Synology DS218+ Review - One of the best home and small business NAS solution!

We loved the Synology DS418j we reviewed before. But, now we look at the 2-drive bay DS218+ that on paper looks to be great for both home and professional use.

identical side panels!

NAS or networked attached storage has been a solution for both consumers and professionals to access local content with multiple devices simultaneously.

It sports a dual core processor, 2GB of RAM, 2 Drive bays that can carry up to 24TB of storage.

It is priced at PHP 19,990 and is RAID 1 capable.

Synology DS218+ Specs

CPU: 2.0GHz 64-bit Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core processor

RAM: 2GB DDR3L

Drive Bays: 2

Drive Compatibility: 3.5-inch SATA HDD, 2.5-inch SATA HDD, 2.5-inch SATA SSD

Capacity: Maximum of 24TB (12TB Drive x 2), maximum 108TB single Volume

Hot Swappable Drive: Yes

Ports: 1x RJ-45 1GbE Lan Port, 3x USB 3.0 ports, 1x eSATA port

Supported File System: Btrfs, EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+, exFAT

System Fans: 1x 92 x 92 mm

Noise level: 19.3 dB(A)

Power Supply Unit/Adapter: 60W

AC Input Power Voltage: 100V to 240V AC

Power Frequency: 50/60 Hz, Single Phase

Power Consumption: 17.23 W(Access), 5.4 W (HDD Hibernation)

Supported RAID type: Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0 to 10

RAID Migration: Basic to RAID 1

Environment and Packaging: RoHS Compliant

Dimensions: 232.2 x 165 x 108 mm

Weight: 1,300 g

Price: PHP 19,990

Unboxing / Accessories

Inside the box

The DiskStation comes in a premium classic brown carton with all the accessories and documentation. It comes with a LAN cable, Power supply, Power Socket Cable, documentation and the enclosure itself.

HDDs do not come with the product. You are free to install up to 24TB into the NAS. It has up to 12TB per slot.

Build Quality / Design

Two drive bays and drive trays!

The DS218+ comes in a premium black shell made of both metal and polycarbonate. It has a matte texture with rounded corners that both stands out and fits in with your computer set up. There is no RGB though.

Top panel is clean

Ventilation holes, rubber feet and rubber feet

Fan, USB ports, LAN port, DC in

Synology DS218+ front panel is removable

At front is the removable panel to access the two drive bays. Beside it is one USB 3.0 port, power button and LED status lights.

On top is empty while the sides have the logo of Synology with ventilation slits in them. 

At the back is the large 92 x 92 mm fan, more USB 3.0 ports, LAN port, and DC-in port.

At the bottom are more ventilation holes, regulatory information and rubber feet.

The two drive bays are hot swappable and contain a drive tray for each bay.

Performance

Access your NAS on the go with the phone app!

Like the other model we reviewed, it is quiet and power efficient because the software adjusts the fan speed with as follows: low-power, quiet, cool, and full power. At cool and quiet settings, the fans are nearly silent unless you are less than a feet away.

Note: DS file can be downloaded at Apple App Store and Google Play Store

In the quick start guide, it is the same as the DS418j where in we download a set-up wizard from the Synology support page. The setup is quick and easy. It just takes a little time to fill-up information and to set up your unique Synology account.

The USB ports can be used to attach external storage or printer. It is great for temporarily expanding storage while getting access to it remotely.

Like the  DS418j, You can attach printers but the drivers of the printer have to be installed on the PC where the print order comes from.

It is powered by a 2.0GHz 64-bit Intel Celeron J3355 dual-core processor with 2 GB DDR3L RAM which is a lot more powerful than the previously reviewed DS418j. 

It is noticeably faster in terms of streaming and file transfer. This could also be improved if you docked a high read and write speed disk drive into the NAS.

The link to the DS418j review is here for more information on the software. The DS218+ software experience is nearly the same except this model, the DS218+ is a lot faster.

You have to remember to format the drives to be installed. RAID drive set-up requires putting them in a diskgroup.

It is using the same OS (operating system) as the DS418j so the features and use are the same. You can access, view, transfer files in the hard drive of the NAS via your computer via explorer/finder. If you are using a mobile phone, you need to download in the App Store or Play Store the different Synology apps to access them.

We particularly loved that we could stream videos from the NAS to our computers, tablets and/or phones.

Pros - Set-up is seamless, easy to learn UI, can attach printers, hot swappable drives, Synology OS for NAS has a wide variety of plug-ins

Cons - Front cover can easily be removed if hit

Verdict

The DS218+ is one of the best Network Attached Storage solutions we've ever tried with near seamless set-up. The main selling point here is the convenience it provides. The software experience from the Disk Station Manager is still second to none from any NAS solution. We highly recommend you try it out for yourself to see how it can benefit you. (For more information on the software read our review of the Synology DS418j)

Once the NAS and all the connecting devices are set-up and are connected, data transfer, file access, and streaming are a breeze.

DS218+ costs around PHP 19,990 without HDDs or extra RAM. Though it looks expensive, it is cheaper compared to its competitors in the market. The entry level siblings, DS218, DS218play and DS218j trades a lower spec'd processor and lower RAM capacity but are more affordable and what we recommend for personal use.

The DS218+ is for professionals and consumers who want the speed, reliability and convenience this NAS can offer that can shell out for its asking price. While the DS218, DS218play or DS218j are for people who can trade a more affordable price for a lower RAM capacity and lower spec'd processor.

Build / Design - 4.5

Features - 4.5

Performance - 4.5

Average - 4.5/5