We take a look at Synology’s 2012 2-bay DiskStation NAS and see what changes have been made and discover strengths and weaknesses.
Product on Review: Synology DS212
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Synology
Street Price: £230inc. VAT (At time of review)
Earlier this month Synology announced the DS212, their new series of 2-bay NAS for 2012. The DS212 is of course the successor to the DS211 – If you aren’t familiar with Synology’s naming system. It’s very intuitive – Diskstation (DS) Number of bays (2) Year of production (12). The variable at the end of each of the product range such as + or j symbolise – Performance (+) Entry Level, storage focussed (j) or no symbol for a mixture of the both – performance and storage. So the unit that we are focussing on today is right in the middle of the entry level and performance models and can be deemed as a mainstream NAS solution specifically for workgroups and offices.
So what changes have been made? Will the 2012 edition offer better power efficiency? More features? These are all the questions you might be asking and we are here to answer them, so let’s waste no further time and begin our analysis of the new DiskStation DS212.
Synology® DiskStation DS212 offers an affordable and full-featured network attached storage solution, specifically designed for small business workgroup users who need to share and protect data cost-effectively, while increasing productivity with comprehensive business-oriented applications. Running on DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system, it delivers ease of use and variety of features.
Features & Specifications
• Optimal Price/Performance Ratio
• Features SuperSpeed USB 3.0
• Hardware Encryption Engine
• Cool and Quiet Design
• Effective Backup Solutions
• Running on Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)
Hardware Specifications
• CPU Frequency: 1.6GHz
• Hardware Encrypted Engine
• Memory: DDR3 256MB
• Internal HDD/SSD: 3.5″ or 2.5″ SATA(II) X2 (Hard drive not included)
• Max Internal Capacity: 6TB (2X 3TB HDD) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) (See All Supported HDD)
• Hot Swappable HDD
• External HDD Interface: USB 3.0 Port X 2, USB 2.0 Port X 1, SD Card Port X 1
• Size (HxWxD) : 165 X 108 X 233.2 mm
• Weight: 1.25Kg
• LAN: Gigabit X1
• Wake on LAN/WAN
• System Fan: 92x92mm x1
• Wireless Support
• Noise Level : 19.0 dB(A)
• Power Recovery
• AC Input Power Voltage: 100V to 240V AC
• Power Frequency: 50 / 60Hz, Single Phase
• Power Consumption: 18.2W (Access) ; 6.8W (HDD Hibernation)
• Operating Temperature: 40 to 95°F (5 to 35°C)
• Storage Temperature: 15 to 155°F (-10 to 70°C)
• Relative Humidity: 5% to 95% RH
• Maximum Operating Altitude: 10,000 feet
• Certification: FCC Class B, CE Class B, BSMI Class B
• Warranty: 2 Years
Packaging & Bundle
Packaging remains very much the same as Synology’s 2011 range. The DS212 is presented in a blue box with handle. The front identifies some key features of the DS212 whilst the sides and back go into more detail – giving a wider specification of features and details. As we’ve experienced with other Synology models, packaging is finely presented and much care has been put into this aspect of its production.
DS212 packaging is neat, tidy and professional
Inside, all of the items within the bundle are sectioned off in compartments via cardboard. The bundle consists of:
• Documentation – Quick start
• AC power pack/cables
• Screws for attaching drives to HDD trays
• Installation CD – Guide, setup utility, data replicator 3
DS212 bundled accessories
Over the page we will examine the 212 unit itself, exploring the internals and externals along with the functionality ports.
Closer Look
Synology have reserved the use of a white plastic fascia for the budget model of NAS units. Last year’s equivalent the DS211 utilised a white exterior but the DS212 uses steel construction. The outer shell has a rough, matt finish – a stencil of the Synology logo is carved out on either side of the unit, underneath lies a combo of grey and black horizontal stripes. All of this results in a rather professional looking unit.
Matt steel outer construction – sleek and stylish
Synology logo on either side
Moving to the front of the unit the DS212 has a glossy plastic front fascia. Running along the right edge of the unit are various LED indicators, ports and buttons. From top to bottom there are the following:
• Status LED
• LAN LED
• Disk 1 LED
• Disk 2 LED
• SD card port
• USB 2.0 port
• Reset button
• Power button
Glossy plastic front with LEDs, ports and buttons
Spinning the DS212 round to its rear we see the unit has a 90mm exhaust fan for extracting heat from the PCB and HDDs Beneath this fan are 2x USB 3.0 ports and a RJ45 Gigabit LAN port. Also on the back panel is the AC connector and a label with the mac address and serial number.
The back of DS212 with dual USB 3.0 ports
HDD Installation – Inside DS212
Compared to the previous DS211 – the DS212 has a different method of getting inside the unit and installing HDDs. In order to get inside the DS212, the front fascia has to be removed. To remove a tray the tap at the top must be pressed down and then the handle pulled back.
Front fascia removed to install HDDs
Once removed, there are 2x HDD trays. To attach a drive to one of these trays screws must be attached to the side of the drive for 3.5” HDD or the underside for 2.5” HDDs.
With the drive attached, the tray is then slid back into the DS212 and the SATA connection ports meet the back of the unit and activate connectivity.
HDD trays allow 2.5” and 3.5” HDD installation
Unfortunately there is no obvious way to get at the PCB and take a look at the components. But I can confirm the DS212
• CPU Frequency: 1.6GHz
• Hardware Encrypted Engine
• Memory: DDR3 256MB
• Internal HDD/SSD: 3.5″ or 2.5″ SATA(II) X2
• Max Internal Capacity: 6TB (2X 3TB HDD)
There are no noticeable changes underneath the hood. The DS211 has exactly the same specifications in terms of hardware componentry. The only hardware changes are the addition of USB 3.0 ports.
Synology DSM
Back at the beginning of September this year, Synology announced DiskStation Manager 3.2 – the next stage in their NAS OS. DSM 3.2 has rich array of features and bouts of functionality. The main focus with DSM 3.2 is that it can sustain multi-tasking operation with ease. To gain access to the NAS and begin using the DS212 the Synology Assistant must be installed and the latest version of DSM via a .pat file.
Synology Assistant allows us to install DSM
The next stage of installation is to set the credentials – setting the password and naming the server. Once you are happy with the details submitted – click the next button.
Setting up server credentials
During the installation of DSM 3.2 networking settings are applied and configuration files are transferred. This process 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 though.
DSM 3.2 installation progress
Upon completing the installation of DSM 3.2, we can now log into the system. Login details are “admin” and the password that was specified during setup.
Login screen after installing DSM
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 DS212. Below is a screenshot and video showing a brief overview of what is available. The beauty with DSM 3.2 is that you can perform multiple tasks at once unlike in previous version of DSM.
The control panel inside DSM 3.2
VIDEO – DSM 3.2 Control Panel Overview
Audio streaming – mobile phone
Amongst many of the leading features with the DS212 and DSM 3.2 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 3.2
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 DS212.
The DS Audio home screen – search for music in different ways
I can then play the file directly from the DS212 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 DS212
From start to finish – installing software onto the NAS is very easy. Once DSM is installed we then have a plethora of features to take advantage of that allows seamless operation for almost any task a user could want.
Power & Transfer Performance
We have looked at some of the features that DSM 3.2 brings on the DS212 but how does this affect performance? What are typical transfer rates like over a Gigabit network? Is power consumption reasonable? These are all questions that you might be asking and we are here to answer them.
Test System Specifications
CPU Intel Core i5 2500K
Motherboard ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
Memory 8GB Kingston HyperX 1600MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 580
PSU Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 750W
Devices
– Belkin N1 Gigabit Router
– Synology DS411
– 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 DS212 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.
Conclusion
Whilst the DS212 has no significant hardware changes from its predecessor the DS211. We still have great performance and improved power efficiency. Externally, the unit has had a renovation – it now has a slick looking matt outer shell with a new glossy front fascia for getting HDDs inside much, much easier. No longer do we need to prise the unit open and screw HDDs into a cage.
As we have found in the past, Synology’s DSM Operating System is just phenomenal. Its feature-set puts the user in total control and offers numerous useful facets such as Media Server, Audio Station, Photo Station, Download facilities, Mail Server, Surveillance Station via IP cameras and much more.
Earlier in the review I showed the possibilities that DS Audio presents – with this particular feature I was able to sync my mobile phone with the DS212, playing music files found on the NAS. This gives us many options – one such option would be to have the phone attached to a docking station with speakers, playing music on the DS212. Perfect for those occasions when friends or family need entertaining.
Priced at £230inc VAT (GBP) the DS212 is a well-priced NAS unit. It won’t cost the earth, offers all the features you could ever want and delivers great all round performance. The only aspect I think could be improved with the DS212 is the ability to use SATA 3 drives which it doesn’t have support for. Since this unit will populate 2012 and many users are investing in SATA 3, our NAS should really accommodate this standard of drive.
Pros
+ New design – professional, robust
+ Excellent performance
+ Feature rich Operating System
+ Support for 2.5” SSD
Cons
– No SATA 3 support
+ New design – professional, robust
+ Excellent performance
+ Feature rich Operating System
+ Support for 2.5” SSD
Cons
– No SATA 3 support
