Looking for a 4 bay NAS but on a budget? The DS411j is for home to small business users on a budget. With up to 12TB of storage!
Product on Review: Synology DS411j
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Synology
Street Price: £263.95 Inc. VAT (At time of review)
We’ve followed Synology closely over the last 18 months and been very pleased with what they have shown us by way of review. It’s no surprise that they are a predominant organisation within the storage market due to their expanse of solutions, catering for one side of the requirements of users to the other. Synology have an extensive product range for home users, right to enterprise level.
Today we will be taking a look at the DS411j. The next product up from DS211 that we recently had the pleasure of taking a look at. The naming system that Synology adopt is quite intuitive – Diskstation (DS) Number of bays (2) Year of production (11). The variable at the end of each of the product range such as + or j symbolise – Performance (+) Entry Level (j). So our unit today has 4 bays, is a 2011 model and features in the entry level range.
With the DS411j appealing to home to small business users by offering a cheaper alternative. This NAS promises to be a strong contender for the budget crown.
Synology’s Take on the DS411j:
Synology Disk Station DS411j designed to provide a cost-effective file storage and backup solution with RAID protection for multi-user home environments. The operating system, Synology DiskStation Manager 3.1, delivers rich features for multimedia enjoyments, worry-free backup, Internet sharing, and energy-saving options.
Specifications
Please visit the Synology website for Full Specifications on the DS411j
Packaging & Bundle
In the past we have been familiar with Synology’s eco-friendly approach to packaging. The DS411j isn’t entirely made of recyclable card like other NAS that we have tested at Vortez such as the DS211 and DS410, but this NAS is presented in a very attractive box. The emphasis with the DS411j and indeed DSM (Synlogy’s NAS Operating System) is the plethora of media features: file sharing, media server, print server, surveillance server, online photo sharing, backup, download server, mail server, data protection, mobile phone access and so on. Plenty to talk about.
Within the box we have the following items:
• DS411j
• Installation DVD
• Assembly kit (screws)
• AC power cord
• AC power adapter
• 2M RJ45 LAN cable
The DS411j packaging[/i
Plenty of items within the bundle
The DS411j is delicately wrapped in a foam blanket to keep it protected from knocks, bangs and scratches. But upon taking the NAS out of this sleeve we are met with a rather nice looking NAS unit. Unlike the DS410 which we reviewed last year, the DS411j follows a different colour scheme whilst being within the same product group “Home to Business Workgroup”. The DS411j is a 4-bay NAS so its size reflects this. Those with a liking towards white enclosures will have a fondness for this NAS. It has a steel enclosure and a very clean, sleek appearance.
A rather striking NAS unit with silver (steel) covers
Closer Look
The side of the DS411j has an engraved Synology insignia, each side of this NAS incidentally are identical. I like the colour and design of the DS411j it looks very sleek and will surely bring style to the office it is placed in.
The side of the DS411j with Synology logos engraved
The front panel of the DS411j has a series of LEDs for Status, LAN, and up to 4 x HDDs. These LEDs will give you a basic indication of activity. Right in the middle is the power button which cannot be missed. The front panel here feels very smooth and I love the contours, especially of the power button. Very nice work. Above this interface we have the ventilation holes, there are some at the bottom of the DS411j too.
Front panel of the DS411j
Spinning the DS411j round to the back we can see that there are 2 perforated mesh panels with dual 70mm PWM fans attached. Beneath this we have a range of functionality available: (left to right) DC In (For use with the power pack provided), Gigabit LAN, 2 X USB 2.0 ports and a hard reset button. Next to this we have the MAC and serial numbers should you need to use for technical support.
The rear of the DS411j
Back panel functionality
To get inside the DS411j we have to removed 4 thumbscrews, when these thumbscrews have been removed the back of the NAS unit drops down to reveal access inside the DS411j. Here we can clearly see the attached dual 70mm pwm fans as well as 4 x HDD racks. Within these racks are frames for attaching up to 4 x 3.5″ or 2.5″ SATA II HDDs.
The back of the NAS open to reveal drive bays
Attaching a drive to any of the provided frames is very easy. All you have to do is simply slide the HDD into the frame, and attach screws to secure the drive in place.
3.5″ HDDs within frames. Great fit
Taking a closer look inside the NAS we can see the PCB and components. Our DS411j actually comes with the following specifications:
• CPU Frequency: 1.2GHz
• Hardware Encryption Engine
• Memory: DDR2 128MB
• Max Internal Capacity: 12TB (4x 3TB hard drives)
Inside there are 4 x SATA connections to line up with each rack. The drive simply moves along the rack and plugs directly into these connections.
Inside the DS411j
Synology DSM
Towards the end of last year Synology launched DSM 3.1 the next stage in their NAS OS. DSM 3.1 has rich features and a wide array of functionality. The main focus with it, is that it can sustain multi-tasking operation with ease. Upon installing Synology Assistant which can be found on the software CD we are faced with the following screen. This gives us information about the DS411j that is being hosted on our Gigabit network.
Incidentally, installing the NAS is very easy. Slot the drives inside the unit, connect it to the network via the CAT5 cable supplied in the bundle, hook up the DC in power-pack and you are ready to go!
Straight out the box the DS411j doesn’t have an OS, so we need to install with the latest version from the Synology website. When download, the .pat file just needs to be selected and the software integrates DSM 3.1 for you.
Installing DSM 3.1
During the installation of DSM 3.1 the software configures the HDDs installed inside the DS411j. This involves applying network protocols, formatting the drives and adding partitions ready to be used for storage. This process doesn’t take very long at all – it will of course depend on how large the drives are. The drives I installed are 1TB Samsung F3’s.
Configuring drives ready for use within the DS411j
Upon completing the installation of DSM 3.1, we can now log into the NAS. From the Assistant. The default login details are admin and no password. This should be adjusted after first logging in for security measures.
The login screen
Inside the GUI there are lots of features to look at and use. The Control Panel has a wide array of functionality allowing you to take full control of the DS411j. Below is a screenshot showing what is available. The beauty with DSM 3.1 is that you can perform multiple tasks at once unlike in previous version of DSM.
The control panel with a multitude of features
DS Audio – Play music from Android or iPhone
Amongst many of the useful features with the DS411j and DSM 3.1 we have the ability to store files on the NAS and stream them to mobile devices such as Android or iphone. For the purpose of this review I thought it would be a worthwhile inclusion to show the functionality between the NAS and mobile device for audio files with DS Audio by Synology. About Synology DS Audio.
Synology DiskStations not only offer a great storage solution for media files, but now you can access your music collection directly from your iPhone or iPod Touch. Synology’s DS audio application allows users to access their music collections stored on the Synology DiskStation and stream that music through the iPhone or iPod Touch across an internet connection.
NOTE: Sound station will need to be enabled from the Control Panel of DSM 3.1
First things first, I went to the Android Market and did a search for Synology. Upon searching I discovered a number of apps by Synology to interface with my NAS but the app that I am concerned with is the DS Audio. The great thing is, these apps are also free!
Android market has many Synology free apps
After installing the app, we are met with a login screen (just put in the IP, username and password) and then you come to a home screen which gives you different options. I select “Folder” and can then navigate to where I have put an MP3 on the DS411j.
The DS Audio homescreen – search for music in different ways
I can then play the file directly from the DS411j from anywhere within range of the wireless connection the NAS is being hosted on. So if you have an iphone and docking station with speakers you can ideally have the music playing off the NAS within another room. Perfect if you are entertaining guests and want some ambience!
Playing music off an android phone directly from the DS411j
Transfer / Power / Thermal Performance
We have looked at some of the features that DSM 3.1 brings on the DS411j but how does this affect performance? What are typical transfer rates like over a Gigabit network? Is power consumption reasonable? Does the unit keep the HDDs cool? These are all questions that you might be asking and we are here to answer them.
Combined with the testing for D411j will be a Toshiba STORE Steel 250GB USB drive, DS410 and DS211 to present some interesting comparisons.
TEST RIG
CPU Intel Core i7 920
Motherboard ASUS Rampage III Formula
Memory 12GB Kingston HyperX 1600MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 580
PSU Antec Signature 650W PSU
Devices
– Belkin N1 Gigabit Router
– Synology DS411j
– Synology DS211
– Synology DS410
– Toshiba STORE Steel USB
First of all, for the purpose of real world testing I bundled together 6 files which were in 2 folders amounting to 3.2GB. I wanted to discover the incoming and outgoing transfer times between the DS411j and the computer – against other devices on a Gigabit network. Here are the results.
Whilst performing these tests load power consumption was monitored. The power consumption was also monitored whilst being in an idle state. There are actually two states, idle after usage and hibernation which the unit falls into after 10 minutes of non-usage. Hibernation figures were recorded.
Temperatures were also monitored using the in-house monitoring software. Note: load temperatures during transfer did not present any change in HDD temperature.
Conclusion
Those working in a small office/business or even home scenario will be pleased to know that the DS411j is directed towards them. The ‘j’ of course signifying that this is one of Synology’s entry level units and it certainly has a very attractive price-point.
As always, DSM that Synology provide for their NAS is an exciting package that has a very powerful interface. It delivers on almost every level you can imagine with the emphasis being on multi-tasking. You will struggle to find a feature absent from DSM, you can stream music and movies from it, have it act as a mail server, surveillance (hooked up to an IP camera), download server and lots more.
In terms of power consumption, temperatures and transfer performance, the DS411j offers an efficient solution that is very responsive thanks to gigabit LAN and DDR2 onboard memory.
Features like DS Audio (seen previously in this review) stand out as being innovative to say to the least. I was able to sync my HTC Desire with the DS411j and so long as I was within WiFi range I could stream music directly from the NAS to my phone in just a few button pressed thanks to the DS Audio phone app. What this means is, provided you have an Android / iPhone ready device you can stream files from the NAS anywhere in your home. Get yourself a docking station with speakers and you can entertain your friends all evening. Fantastic!
You can pick up the DS411j for around £263 inc. VAT which is a superb when you consider that this particular unit can house up to 12TB of capacity from up to 4 HDDs.
The bottom line is, Synology have once again made it possible for the home and small business user to indulge in high performance storage at a very affordable cost. The DS411j has a plethora of features that will entertain and meet the needs of almost everyone out there.
Pros
+ Very affordable
+ Great performance
+ Countless useful features
+ Up to 12TB of data storage
Cons
– Lack of USB3.0
– Colour may not suit everyone’s taste
+ Very affordable
+ Great performance
+ Countless useful features
+ Up to 12TB of data storage
Cons
– Lack of USB3.0
– Colour may not suit everyone’s taste
