAP TS-431+  4-bay NAS with Western Digital 4TB Red hard disks.   It's extremely quiet.  I can't hear any noise unless I'm sitting right next to it, and even then, the noise level is very low.   It's been running flawlessly for 4-1/2 years.  
 
I still trust hard disks more than I trust SSDs for reliability.  But running the NAS in RAID mode should provide adequate protection with either type.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I use a QNAP TS-431+  4-bay NAS with Western Digital 4TB Red hard disks.   It's extremely quiet.  I can't hear any noise unless I'm sitting right next to it, and even then, the noise level is very low.   It's been running flawlessly for 4-1/2 years.  
 
I still trust hard disks more than I trust SSDs for reliability.  But running the NAS in RAID mode should provide adequate protection with either type.

Thanks Ral...I never considered the QNAP until your post/suggestion.  I found THIS Amazon deal for $419 for a different QNAP model (couldn't find the TS-431+ on Amazon or NewEgg) bundled with two Seagate NAS 4TB drives that looks like a decent deal.
 
May I ask your opinion of this QNAP model?  I've been reading some more and am willing to go with this route, especially based on your experience.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Well, I did more reading and decided on a Synology DS220+ with two 4TB Western Digital Red Pro NAS 7200 RPM hard drives.  Will have it Friday so I'll have to wait until then to set it up.

 

[RAL]

Well, I did more reading and decided on a Synology DS220+ with two 4TB Western Digital Red Pro NAS 7200 RPM hard drives.  Will have it Friday so I'll have to wait until then to set it up.

I think both Synology and QNAP have good, solid products.  Can't argue with your choice!
 
The QNAP TS-231K looks like an improved version of what I have, with a faster processor.  
 
Let us know how you like the Synology once you've tried it out. 

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Thanks.  Yea, it seemed like Ford vs. Chevy comparison.  What swayed me with Synology was it was more for a beginner (not that I'm starting from scratch here...I just have had so many tasks turn into 'science projects').
 
I just need a simple file storage device so not asking much from the NAS other than wanting reliability.

 

[jimmyban]

I have the exact same Synology setup and it has been rock solid. There is a series of (more than 30!) videos on YouTube by a guy named “mydoodads” that walks through every step of the setup. I followed the whole series and it helped me tremendously.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

wow, nice!!!  thanks for the post Jimmyban and welcome to CocoonTech!  I'm sure we will be having some more conversations!

 

[ano]

I have a Synology NAS (918+) and its probably the greatest piece of technology I have ever owned. It can do so much with downloaded apps. It works great. Yes, if you area techie, you could probably do all this with a Raspberry Pi, but short of that, I love it.
 
There are some negatives. The company is located in Taiwan, which is OK by itself, but I have monitored that the device communicates with servers in China, Russia, and India. I have blocked those communications, and everything still works fine. This was a bit troubling. So if you work on things the Chinese government might want to spy upon, be careful.  
 
My job DOES require me to work on things like that, but I also have a very advanced Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) so I see all going in and out, so am not terribly worried. But other than that, its a great box.

 

[sic0048]

....I have monitored that the device communicates with servers in China, Russia, and India. I have blocked those communications, and everything still works fine. This was a bit troubling. So if you work on things the Chinese government might want to spy upon, be careful.  
 

 
I think a lot of us "techy" guys understand that we should be blocking things like CCTV cameras, IOT devices, etc from the internet and most of us probably have VLANs set up to do this automatically.  However your post is a good reminder that there are devices on our regular VLAN that should probably be blocked as well.  Not just NAS, but also networked printers, print servers, etc, etc, etc.  

 

[Waynedb]

I built my own Open Media Vault NAS and use larger hard drives, unfortunately Chia mining has driven the cost of hard drives through the roof recently.

 

[pete_c]

Here too DIY'd my NAS using BSD XigmaNAS and switched over to ZFS / SAS / LSi Raid controller and enterprise SAS Hitachi drives which are heavy and loud.
 
Synology has very good support and reviews.
 
Synology America Corp. Synology Inc. (Chinese: 群暉科技; pinyin: Qúnhuī Kējì) is a Taiwanese corporation that specializes in Network-attached storage (NAS) appliances. Synology's line of NAS is known as the DiskStation for desktop models, FlashStation for all-flash models, and RackStation for rack-mount models.
 
It was "The Swede" that brought the MFG of the Synology NAS over to Taiwan.  He was involved in the Security Fi MFG of the Almond + to Taiwan and the little Rpi network management box designed in Italy and MFG in Taiwan.  Good guy and really cares about these products.

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

I received the Synology unit and two hard drives.  Installed the drives, downloaded the manager software, configured to a RAID 1, then let the system check for disk errors.
 
After that configured some users and shared files and copied everything over from the old drive.  All is working now.  I didn't download any other applications yet.
 
I would like to get some sort of imaging backup automatically going with my two desktops and one laptop here at my home.

 

[pete_c]

Good news Morgan!!
 
Here still use Drive Snapshot (over 20 years now).
 
You can configure it to auto image to your NAS at night.
 
Years ago purchased the enterprise version such that it works today with Windows servers and desktops.  Reasonably priced.