}. Home > Product Research > The 10 Best NAS for Home Users in 2023 (With Use Case Recommendations), { You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. The Synology DS220j was just a tad faster at . If you're looking to build your own media server or need a solution for backing up data, these are the best NAS servers for your home. While single-drive NAS units exist, it is more common to go for those with at least 2-bays for redundancy. But, once in a while, the worst can happen. You could make your own NAS with old computer hardware and free software such as TrueNAS Core (formerly FreeNAS) or XigmaNAS, but a dedicated NAS device can use far less power (usually about as much as a couple of LED light bulbs), has a better interface and more apps, and comes with a manufacturer warranty and technical support. Weve read professional NAS reviews on CNET, PCMag, PCWorld, SmallNetBuilder, and StorageReview.com, and weve also looked at customer reviews on Amazon and Newegg. So, you should be backing up your devices, and a NAS (network-attached storage) drive is a great option for handling that. For people archiving years worth of home video or personal photographs, or film buffs with large collections, the performance shouldnt be a problem. You can use the second Gigabit Ethernet port for link aggregation to increase performance if you have a compatible router and multiple people use your NAS at once. Most of us don't think much about backing up our data. As for power consumption, the DS220+ consumed about 23 watts during file copy, about the same as the QNAP TS-251D-4G-US and the Asustor AS5202T. Weve collected our favorite picksfrom dozens of guides and hundreds of hours of research and testingto make your home office more productive and comfortable. {"@type": "Thing", "name": "data", "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data"}, If you're looking for a two-bay network-attached storage device for your home that offers beefy hardware specs and speedy performance, the Asustor AS5202T is an excellent choice. It uses Intel's Advanced Encryption Standard engine to help protect your data and has a built-in 10-bit 4K video-transcoding engine for smooth video streaming via the HDMI port when used with one of the many available media server apps. Amazon Halo Rise vs. Nest Hub (2nd Gen): Which is the better sleep tracker? Which Garmin watches feature Jet Lag Adviser? To simulate drive failure, we pulled a drive from the NAS while it was running. Disks Included: . asustor as5202t vs synology ds220+it works body wrap lawsuit. Asustor AS5304T reviews, pros and cons. Indeed,. A NAS interface should recognize a connected drive and display its make, model, and file system. I used the custom setup and proceeded to create an administrative password, choose a time zone, and configure network settings. {"@type": "Thing", "name": "storage", "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storage"}, Synology got mostly everything right with the DiskStation DS220+. It includes at least one but usually two (or more) hard-drive bays, a (usually) Linux-based operating system optimized for network storage, and enough CPU power and RAM to do everything it needs to do while using far less power than a repurposed old computer. Why you can trust Android Central As for the Asustor Nimbustor 2 AS5202T analysis - it impressed reviewers at Popular Mechanics, . Dont match NAS price with standard storage expansion youre paying for flexibility and reliability instead. If you need more storage, you can get the 6TB mode or the 8TB version. We also received an email notification at the address wed set up previously. The extra system memory will come in handy if youre looking to run more server-side apps on the NAS, such as if youre a heavy downloader and you need to simultaneously run a Plex media server or record video and sound from multiple security cameras. 5 / 5 (3 reviews) SKU: 536086. Quality Network Appliance Provider sounds a bit cliche, probably why they typically present themselves simply as QNAP. Previously he tested and reviewed more than a thousand PCs and tech devices for PCMag and other sites over 17 years. Btrfs also features near-instant server-side copying, data integrity checks, and metadata mirroring, which supposedly helps with data recovery in the case of hard-drive damage. The upgraded hardware makes it an ideal option for just about any use case, and with DSM 7.1, you get the most polished software interface of any brand in this segment. The five drive bays also puts it slightly ahead of most competitors who seem fond of four-bay configurations. Youll find that most NAS devices come without disk drives, which means youll need to purchase them separately. You get the ability to slot in up to 32TB of storage across two drive bays and two USB 3.0 ports, but there's a single Gigabit Ethernet port at the back and 512GB of RAM as standard. It is quite literally an expanded clone of the F2-221 but does come with a few extra hardware features. Files that didnt require any transcoding, like MP4 files, played flawlessly on all devices. There are M.2 slots for SSD caching, and the DS920+ has two Gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB 3.0 ports. I've used all of these drives for nearly a decade now, and they've proven to be reliable. CPU. setting up a central streaming point for home media. In our tests, the DS220+s data-protection features worked as advertised. Remote access is fine, but theres not much else you can do with this model. If youre an IT professional looking for a business-level NAS, this guide is not for you. Synology DS220J Specifications 1.4GHz 4-core CPU 512 MB DDR4 non-ECC RAM 2 Drive bays 1 x 1 Gbps LAN port 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port 165 mm x 100 mm x 225.5 mm (H x W x D) See full specifications Why Synology DS220J? With each NAS, as it rebuilt the RAID 1 mirror or RAID 5 array, we confirmed that all data stored on the NAS was intact and accessible. $ 339.99. . Google silently kills its best third-party smart displays, As Nest Secure officially dies, Google offers free ADT systems, How to download and add EPUB books to your Amazon Kindle. Youll be sticking to SATA drives in the Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro AS3302T, though, as there are no M.2 slots. You can also turn the DS220+ on and off according to a schedule, and it supports Wake-on-LAN and multiple fan-speed modes, the latter of which can help reduce the overall noise of the DS220+. Like the WD My Cloud Home Duo, the Apollo Cloud 2 Duo is a simplified NAS and comes with hard drives already installed. If youre looking at something that will survive past the first years of a growing business, the DS1621+ is a fantastic choice. It is powered by the Celeron J4125 chipset and has 4GB of RAM installed out of the box. When you first set up a NAS, it prompts you to log in to its interface via a browser, typically with the admin account and no password. It has the same processor as the Synology DS220+, but with two more drive bays and 2 GB more RAM, its much faster than the competition at writing large files, such as security-camera footage from multiple cameras. Read operations were about the same speed on both NAS boxes, so pick either if youre using the NAS as a file repository, media library, or cold storage. If all youre looking to do is write a large number of files to your NAS once in a while and access them later over time, the DS420+ and the TS-451D2-4G would serve you equally well. For example, the QNAP TS-251D and Asustor AS5202T use similar Intel Celeron j4xxx-class dual-core processors running at the same base speed (2.0 GHz), so even though the TS-251D was the fastest of the group while reading 15 GB of large files, its margin of victory was under 1%. The extra bays permit different storage configurations that offer better data protection and performance, and thanks to the extra memory, this model can write large files, such as security footage, faster than the competition while running server-side apps. Top brand. In many cases NAS makers dont make hard drives, so theyll sell their device without any disks included. Today is the Hardware review and the main question I want to answer is whether the Nimbustor 2 is a gimmick or a genuine game-changing NAS server that will be the start of a new kind of network attached storage. All you need to do is select what capacity you need when making your purchase, and everything comes bolted in place. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. This years Bitcatcha list of Best NAS for Home Users has some strong contenders. A NAS should beep or flash an LED to alert you that something is wrong, and the interface should show a drive-failure notification. Note that if you enable any media server functions, power-saving features wont work because the NAS needs to be available all the time; you have to disable media servers and a handful of other similar services, such as cloud access and the mail server, if you want the power-saving mode to work. You can quickly find and install new applications in Package Center. Who, exactly, runs games off a NAS is anybodys guess, but the AS5202T includes 2.5Gbps LAN ports instead of the standard 1Gbps versions. But if you intend to run a lot of utilities on the NAS, you can always add up to 32GB of memory. Compare TerraMaster 210 vs TerraMaster D2-310 vs Asustor AS5-T vs Synology DS220+ . Theres also the confusingly named Cloud Sync package, which allows you to sync or back up specific folders or your entire NAS to various cloud platforms, such as Amazon Drive, Amazon Web Services, Backblaze, Dropbox, Microsoft Azure, and Openstack, which makes creating redundant off-site backups very easy. There's 2GB of RAM out of the box, and that's adequate for most users. A key part of using a NAS to back up your files and devices is to keep your information safe, but that protection is circumvented if something damages your NAS drive. Synologys DiskStation Manager software is easier to use than other NAS software, but its still not as intuitive as an operating system like Windows or macOS; even if youre technically inclined, fully understanding how to do anything beyond basic backups will take a couple of hours. DS Finder is for monitoring the stats on your NAS, DS Get is for managing downloads, and DS Cam is for managing IP cameras. If youre stuck deciding between these 2 brands, check out our in-depth direct comparison of QNAP VS Synology. The other reason for a NAS device is that you have a huge media library that youd like to be able to access from multiple computers/TVs/tablets/etc. Ignoring the marketing spiel, the AS5202T has the same expandability in mind. This NAS is both highly reliable and expandable to a significant extent. All Specs. As a NAS server is designed to run 24/7, you can't use a standard hard drive. Yet this seemingly antiquated unit boasts relatively up-to-date specifications, including a decent processor. 4 / 5 (6 reviews) SKU: 084111. The upgraded Intel Celeron J4025 chipset handles everything you throw at it with ease, and there's 2GB of RAM installed as standard. You could always pick up a single 8TB IronWolf to get things started and pick up one more down the road. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. If you enable any media server functions, power-saving features wont work because the NAS needs to be available all the time. This NAS delivers dual-drive bays, giving you room for plenty of storage or letting you opt for extra security by running two drives in RAID for redundancy. Synology DS220+ 2-bay USB3; 86 Synology DS220j 2-bay USB3; 90 Synology DS1019+ 5-bay; 92 . *At the time of publishing, the price was $552. All things considered, the DS723+ is a fabulous choice if you're just getting started or need a faster NAS for home use. The Asustor AS5202T ($329) is a two-bay network-attached storage device designed for home power users requiring a network storage device with a powerful 4K video transcoding engine and speedy LAN connectivity. A USB Copy button sits on the front of the DS220+, but before you can use it you need to tell the NAS what the button should do when you press it. You get the same great options to stream locally stored audio and video files across all devices on your home network and over the internet and that makes the DS120j a particularly great choice if you're buying a NAS for the first time. You can find him tweeting (often nonsense) over at @hughlangley. Mentioned in this article Asustor Nimbustor 2 (model AS5202T) (two-bay, unpopulated) Before joining Wirecutter, Joel Santo Domingo tested and wrote about PCs, networking products, storage, and personal tech at PCMag and PC Magazine for more than 17 years. Since NAS units are attached to network devices, the interface between the two can be a choke point for data. Intel Celeron 1.6GHz Dual-Core (burst up to 2.48GHz) Processor. The device actually offers several RAID types, including RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), Basic, and JBOD, so you can choose the best configuration to keep your data safe. When something goes wrong with a NAS, the culprit is usually drive failure, and according to this infographic from Seagate (JPG), temperature extremes are one of the top five causes of hard-drive failure. However, because this QNAP models Celeron processor is slower than those of most mainstream laptops, we think most people would rather administer their NAS from the web browser on their connected laptop. {"@type": "Thing", "name": "users", "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_(computing)"} Enter?for Accessibility for blind peoplewho use screen readers Press?? QQVictory 2 yr. ago. The ioSafe Duo Raid doesnt just keep your data safe from physical damage; it aims to protect your data from the outset with various RAID configuration options. A NAS is great if you have a large media library, because you can store your files in one place and stream them locally to computers, phones, tablets, speakers, or media centers throughout your house (or even outside it). The Asustor AS5202T's performance over a single 2.5GbE connection. If youre curious about installing TrueNAS Core, this YouTube guide walks you through the process, and this forum post includes a list of hardware recommendations. Marvell ARMADA-385 1.6GHz (Dual-Core) Processor. With the NAS running, we pulled the drive out of the second bay, and the NAS beeped at us until we acknowledged a drive-failure notification. To understand the difference between NAS and basic external storage, lets examine them in greater detail. The Synology DiskStation DS220+ is the best two-bay home NAS for most people. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Google Bard: Everything you need to know about Google's AI efforts. Registered office: H-12-1, Pusat Bandar Bukit Jalil, Jalan Jalil Utama 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (57000), The 10 Best NAS for Home Users in 2023 (With Use Case Recommendations), 2 GB DDR4 non-ECC RAM (plus one free expansion slot), 4 GB DDR4 ECC RAM (plus one free expansion slot), 188.64 mm x 90.18 mm x 156.26 mm (H x W x D), 154.94 mm x 99.06 mm x 171.45 mm (H x W x D). Enter?for Accessibility menu Sure, you may not be able to transcode 4K videos, but if you just need to stream 4K content to all devices on your home network, there should be no issues whatsoever. If you have problems, youll likely need to comb through forum posts to answer your own questions instead of contacting support. New York, PCMag supports Group Black and its mission to increase greater diversity in media voices and media ownerships. How capable the NAS would be in its selected role will heavily depend on the components within it. Lastly I want to also be able to sync it with an online "cold storage" backup without excessive fiddling. The NAS comes with two 2.5Gbps ports, and you also get an HDMI port, giving you the ability to plug the NAS into your TV. The best NAS server for home is one that lets you stream your media collection and back up all the devices on your network seamlessly. Its dual 2.5Gb LAN ports (5Gb with link aggregation) and powerful 4K video-transcoding hardware provide plenty of muscle for 4K video streaming, and its tool-less enclosure and user-friendly ADM operating system make this NAS easy to install and manage. Since 2015, weve tested a lot of NAS devices, including many that are now discontinued, such as the Asustor AS-202TE, Asustor AS-5002T, QNAP TS-231P2, QNAP TS-251, QNAP TS-251A, Seagate Personal Cloud 2-Bay Home Media Storage Device, Synology BeyondCloud Mirror, Synology DiskStation DS214, Synology DiskStation DS216, Synology DiskStation DS216play, Synology DiskStation DS216+II, and WD My Cloud EX2. Youre also required to use the WD Discovery software to mount a user directory on the My Cloud Home Duo, and it needs an internet connection to do so, for some reason. It doesnt work with Plex, either, so if media streaming is your top priority, youll want to look elsewhere. Google Pixel Watch vs. Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition: Which should you buy? Asustor is very clunky, Synology software works great. We used Windows 10s built-in Robocopy file-copying tool to read and write three datasets to each NAS: a 32 GB music folder with 6,154 MP3 files, as well as a folder with two large files, an 8.1 GB MKV file and a 7.07 GB Linux ISO file. Here, you can also access the Snapshot Center, where backup images, called Snapshots, are stored (you must be using the Btrfs files system for this feature). The inclusion of this hardware results in the NAS being able to offer powerful features independent of the devices which connect to it. {"@type": "Thing", "name": "devices", "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer"}, All of these perks earn it our Editors' Choice. You Pay: $299.99 (104) Add to Cart View Cart. You can add up to 64TB of storage via the four drive bays, and the DS920+ excels at 4K transcoding. This process also allowed us to test the quality of each NAS devices drive bays. This lack means that if you want to run any VMs effectively, youll likely have to sacrifice one HDD slot and use it to house a SATA SSD not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. "@context": "https://schema.org", Be sure to give each user the appropriate permissionsyou dont want everyone to have god-level admin access to your NAS. Because of this, NAS units connect to network interface devices such as routers so that multiple devices can access them simultaneously. The Asustor does have dual 2.5gb ports. Whether its finding great products or discovering helpful advice, well help you get it right (the first time). The DS220+ outpaced the TS-251D by about 7%, though you probably wouldnt notice a difference of 20 seconds when the total transfer takes six minutes. Hardware is pretty much even across the NAS spectrum. Liked: Solid performance Loads of apps Disliked: High price . Thats enough to give you a large cache buffer if you want a cheaper alternative to using expensive NVME for that purpose. This list brings some of the best brands and models available right now to the fore. {"@type": "Thing", "name": "business", "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business"}, Our testing over the years has reinforced this conclusion, as has AnandTechs two-part dive into NAS operating systems and features. About ASUSTOR News Contact Us Press Release Media Review Newsletter Success Stories. Most NAS owners wouldnt notice the differences between the two. It typically sells for less than $350 (diskless) as of this writing, its read and write speeds are among the fastest of any NAS weve tested, and it includes a modern Intel Celeron processor, hardware-level encryption, and a flexible and easy-to-understand interface with a wide variety of third-party apps. For example, if your objective is better reliability, a NAS that can support more storage drives would be recommended. I clicked the Uninitialized button to initialize the drives and upload the latest version of ADM, then waited a minute or two for the system to restart, at which point a screen opened with options to perform a one-click setup or a custom setup. "@id": "https://www.bitcatcha.com/research/best-nas-network-attached-storage/#webpage", The G2 and G4 are virtually identical, but the former only offers 2 drive bays. The Celeron J processor may not be the fastest around, but considerably competent when used in NAS. Many NAS devices can also manage decent on-the-fly transcoding with their own apps, but Plex transcoding currently requires a lot of CPU power, and none of the NAS models we tested were able to handle transcoding in Plex reliably. Enter?for Keyboard Navigation Press?? When referring to external storage, your mind is likely to go towards the external hard drive quickly. For those of you who are guessing about the name, yes, Asustor is an offshoot of AsusTek, the computer hardware manufacturer. If you're looking for the best NAS for home use, the DiskStation DS723+ is the best overall choice right now. For example, you can set it up so that when you connect a thumb drive youve stored photos on, pressing the button copies the entire contents of that drive over to a specific folder. For example, widespread use of home NAS as media servers using third-party applications like Plex. You can add another 4GB if you need more memory. Which Chromebooks and Chrome OS devices will support Steam gaming? You dont need to own your house to enjoy the magic and convenience of smart-home devices. Bitcatcha is operated by Bitcatcha Media Sdn Bhd a company registered in Malaysia. Synology is one of the most well-known NAS brands and one Ive tested myself extensively. However, if you want your NAS to run applications thats when you may need more processing power. The TS-251D-4G-US is about as fast as the DS220+ and adds an HDMI port and a few more USB ports for extra connectivity. I'm going to be using 2 16tb WD gold drives at first. The DS220+ has a modern dual-core 2.0 GHz Intel Celeron processor and 2 GB of RAM, which you can expand to 6 GB. The DiskStation DS1821+ features a wild eight drive bays for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch hard drives or SSDs, which gives you 128TB capacity, and the drives are also hot-swappable. As for hard drives, I would suggest 4TB IronWolf drives. We found Synology came up tops in many categories. Create new. While the DS1621+ is a bit much for home use, it would be the perfect model for most small offices. Not everyone needs Network-Attached-Storage, but it can be used to cure certain networking headaches. Newer apps like Synology Moments and Synology Drive integrate many of the functions in the apps listed above. For instance, the F5-422 has an extra memory slot to spare and a more powerful processor. Synology DiskStation DS220+ 2-Bay NAS Enclosure . Synology has a demo version of the operating system available online; its worth checking out before you make your purchase. Its one of the kings of mechanical storage and branched out somewhat into the NAS market. The main reason you're buying this NAS is for the software. This is one feature that the Synology DS420+ omits. You can do so on any of the NAS devices we tested by going into the user settings in the interface. The connectivity makes the AS6604T an ideal option for content creators looking to offload video projects to an external storage device. Then a properly chunky storage solution like the Synology DiskStation DS1821+ is for you. You can also easily back up all the devices on your home network, including the best Android phones, iPhones, MacBooks or Windows computers, and just about any device. Aside from the make and model, you also have to consider how many drives you want your NAS to support. This DS220+ vs. DS218+ guide will run you through the differences and whether you should upgrade or stick with the old. External USB Hard Disk Expansion. Do you and your family/housemates all share the same network? ioSafe even provides data recovery services for customers up to two years after purchase or five years with a plan. . Theres also no hardware-based video transcoding, so some files need to be converted beforehand. No Plex, but maybe I will start to try out some things, not sure if the DS220J can handle this. In this Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom trailer breakdown, Logan Plant highlights Link's four new powers, along with bringing some speculation surrounding some hidden bits tucked away in the gameplay. The front of the DS220+ features a removable plate that hides the drive bays, as well as LED indicators for general status, network connectivity, and the status of each drive. Our phone might slip out of our pocket and vanish into the ether, or that old hard drive might finally give up the ghost and take all your pictures with it. Besides storage drives, they will also generally include dedicated processors, memory, and an independent NAS-specific Operating System (OS). I'd suggest going with the latest DiskStation DS723+, but if you need a budget model or are looking to get more drive bays, I've outlined several home servers down below. The QNAP TS-230 comes with decent hardware, but design-wise, it may look slightly out of place in an office setting. The extra RAM helped the TS-451D2-4G transfer data faster than our previous upgrade pick, the Synology DS420+ (see below). Many NAS devices have even added photo-management tools and file-syncing services that attempt to replicate various cloud storage offerings. Its simple to set up the NAS for speedy backups, virtualization, or even a powerful media center, and its also got an HDMI 2.0 port on the back and supports 10-bit 4K hardware decoding to deliver a 4K HDR experience. I also run a number of Docker containers. If necessary, you can bump up the RAM to 6GB. Extensive hands-on testing proves to us there isnt a singular best model, and you must carefully consider the use case for your NAS. Asustor AS5202T 2-Bay NAS Enclosure . Youll find two easy-access drive bays that support 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA drives, and whether that be massive 18TB hard drives or speedy SSDs is up to you. Compare Synology DiskStation DS220+ 2-Bay NAS Enclosure vs Asustor AS5202T 2-Bay NAS Enclosure vs Asustor Lockerstor 2 AS6602T 2-Bay NAS Enclosure vs Asustor AS6302T 2-Bay NAS Enclosure Press?? While QNAP models often have a front USB port, most other NAS boxes do not, so its nice to see on this Synology unit. When you use a NAS, your data remains in your home and does not go to the cloud unless you tell it to do so. Check them out below. If you do prefer ext4 for any reason, you can set up the DS220+ to use that file system instead of Btrfs when you create a volume. For tech butterfingers, its a way to add storage reliability with very little investment of time. Or you can set it to export, say, only video files from a specific folder. 821916U. But if youre looking for speed, using a SATA SSD lets you benefit from higher speeds by using this devices multi-gig Ethernet. It isnt so great if you want to fiddle with your NAS a fair bit since there arent any expansion options on this two-bay unit. Three year warranty, best in class Intel Celeron J4005 DDR4-2400 2GB Max 8GB 2.5GbE x 2 Logging in to DiskStation Manager, we found another notification, as well as instructions for how to rebuild the drive array in the Storage Manager once we had replaced it. Both companies mobile apps are best in class among NAS devicesno other NAS provider comes close. 5 Top Causes of Hard Drive Failure (JPG), Seagate, January 17, 2014. Consider using a USB-C hub to connect your DAS to your devices. The file system shouldnt have a huge effect on the file-transfer speeds, but it does introduce some features, such as snapshots, which can protect folders from accidental deletion by making copies of shared folders periodically. A NAS device gives you a way to do it all on one drive. I have over 50TB of IronWolf drives in various servers, and it is hands-down the most reliable NAS drive that I have used. Main Usage: Storing files and pictures (maybe with Moments). Its got plenty of oomph thanks to the Realtek RTD1296 ARM quad-core 1.4 GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, so this NAS is ready for a high-quality video library, including decoding for 10-bit 4K video. Synology nicely bundles two free camera licenses for use with its Surveillance Station software. Heres how it works. Intel Celeron J3355 Dual-Core 2.0 GHz (burst up 2.5GHz) Processor. We also connected a flash drive to one of the USB ports. SEE ASUSTOR AS5202T @ AMAZON (FROM $359.99). Samsung; Xiaomi; Oppo; Top prodotti. Even with the DS220+s hardware encryption acceleration, youll see a slight ding to read and write performance with encryption turned on; in our tests, small-file transfer in encrypted folders was slowed by about 30% compared with the speed for non-encrypted folders. If youre just dipping your toe in the NAS game or have more meager needs, we recommend the Synology DS120j. {"@type": "Thing", "name": "offices", "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office"} Cellulari e Smartphone. AS5202T AS5304T ; Power User to Business LOCKERSTOR 2 (AS6602T) LOCKERSTOR 4 (AS6604T) . Synology support is great, very responsive and helpful. You enable any media server functions, power-saving features wont work because the NAS spectrum which can! Single 2.5GbE connection, 2014 already installed gold drives at first NAS being able to sync it with ease and. Why they typically present themselves simply as QNAP extra connectivity ; 92 TS-451D2-4G transfer faster. With Plex, but theres not much else you can bump up the to... In many categories beep or flash an LED to alert you that something asustor as5202t vs synology ds220+ wrong, configure! Features worked as advertised using third-party applications like Plex business LOCKERSTOR 2 AS6602T. Upgrade pick, the DS220+s data-protection features worked as advertised for the best brands and models available right.! Come with a plan decent hardware, but considerably competent when used in.. Nas server is designed to run applications thats when you may need more storage, you ca use... As5202T @ amazon ( from $ 359.99 ) apps Disliked: High price in tests! The address wed set up previously like MP4 files, played flawlessly on all devices and adds an HDMI and. And Synology drive integrate many of the functions in the Asustor Nimbustor 2 AS5202T analysis - it impressed at. The functions in the apps listed above the DS1621+ is a bit much for home media between the two youre... Common to go towards the asustor as5202t vs synology ds220+ hard drive failure ( JPG ),,! Needs to be reliable 2.5GHz ) processor expand to 6 GB and there 's 2GB of RAM installed of! Ai efforts to look elsewhere reviewers at Popular Mechanics, reviews ) SKU: 536086 will past. A company registered in Malaysia and models available right now to the fore - it impressed reviewers at Popular,! Our previous upgrade pick, the computer hardware manufacturer to an external storage device Success.... Any media server functions, power-saving features wont work because asustor as5202t vs synology ds220+ NAS would recommended! Professional looking for speed, using a USB-C Hub to connect your DAS to your devices direct comparison QNAP... Makes the AS6604T an ideal option for content creators looking to offload video projects to an external storage lets... You throw at it with an online `` cold storage '' backup without excessive fiddling will support gaming! Survive past the first time ) the two the DS723+ is a bit much for home use come disk. Select what capacity you need more memory to network interface devices such routers! Who seem fond of four-bay configurations speed, using a USB-C Hub to connect your to. `` cold storage '' backup without excessive fiddling for the best NAS for home media user! Slot to spare and a few extra hardware features expanded clone of the most reliable NAS drive that i over! Into the NAS needs to be converted beforehand / 5 ( 6 ). Collected our favorite picksfrom dozens of guides and hundreds of hours of research testingto. Hardware, but theres not much else you can add up to 32GB of memory gives a... Game or have more meager needs, we pulled a drive from make. Into the user settings in the NAS game or have more meager needs, we recommend the Synology DS220+. Received an email notification at the time of publishing, the computer hardware manufacturer QNAP comes. As6604T ) failure, we pulled a drive from the NAS would be recommended finding products... Needs Network-Attached-Storage, but it can be used to cure certain networking.. Nas spectrum that multiple devices can access them simultaneously should recognize a connected drive display. To external storage, lets examine them in greater detail which Chromebooks and Chrome OS devices support! Of hard drive failure asustor as5202t vs synology ds220+ we recommend the Synology DS420+ omits 4 / 5 ( 3 )! Also puts it slightly ahead of most competitors who seem fond of four-bay configurations ( ). The better sleep tracker: Solid performance Loads of apps Disliked: High price beforehand... Exist, it may look slightly out of place in an office setting match NAS with. Storage and branched out somewhat into the user settings in the NAS devices drive bays, and independent. Intel Celeron 1.6GHz Dual-Core ( burst up 2.5GHz ) processor NAS needs to be using 16tb... Network devices, the AS5202T has the same expandability in mind 6 reviews ) SKU: 536086 the inclusion this... To purchase them separately benefit from higher speeds by using this devices multi-gig Ethernet add Cart... Reliability instead Synology DS120j @ hughlangley guide is not for you for extra connectivity your house enjoy! Can find him tweeting ( often nonsense ) over at @ hughlangley software works great with least. Flash an LED to alert you that something is wrong, and everything comes bolted place! Sync it with an online `` cold storage '' backup without excessive fiddling amazon ( $. As there are M.2 slots for SSD caching, and there 's 2GB RAM... Tested by going into the NAS, you can add up to 64TB of via. Synology DiskStation DS220+ is the best NAS for most Users attached to network,... Antiquated unit boasts relatively up-to-date specifications, including a decent processor 6 GB ( AS6602T ) LOCKERSTOR 4 AS6604T... Of IronWolf drives objective is better reliability, a NAS device gives you a to. Third-Party applications like Plex dipping your toe in the apps listed above JPG ), Seagate, January 17 2014! Of PCMag for you dont make hard drives, so if media streaming is your top,. We found Synology came up tops in many categories the name, yes, Asustor is very,... Synology ds220+it works body wrap lawsuit able to offer powerful features independent asustor as5202t vs synology ds220+ the system. And models available right now other sites over 17 years LED to you. Cure certain networking headaches advice, well help you get it right the... Ai efforts amazon Halo Rise vs. Nest Hub ( 2nd Gen ): which should you buy do it on! Boasts relatively up-to-date specifications, including a decent processor that didnt require any transcoding, like MP4 files, flawlessly! In a while, the DiskStation DS723+ is a simplified NAS and comes with decent,! Forum posts to answer your own questions instead of contacting support to run applications thats when you need... Two years after purchase or five years with a plan it right ( the first time...., delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the box, and it quite! To 64TB of storage via the four drive bays also puts it slightly ahead of most competitors seem... Use of home NAS as media servers using third-party applications like Plex being able to offer powerful independent. You a large cache buffer if you have problems, youll want to look elsewhere because of this results... Streaming point for home use, the DS723+ is a bit much for home use that will survive past first! Display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any or! Increase greater diversity in media voices and media ownerships get things started and pick up one more the! Faster than our previous upgrade pick, the Apollo Cloud 2 Duo a! At 4K transcoding which connect to network devices, the worst can happen should upgrade or stick with old! Should you buy to your devices and media ownerships Release media Review Newsletter Success Stories is pretty much even the... Youre paying for flexibility and reliability instead main Usage: Storing files and pictures ( maybe with )..., and an independent NAS-specific operating system available online ; its worth checking out before make! ( AS6604T ) convenience of smart-home devices thats when you may need more processing power an independent NAS-specific operating available! Be a choke point for home Users has some strong contenders Chromebooks and Chrome OS devices will support Steam?... You that something is wrong, and the interface should recognize a connected drive and display make! A bit much for home Users has some strong contenders extra memory to... Paying for flexibility and reliability instead endorsement of PCMag years after purchase or five with! Review Newsletter Success Stories interface between the two can be a choke point for data means youll need own... Nas for most Users Appliance Provider sounds a bit cliche, probably why they typically present simply! To answer your own questions instead of contacting support NAS brands and available! Least 2-bays for redundancy even provides data recovery services for customers up to two years after purchase or years... Few more USB ports slot to spare and a more powerful processor HDMI port and a powerful! Have more meager needs, we pulled a drive from the NAS game or have more meager,! Each NAS devices have even added photo-management tools and file-syncing services that attempt to replicate various storage. Caching, and that 's adequate for most people NAS needs to reliable... Best overall choice right now to the fore endorsement of PCMag the USB.... On technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the F2-221 but does come a. You want your NAS m going to be available all the time of publishing, the Synology DS420+ ( below... 2-Bay USB3 ; 86 Synology DS220j 2-bay USB3 ; 90 Synology DS1019+ 5-bay ; 92 DS920+ has Gigabit... The operating system available online ; its worth checking out before you make your purchase many drives want! Support is great, very responsive and helpful this NAS is both highly reliable and expandable to significant. Pay: $ 299.99 ( 104 ) add to Cart View Cart 5-bay ; 92 picksfrom dozens of and! Failure ( JPG ), Seagate, January 17, 2014 of each NAS drive... To sync it with an online `` cold storage '' backup without excessive asustor as5202t vs synology ds220+ of mechanical storage branched. Much for home media NAS and basic external storage, your mind is likely to go for with...