Last Updated: November 25, 2018 (Refresh Now)

Overview

Review Summary

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Overview

Review Summary

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Specs

Reco

Synology NAS DiskStation DS416slim

Last Updated: November 25, 2018 (Refresh Now)

8.3

SCORE

/10

Total Reviews

472

Old Reviews

151

Unverified

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Dual Core

PROCESSOR TYPE

170.23 GB

MEMORY

0.49 meters

SIZE

Review Analysis - 295 recent, verified reviews

Detailed Mode

Ease of Use

easy to set, web, setup, intuitive, interface

+93%

-7%

" ... Easy to install and works great with many options. ... "

" ... I was able to set it up and customize it by myself. ... "

" ... Easy to install and user friendly Web admin GUI, ... "

" ... It was easy. ... "

" ... all of it painlessly simple. ... "

" ... I only have basic IT skills and was able to set this up as a file server for my small biz in a matter of 20-30 minutes. ... The software is intuitive, and can be as detailed as you need it to be. ... "

" ... The GUI interface makes set up painless. ... "

" ... I have very little IT knowledge and the setup on this was a breeze. ... "

Software Platform

web, interface, server, os, apps

+82%

-18%

" ... Synology software is superior. ... "

" ... Loaded it with a 2Tb mirrored array, set it up. ... "

" ... No need spend the dosh on a dedicated Windows file server when this unit easily integrates into an Active Directory environment for user auth and folder/file ACLs, and provides OpenVPN connectivity for secure offsite access. ... "

" ... I found this unit ships with all kind of network accessable apps. ... "

" ... The software is intuitive, and can be as detailed as you need it to be. ... "

" ... I have 2 hgst drives in it and the Dsm software it uses is awesome. ... "

" ... Same interface as 3.5" Synology home NAS boxes, and works very well. ... "

" ... And the new DiskStation software (basically the UI for their OS), it is ridiculously easy to set up a photo, video, web or mail server and get it out to the web. ... "

Setup

synology, installation, easy to set, drives, straightforward

+93%

-7%

" ... Drive installation is extremely simple and Synology's software is fantastic. ... Running two 8TB WD Red drives with Synology's Hybrid Raid setup ... "

" ... Easy setup, probably the easiest of the NAS's i've used in my days. ... "

" ... Easy to install and works great with many options. ... "

" ... There are a lot of other applications we can install extending this way its utility. ... "

" ... Helpful and complete documentation. ... "

" ... Set up happened in just minutes and no hassle. ... "

" ... Easy to install and user friendly Web admin GUI, ... "

" ... Setup was simple, accessing my files from home, from the road, automatically mirroring to DropBox . ... "

Device Compatibility

server, dropbox, synology, onedrive, home

+87%

-13%

" ... Manage to save the data, but all we had were other POS PC's. ... "

" ... I use this as my Time Machine backup for a few computers after I had to get rid of my Time Capsule since Apple isn't making any new ones anymore. ... "

" ... I use it as backup and data base using my smartphone. ... "

" ... You get a useful LOT of good software for a very reasonable price on these devices! ... "

" ... As home system, one couldn't ask for more. ... "

" ... Real easy to back up your computers. ... Using it to back up multiple PC’s as well as multiple Macs. ... All easily and seamlessly. ... Also works well as an iTunes server for your music. ... "

" ... I use it for backups and to stream movies to my Smart TV. ... "

" ... And you don't need to be a computer and networking specialist to do most of this. ... "

Apps

web, synology, server, nas, interface

+85%

-15%

" ... Great software and great quality. ... "

" ... I found this unit ships with all kind of network accessable apps. ... "

" ... The software included enables me to do so much more. ... "

" ... Also works well as an iTunes server for your music. ... "

" ... It is easy to set up, the apps work well though some may take some getting used to (syncing folders between NAS, between a NAS and a PC). ... "

" ... Excellent web based interface. ... "

Memory

drives, nas, 4tb, synology, raid

+83%

-17%

" ... I picked up the DS216J and a couple of 2TB drives, and have been delighted - the device is as simple as you need it to be, or as complicated as you want it to be, all while being robust. ... "

" ... It's plenty quick for daily local backups of non-critical files. ... As you can see from my photo it's one of several NAS devices I own and use as backups for my main storage clusters elsewhere and I've been very pleased with Synology products. ... "

" ... I plan to add a 1TB ssd for separate storage, but I think it will by default auto-add as part of their proprietary easy-to-use raid format, which many of these home/office-type units offer. ... "

" ... Put in a couple of SSD drives and it works perfect. ... "

" ... I basically use this unit with 2 5TB Toshiba Red Drives running in SHR1 (Synology Hybrid Raid) which basically has the second drive mirror the first. ... This is great for backup purposes since if one drive fails the other has a duplicate of the data. ... "

" ... So easy to swap the 2.5 inch drives. ... "

" ... I just got this Synology in and installed two 10TB IronWolf drives (actual capacity 18.18TB). ... "

" ... This is Synology's entry level device that works great for file storage . ... "

Product Reliability

synology, nas, drives, wd, failure

+74%

-26%

" ... I have about 20 years of experience as an IT worker and I've been using Synology for several years. ... "

" ... This little device has been happily chugging away for months now. ... "

" ... I have 14 years experience in corporate IT and Datacenter management and recently moved into a small business role, so I was looking for some basic shared storage for the office when cloud-based sharing started to become an issue. ... "

" ... working as needed. ... "

" ... The unit is so compact compared to my 4-bay WD sharespace i purchased 10 years ago for nearly $1k. ... "

" ... But after recreating accounts it's working well again. ... "

" ... This is nearly the lowest end model at the time of this review and it has made me a synology fan for life, I will likely never even consider using another brand for network storage for a very long time. ... "

" ... Great price, working properly and as advertised. ... "

USB

drive, nas, hard drive, network, 4tb

+76%

-24%

" ... I picked up the DS216J and a couple of 2TB drives, and have been delighted - the device is as simple as you need it to be, or as complicated as you want it to be, all while being robust. ... "

" ... So easy to swap the 2.5 inch drives. ... "

" ... I've also been able to connect a USB printer turning it into a network printer. ... "

" ... All the features I was looking for was FTP connectability and a hard drive. ... "

" ... The hard drives you insert in this device are the as you insert in "professional" devices. ... "

" ... This is the third NAS drive I have owned and by far the best of the bunch. ... It then asks you to create a Quickconnect ID which will allow you to access your NAS drive from anywhere, even from outside your network. ... I have a windows PC and the easiest way to access the NAS drive is to map the network drive. ... "

" ... And it seems like the OS doesn't take up much space on drive, so most of the space on your hard drive will be available to use as storage. ... "

" ... It was so easy to install the two Seagate NAS drives that I bought separately. ... "

Features

options, functions, feature, ui, setup

+91%

-9%

" ... Works well, runs quiet, many many features. ... "

" ... A stellar value for the potential functionality. ... "

" ... Has all the features I need for it, plus some. ... "

" ... The software is very robust and I just love all the features. ... "

" ... There's lots more features that look useful but that I haven't tried yet. ... "

" ... Has all the basic NAS functions you need ... "

" ... simple setup and great features. ... "

" ... Some of my favorite features are the disk encryption and power-on-off scheduling. ... "

Wifi

nas, server, synology, router, network storage

+90%

-10%

" ... Easy to set up and the network connection never drops. ... "

" ... Cheap & easy, saved the shop network. ... "

" ... I bought this instead - my network recognizes it as a separate server and I now use one for professional stuff and one for home stuff. ... "

" ... It even goes beyond the call of duty and can serve as a wireless access point/repeater or print server . ... If you've ever logged into your router to change the wifi password you can set this thing up, and there is a TON of useful information out there you can google through for help. ... "

" ... What this does give you is all the great software of Synology, easy to set up, easy to use, and works well as a network storage device which is what I use it for. ... "

" ... The server is a little bit slow, but fairly easy to setup and use for someone with little computer/network knowledge. ... "

" ... I was trying to use a wifi router hooked up to an external USB drive as a NAS solution to do local backups, but had a hard time finding one that met my needs. ... I personally prefer the simplicity of web interfaces like linksys/netgear. ... I've also been able to connect a USB printer turning it into a network printer. ... "

" ... Your computer must be connected to the same network as your NAS either via a ethernet cable or via wi-fi. ... It then asks you to create a Quickconnect ID which will allow you to access your NAS drive from anywhere, even from outside your network. ... "

Capacity

house, small office, nas, environment, server

+100%

" ... I use synology in a corporate environment. ... "

" ... Speed is adequate for basic home users or light small office usage. ... "

" ... As home system, one couldn't ask for more. ... "

" ... We have a small office setup and we've been able to easily add users and the read/write speed is good. ... "

" ... This is a very good solution for multimedia sharing at home. ... "

" ... I'll be evangelizing this thing to friends and family! ... "

" ... Quiet and small. ... "

" ... I am not interested as I intend to use this NAS in a professional environment. ... "

Overall performance

performance, synology, processor, slow, job

+95%

-5%

" ... So far it's done it's job. ... "

" ... It does most of the setup on its own and delivers with great performance. ... "

" ... This model has huge improvement thanks to its dual-core CPU. ... "

" ... It works very fast when you access any data you want to use. ... "

" ... Good job synology ... "

" ... Far faster, across the board, than my Synology 412j. ... "

" ... This Synology worked out great! ... "

" ... A few examples: The web interface is blazingly fast. ... "

Price

money, nas, worth, waste, performance

+78%

-22%

" ... Very pleased with the capabilities for the price. ... "

" ... And you can't beat the price! ... "

" ... Basically this was a good starter NAS since the price was affordable. ... "

" ... Great price, working properly and as advertised. ... "

" ... Great little device for the price. ... "

" ... Performance is better than expected at this price point. ... "

" ... I only bought the two-unit one because it was such a good price. ... "

" ... Well worth my investment. ... "

Marketplace

described, support, exactly, customer, unit

+77%

-23%

" ... Works as expected ... "

" ... A++ Thank you! ... "

" ... I love the company. ... "

" ... Works Exactly as described, A+++ ... "

" ... Response from the manufacturer was prompt. ... "

" ... just as described ... "

" ... And I'll separately review the license to add a camera I bought on Amazon. ... "

" ... Works as advertised. ... "

Ports

nas, drive, gigabit, external usb, ethernet cable

+69%

-31%

" ... It really feels like the diskstation developers have taken advantage of everything a box with hard drives, a usb, and ethernet port CAN do. ... "

" ... I was trying to use a wifi router hooked up to an external USB drive as a NAS solution to do local backups, but had a hard time finding one that met my needs. ... I've also been able to connect a USB printer turning it into a network printer. ... The cool thing with the solution used here is that it uses standard Apple/Windows protocols for networking USB printers, meaning that no special software need to be installed on your laptop/desktop, other than the normal printer driver for the printer. ... Linksys has a solution which basically remotes the USB port and is agnostic to what type of device is plugged in. ... "

" ... Attach to your network with the provided ethernet cable and connect the power cable. ... Your computer must be connected to the same network as your NAS either via a ethernet cable or via wi-fi. ... It then asks you to create a Quickconnect ID which will allow you to access your NAS drive from anywhere, even from outside your network. ... I have a windows PC and the easiest way to access the NAS drive is to map the network drive. ... "

" ... I dropped a 4TB HGST Deskstar NAS 3.5-Inch 4TB 7200RPM SATA III into it and set it up. ... "

" ... I can't believe I was using simple USB drives as a way to backup and store my data. ... "

" ... Plug it in and it works. ... "

" ... These speeds are similar to what I was getting with a hard drive directly connected to my router via eSATA. ... "

" ... You can attach via USB an external HDD and the system will pick up as (in this model's case) a third or fourth drive ... there are 2 USB ports. ... But if you do think you'll expand past 2 bays and end up hanging 2 externals from the USB ports, go for the 4 bay. ... 2) Ethernet speed. ... The dashboard consistently shows gigabit port speeds. ... I have seen that all my devices that connect to the NAS now actually run faster than the old Seagate Central and its slower Ethernet port. ... My current network setup is the Edgerouter X with its gigabit ports handling all wired connections via an attached gigabit Netgear switch and the Orbi is now strictly WiFi and connected directly to the Edgerouter X (I bypassed the Netgear switch on purpose to avoid an unnecessary potential bandwidth issue). ... "

Video Playback

movies, stream, transcode, server, plex

+92%

-8%

" ... I was impressed how many streams it could handle with HD video. ... "

" ... I use it for backups and to stream movies to my Smart TV. ... "

" ... While it can not transcode movies (change format and size), it CAN playback movies that are already properly formatted (i.e . ... "

" ... Video Station is an ideal video organizer of your collection of movies, TV shows, home videos, and TV recordings, allowing you to watch videos on your computer, DLNA/UPnP-compliant DMAs, AirPlay devices, iOS/Android devices, and Windows Phone. ... "

" ... I bought this unit to store my video media for my Plex Server. ... "

" ... Currently I can stream movies, music and photos to all my devices. ... "

" ... - You can browse the photos on your TV too. ... "

" ... I use this NAS primarily to store photos, videos, and music. ... "

Network

router, server, nas, home network, gigabit

+92%

-8%

" ... Easy to set up and the network connection never drops. ... "

" ... I am able to share entire albums with clients on my secured server. ... "

" ... I've also been able to connect a USB printer turning it into a network printer. ... "

" ... After it finishes the install it will restart and then ask you to name the server and create the default username along with a password. ... "

" ... It does make life easier when I'm moving between floors. ... "

" ... The DS216J is a powerful addition to any home network. ... "

" ... This is my third Synology NAS for a business network. ... "

" ... Easy to connect the NAS from public network ... "

CD/DVD

disk, drives, drive, nas, redundancy

+60%

-40%

" ... I'll need to manually reconfigure it at some point, for I'll need a raid1 and a couple extra disks, but I'm presently using it for OS/X time machine. ... "

" ... I basically use this unit with 2 5TB Toshiba Red Drives running in SHR1 (Synology Hybrid Raid) which basically has the second drive mirror the first. ... "

" ... Only 1 disk bay ... "

" ... After some exploration I bought my first four disk device. ... "

" ... Loaded with two WD Red 4TB NAS Hard Disk Drive. ... "

" ... It also has a music player for my MP3 collection. ... "

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Specifications

Body

Size: 0.49 meters

Performance

Processor Type: Dual Core