Synology DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device Review

The dual-bay Synology DS-211+ is marketed as a business-class NAS suitable for medium and small businesses looking to centralize storage and backups. It provides several functions, from network multimedia via UPnP and DAAP, to Windows Active Directory serving and joining, to multi-OS network file system support, to enterprise level storage with iSCSI. Add a web server, mail server, and and print server, and the Synology DS-211+ could be a small office’s one-stop-shop for a network hub.

We last looked at a Synology device, the DS-409+ NAS, in the summer of 2009. We were blown away by Synology’s far better control panel, an improvement over that of the DS-207 and competitor QNAP’s universal control panel. In the meantime, both manufacturers have updated their software considerably. Synology’s still takes the cake.

Read on for more…

Special thanks to Synology for providing us with the DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device to review.

Features and Specifications
– 108MB/sec Reading, 55MB/sec Writing
– Windows® ACL Support
– Complete Backup Solutions
– 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption Engine
– Hot Swappable Hard Drives
– Cool and Quiet Design
– Power-saving with only 24W in Operation
– CPU Frequency: 1.6GHz
– Hardware Encryption Engine
– Memory: 512MB
– Internal HDD: 3.5″ SATA(II) X2 or 2.5″ SATA/SSD X2
– Max Internal Capacity: 6TB (2x 3TB hard drives)
– Hot Swappable HDD
– External HDD Interface: USB 2.0 port X3, eSATA port X1, SD card slot X1
– Size (HxWxD): 165mm X 108mm X 233.2mm
– Weight: 1.25kg
– LAN: Gigabit X1
– Wireless Support
– Fan:X1(92mmX92mm)
– Noise Level:19.4dB(A)
– Power Recovery
– AC Input Power Voltage: 100V to 240V
– Power Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz, Single Phase
– Power Consumption: 24W(Access); 13W(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

Packaging
The Synology DS-211+ comes in a black box with a handle on top. It’s not a very heavy unit — I took it with me to a LAN party and didn’t really feel the additional burden. The front shows the prime features of the device (iSCSI, Windows AD, File Server, Backup, Encryption) while the back lists in short the hardware, potential applications, languages, and package contents. The sides show more potential purposes.

Synology DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device Synology DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device Synology DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device Synology DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device

I thought the handles on the cardboard padding for the device were a nice touch for the packaging. It was easy to remove the device from the box, especially when I did it in a hurry at the LAN party.

The box has in addition to the device itself an installation DVD with the NAS software on it, some screws and rails, a power cord, and an Ethernet cord.

Synology DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device Synology DS211+ Network Attached Storage Device

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