Synology DS120J is the smallest NAS (Network Attached storage) of the Taiwanese house, suitable for home and almost personal use, but above all for those who need network storage, do not know what benefits it can give and want to start without investing in a large figure.
If at the hardware level the presence of only one disk and a contained processor offer inevitable compromises to support there is the excellent DSM, Synology's operating system, capable with its services of being comfortable both for those who start and for those who are already expert.
One disco, better if fast
Out of the box the Synology DS120J looks like a white casing with a pleasant design: inside the package there are the NAS, the screws for the disk and the power supply, as well as of course an Ethernet cable for connection to the router.
For the installation we opted for a Toshiba N300 8 TB mechanical disk which, we are sure, is more than enough for almost all users who will buy this NAS model (here the compatibility table).
Indeed, to be honest, perhaps it would be better to opt for a 2.5 “SSD, which at the cost of a few euros more offers more silence and a shorter access time: to do this you also need to purchase a separate Synology Disk Holder support. type C, which accommodates the 2.5 “disk in the 3.5” slide.
Only one disc, better if fast
Once the disk has been installed, with a set of screws (by opening the NAS), we are ready to install, which basically takes place in a few minutes, following the instructions of the browser.
DSM, here in version 6, is a real delight: fast, simple but complete, it doesn't really need a technician to be positioned inside a home or small office as a backup system, but only some attention during the installation phase.
Technical skills come when an intervention on the network is necessary or in case of particular addressing, occurrences that usually do not appear in a home environment.
In our case we proceeded to install Synology DS120J in the living room, with the task of backing up the Mac and all the local storage, which can be accessed from a series of other services.
1 of 3 
Silent
The Synology DS120J is equipped with an ARM Marvell Armada 3700 88F3720 Dual Core 800 MHz CPU, with 512 MB of DDR3L RAM, small amounts that still allow it to run DSM and some other services correctly, sometimes struggling a little but substantially without never appear fatigued and in any case always quietly.
We really appreciated the Audio Station and Photo Station services, which basically automatically track one or more archived folders (which we automatically updated through scheduled backups) offering via web or App the streaming of music and videos. also from mobile.
Contacts with the outside can take place via the network or via USB, thanks to the two rear ports: the cost-effectiveness of the product does not promise fancy flights on other types of ports, on which Synology remains a bit shy anyway.
The presence of only one disk does not allow you to play with RAID levels, opting for a single drive. This figure should make readers think a lot: Synology can be an excellent backup unit only if the storage is also delegated elsewhere (for example on the Mac or on an external drive via USB), because the data must always stop in at least two places. .
App Store
Synology's App Store is full of content and solutions, as well as availability for mobile (iOS and Android). The solutions we liked the most are, in fact, Photo station and Audio Station, but also Moments for personalized photo albums and Drive for using the NAS as if it were a personal cloud. There are many other services, such as the ubiquitous Plex, but which weigh too much for this type of hardware and for which it is better to invest more in power, where the Sinology website is generous with solutions.
Conclusions
During the weeks it served us, the Synology DS120J proved to be an excellent companion, all even parameterized to the cost, around 100 Euros (empty).
The apps for streaming music and photos, after a couple of days to populate the local database with all the references, worked very well both at home and outside (thanks also to the QuickConnect service that manages the router alone) and since the backup works automatically, it was like forgetting you had it.
We reiterate the goodness of the disk, although for a living room use today an SSD unit is better, to be evaluated for cost and capacity.
1 of 3 
Pro:
• Excellent exterior design • Silent • Excellent price / performance ratio
Cons:
• Processor and Ram are at the limit for some services • The choice of only one disk is to be evaluated • The sled for the SSD drive is missing
Price:
• 106.99 Euro
Synology Synology DS120J is present in large chains of appliance stores, but you can also find it on Amazon.it for the price of 106.99 euros.
We used 8 TB Toshiba N300 drives as a single volume for the test.
