If you’re looking for something much more versatile than a regular external hard drive, you might want to consider paying the premium to invest in some network attached storage. While buying a NAS and the necessary hard drives will be more expensive, the increased versatility and functionality are worth it. With the price of network attached storage devices as well as large hard drives coming down in price in the last couple years, the uptake of such devices have grown dramatically.
While there are many high end offerings, one of the more recent budget-minded offerings is the Synology DS210j. Despite its lower price, it still comes with all the power that usually accompanies the Synology name.
Features and Specifications
Also available in single-drive (DS110j) and four-drive (DS410j) configurations, the Synology DS210j approaches the more affordable end of the market by having slightly less horsepower. That’s what the “j” in its name represents, as opposed to the more premium product offerings like the Synology DS207+. The “+” in that name signifies its higher-end spec sheet.
With the Synology DS210j, you get the following features and specifications:
- CPU Frequency: 800MHz
- Memory Bus: 16bit@DDR800
- Memory: 128MB
- Internal HDD: 3.5″ SATA(II) X2 or 2.5″ SATA/SSD X2 (with the Disk Holder)
- Max Internal Capacity: 4TB (2x 2TB hard drives)
- Size (HxWxD): 161mm X 88mm X 218mm
- External HDD Interface: USB 2.0 port X3
- Weight: 0.98kg
- LAN: Gigabit X1
- Noise Level (fan-only): 24dB(A)
- AC Input Power Voltage: 100V to 240V
- Power Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz, Single Phase
- Power Consumption: 25W (Access); 10W (HDD Hibernation)
- Operating Temperature: 5°C to 35°C (40°F to 95°F)
- Storage Temperature: -10°C to 70°C (15°F to 155°F)
- Relative Humidity: 5% to 95%RH
- Maximum Operating Altitude: 10,000 feet
- Certification: FCC Class B, CE Class B, BSMI Class B
The more expensive NAS enclosures from Synology typically have faster processors and more RAM than the DS210j, but that’s the sacrifice you pay to achieve the lower price point. In the big scheme of things, the setup is perfect for most home users with just a handful of users connecting to the device at a time. The device also supports SSD drives with adapters if you’re interested in the fastest possible performance. It’s also Mac friendly and works properly with Mac OSX’s Time Machine Backup service.
What’s in the Box?
As can be expected with most network attached storage devices, the Synology DS210j does not come with any hard drives in the box. You’ll need to supply those (or solid state drives if you prefer) on your own. By default, this NAS device will accept a pair of 3.5″ drives. Alternatively, you can buy the optional 2.5″ disk holder adapters so you can use notebook or SSD drives. I’d recommend against going with either, because you’ll get poorer performance at a higher price point with the notebook drives. With SSDs, you’ll get maximum performance, but a very limited amount of storage.
Aside from the enclosure itself, you shouldn’t expect much in the box. You get the power supply, the power cable, a LAN cable, some mounting screws, basic supporting documentation, and the installation CD.
Ports, Jacks, and Inputs
In addition to the single USB port on the front of the device, the Synology DS210j also has a pair of USB ports in the back. This can make transferring files a little easier than doing it over the network, but it would have been nice to see an eSATA port for even faster transfers. There is the Gigabit LAN port, of course, as well as the spot to plug in the power adapter.
Installing a Pair of 3.5-Inch Hard Drives
Before you can get started with actually using this thing, you’ll need to install a couple of hard drives. It’s not quite as cute and compact as the Synology DS409slim, but the installation process is just as easy. No cables needed are needed and it is really plug and play. All you do is remove the two screws holding the housing together and slide off the cover. After that, you slide your 3.5-inch drives into their respective bays until they are firmly connected to the SATA connector at the other end. Put in those mounting screws to keep the drives in place and you’re pretty much good to go.
For the purposes of this review, we used a pair of Samsung HD753LJ (750GB) hard drives, but you could just as easily use something else. The Western Digital 2TB Green Drives are a really good choice for both performance and power consumption. As mentioned, if you want to use 2.5-inch drives, you’ll need to buy the disk holders separately.
Build Quality and Operation
Based on its glossy white appearance, you’d almost think that the Synology DS210j came out of a design team in Cupertino. The overall appearance is chic and sleek. Build quality is reasonably solid, but you do have to realize that the plastic housing is still just plastic. I like the use of the grey panel in the front, rather than the black that was used in the DS207+. Aside from that, the light configuration and overall design remain largely unchanged. That’s a good thing.
Unfortunately, much like the Synology DS207+ that came some time before it, the DS210j suffers from relatively slow startup times. The bootup process took about a minute and a half, which is quite long considering that it should have a lightweight Linux-based OS under the hood. This might be a symptom of the fact that the DS210j offers quite a bit of functionality and those services need to start during the boot process.
Synology Assistant Gets You Started
Even though this is at the lower end of the Synology lineup, the DS210j still comes with the same software that the more expensive units get. The user interface was already pretty good, but it has progressively improved over the years. Turning on the NAS and inserting the installation CD in my laptop, I went to the setup process to find the Synology Assistant. This will scan for available devices on your current network and double-clicking will push you through the rest of the installation process. From here, you can setup the device for your network and give it a name so you can easily recognize it on your network.
Disk Station Manager 2.2 Looks Slick
For the meat and potatoes of the NAS device, you’ll need to access the Synology Disk Station Manager 2.2. This can be accessed from the Synology Assistant, but you can also go directly to it through any web browser; just input the local IP of the NAS. By default, the username is admin and the password is left blank. After logging into the NAS, you’ll be shown the basic starting page shown above. The GUI is visually appealing and should be straightforward enough for even NAS novices.
When you first start, you’ll only see those two icons. As you activate and setup the additional services, like the Download Manager and Photo Station, their respective icons will show up here too. This GUI is a vast improvement over the clunky interface of the Thecus N0503 ComboNAS, which was confusing and, well, ugly.
Running Through Features and Utilities
Going to the “Management” section of the Disk Station Manager 2.2 sends you to the page shown here. The main window walks you through anything you want to configure or activate, whereas the treed drop-down menu to the left shows you what is available. For instance, you can activate the Download Manager to allow for direct BitTorrent downloads. This function is much like the one in the Patriot Box Office, but with a better interface. Tell it the location (either local or online) of the torrent and it’ll take care of the rest.
Doing so much more than acting as a “simple” network attached storage device, the Synology software includes iTunes server support, automated data backup solutions, Surveillance Station 3 (supports up to 5 IP cameras), and more. As mentioned, it does work perfectly with Apple’s Time Machine Backup, which was confirmed by one of the other staff members with his MacBook Pro. Essentially, the DS210j will act like an Time Capsule and all you need to do is select it as the backup device. Simple.
Performance Benchmarks
For power consumption, I connected the Synology DS210j to a standard wattage meter. During the bootup process, the NAS consumed an average of 37 watts. During regular operation, including when files were being written to the hard drives contained within, consumption hovered in the 19 to 22 watt range. That’s quite low.
To test the actual performance of the NAS enclosure, I used the Intel NAS Performance Toolkit. Tests were performed with both the NAS and my notebook hardwired into my D-Link router.
For copying a large file to the NAS, the toolkit yielded an average throughput of 9.617MB/sec. Copying a large file from the NAS had a similar speed of 9.657MB/sec. When copying a directory with small files to the NAS, the recorded average throughput was 5.840MB/sec. Copying the directory from the NAS was slightly faster at 6.809MB/sec. None of these speeds were particularly impressive.
When attempting a less scientific approach over an 802.11g Wi-Fi network, the speeds were understandably even lower. A larger file (350MB) being copied to the NAS averaged 0.986MB/sec and the same being copied from the NAS averaged 0.824MB/sec. When transferring a directory of MP3 files (109MB total) to the NAS, the throughput was 0.924MB/sec. Copying from the NAS was clocked in at 0.858MB/sec.
Final Thoughts
It is well within the norm to spend $400 or more for a suitable network attached storage device, drives not included. The Synology DS210j is available for just $230US, also without drives. That makes it one of the more affordable NAS enclosures on the market today, especially if you factor in the polished user interface and all the cool apps and functionality that the more expensive Synology devices also offer.
In terms of performance, the DS210j leaves something to be desired. Performance is middling at best, but the impressive utility and attractive GUI certainly win a few points in my books. It’s similar to the line that Apple takes with many of their products. They may not be the most high performance, but they are easy to use and pretty.
For the average consumer who wants an easy to use NAS with impressive functionality, Synology has them covered with this device. If you’re a Mac user, the Time Machine backup compatibility is a downright bargain considering that Apple charges $299US for a 1TB Time Capsule that does nothing else.
Pros
- An affordable NAS solution
- Web-based GUI is user-friendly
- Robust set of additional functions and features
- Low power consumption, low fan noise
- Great alternative to Apple’s Time Capsule
Cons
- Underwhelming performance and transfer speeds
- Minimal changes from previous generations
- No eSATA port
Overall Rating: 8.0/10.0
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