Evolution of the DS218 + model, which we saw a few moments ago, the new Synology DS220 + inherits the good things its predecessor had, with a reunited park of Apps and a refresh also to the software. But beware, we have tested it with solid state storage and this is exactly how we recommend it, silent and powerful as the tradition of the brand teaches.
Synology DS220 +, the review
Close relatives, but not too close
Halfway between the old Synology DS218 +, towards which it offers greater power characteristics, and the same age Synology DS220j, similar only in aesthetics and name (but intended for a consumer market), the new Synology DS220 + is a product designed for the small office.
And it could also make your fortune, because in Italy in the SME market (Small and Medium Enterprises) there are many realities still without a server that centralizes daily needs. In reality, the relationship with the younger brother Synology DS220j is very little, and perhaps it is the name that deceives the most.
Already out of the box, in fact, you immediately notice the black color of the case, more office-friendly than the white of the DS220j, and the main features, such as more elasticity in the configuration and a more powerful Intel engine.
Important choices
But let's go in order: we tested the Synology DS220 + together with two Synology SSD memory units: a wise choice that offers the best performance. Or rather, those who choose a solution like this must best select the intended use: clearly SSD drives offer more speed and easier positioning in the office due to the silence.
Unlike mechanical drives such as 12TB Seagate IronWolf drives, they offer slower speeds but more storage space.
The type of drive (SSD or mechanical) is an important choice, which can obviously be changed later but at a much higher cost. In our case, the use of SSD units offered really interesting performances, with very fast accesses and management of some services (such as Plex) really enviable, even if obviously we could not load them as much as we would have liked.
Aesthetically
Aesthetically, the NAS offers a front panel that allows the insertion of disks, the panel is not mandatory but protects the units from dust, which for these devices is often a big problem. Next to the panel there are five green operating LEDs, a front USB-A connector and the operating keys.
In the back a second USB-A connector (but we would have liked to have a USB-C one, much more convenient for the initial transfer), two Ethernert Gigabit connectors (with support for Link Aggregation / Failover), the large fan for cooling and the power socket, with external power supply. In the box there was also an Ethernet cable and screws for the drives.
Preparation
The preparation phase was very fast, thanks above all to the internal SSDs. The operating system, still in version 6 (but we are waiting for the final version 7 shortly) is very mature and ready and, although the RAID game between two disks is limited to only three configurations (RAID 1, RAID 0 and single disks), we have appreciated the possibility of using the Btrfs file system, more secure and elastic for data protection (in consumer models, this choice is not there and the only option is the usual EXT4).
The two-core Intel Celeron J4025 processor proved to be confident and smooth in most of the tasks we dedicated it to. Considering the market segment, despite the abundance in the App Store of even higher solutions (such as virtualization), the processor is perfect for the daily use of storage, backup, music management (which in the office it is bad to centralize), multimedia resources and some ad hoc services such as a small database or the management of Office-type apps.
To press the accelerator it would be necessary to increase the RAM, which here is already 2 GB, and maybe dedicate part of the power only to the most stingy Apps, but at that point perhaps it is better to think of something more robust, for which Synology has different models in tow.
With pleasure
To this NAS we have dedicated most of the Smart working activities that we have performed in the test weeks. Thanks to the QuickConnect system it is possible to access the NAS even from outside the office, which is a great convenience, not to mention the mobile apps are really well done (in the screenshots above, the example on iPad).
The hardware is good, perhaps a 10 GbE card is missing which in this context would certainly have graced everything in the future (since this standard is expanding quickly) and a USB-C socket, but the low price justifies the choices.
And let's be clear, this is a product that is destined to grow, when the new operating system comes out, going to outclass what is already one of the best on the market.
Pro :
• Good solution for the small office • Powerful and quiet hardware • SSDs offer the best mode, unless you are looking for a lot of space
Cons:
• No USB-C port • Ethernet ports only Gigabit
Price:
• 342.00 Euro (Synology DS220 +, without disks) • 195.20 Euro (SAT5200 480GB) • 353.80 Euro (SAT5200 960GB)
Synology DS220 + can be purchased in authorized resellers, which can be located starting from the page of the parent company's website, but you can find it, on offer, also on Amazon.it. For the test we used Synology's SSD (SAT5200) with 480 GB and 960 GB.
