I decided to go for the Synology DS212 NAS Server as it provided me with HOT SWAP hard drive bays, no need to open a case up and screw things in, and gave me a bit more processing power to go along with it. With the HOT SWAP drive bays, if a drive fails, a client can just pull the defective drive out and replace it with a similar drive, and allow the unit to carry on as normal, with no down time at all.
The maximum drive capacity the DS212 can take is 6TB, so I decided to go that route and bought a pair of Western Digital 3TB hard drives, making sure they appeared on the compatibility list that is on the Synology web site. This is very important and you really should take the time to double check the model of drive you are going to purchase and use.
In the unboxing video I released on YouTube, (search for mrgordonian) you can see what you get in the box and what the overall quality of the unit is like. I have to say, the Black case really does look and feel nice, and the ease of removing and inserting drives is really good as well.
The setting up of the unit is really straight forward, and even a novice user would be able to get things up and running initially, with the software guiding you through things by wizards, so in a short time you should be up and running with the basics in place.
The only complaint I would have against the unit, is trivial, but, annoying none the less if you have the unit sitting close to you, or in a quiet room. The fan in the unit is initially quiet, but after a while there is a slight click that starts to come from the unit. This keeps going until you go to the power management setting and switch the fan speed to cool mode, which puts the fan on at it's full speed. The other modes drop the power to the fan, but the fan makes an irritating click, tick, click noise that once you are attuned to, it really does get annoying. But, even after a while at cool speed, the clicking happens again... so clearly the best place for this unit will be in another room out the way and the you can ignore this small defect.
But, other than that, I cannot recommend this unit highly enough, as it really is a great piece of kit. If you need any more feedback or advice about this unit, please feel free to get in touch and I'll do my best to help you out.
| Brand | Synology |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 23.32 x 10.8 x 16.51 cm; 1.25 Kilograms |
| Item model number | 2TB |
| Manufacturer | Synology |
| Processor Count | 1 |
| RAM Size | 0.25 GB |
| Hard Drive Size | 2 TB |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
| Wattage | 18.2 watts |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 1.25 kg |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
