# Synology NAS advice needed



## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Im looking to buy a Synology NAS but i have zero knowledge of how to set one up. Are they suitable for non geeks like me? Am I right in assuming the following....

I'd want to keep it in my loft so its out of the way, and run an ethernet cable up the walls from my living room to the loft (before I replaster). I assume I could then see the NAS on my macbook and it would be just a matter of dag & drop files to the NAS? Or maybe use it with my macbook Time Machine?

It seems the DS216j is the most recent model.


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## SDB278 (Feb 21, 2016)

I've got one of these. Very easy to use and set up. Get the "play" model. Very quiet, much better experience than I had with a ready nas duo. I can access and stream from pc, DVD player, iPad etc. 

Loads of info and forums. Check out the quickest way to reference and load thumbnails as it can take a long time if it sets them up itself.

So easy to use, and set up. I used WD red drives, as they are designed for nas.

Best thing I have bought recently. I have set up so that it goes to sleep if disks not used for 10 minutes, and have set the timer so that it comes in between 7 am and 11 pm, the. It turns itself off. Just my preference, as it wouldn't do the wake up on lan form my devices.

Get one, you won't regret it.


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## RP84 (Sep 3, 2007)

Its easy to set up.

Sinology have their own web portal thing which you'll be using to do all your dragging and dropping.. They also a share drive icon on your computer.

you won't have any issues,


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

I've been researching NAS recently and Synology are highly rated.
The software appears to be extremely user friendly so you should be fine.
I've been looking at the 216 play as I intend to use it as a media hub.
I've just had another look and there is now a 716 with a faster processor and more ram.


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## hobbs182 (Jul 10, 2013)

I've used a synology 214 and 215 and both were enjoyable bits of kit, as said the play may be your best bet as iirc they have the transcoding abilities for media, but depends on your file types 

Sent from my Nexus 5


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

Make sure to run two cables to the loft.


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## pxr5 (Feb 13, 2012)

If you don't need transcoding capabilities, the J or SE models will do just fine. You also need to think about how you want to configure it initially. E.g Raid 1, Raid 0, JBOD, basic for a 2 disc model. Default setting is Synology Hybrid Raid (SHR), which is a form of Raid 1.

Really easy to set up - buy the chassis without drives and get the drives separately, loads cheaper this way. Bung in the drives (10 mins), connect to LAN, enter the address and away you go.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

ardandy said:


> Make sure to run two cables to the loft.


Why two? Incase one fails, or does it actually need two?


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

LeadFarmer said:


> Why two? Incase one fails, or does it actually need two?


Probably in case one fails, some NAS have dual Ethernet ports, however the one you are looking at doesn't.


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## Ducky (Mar 19, 2007)

I brought a 411J back in 2011 and it's been great, never turned off since I got it and now they're even better hardware wise.

Def got the best OS on it, lets you do so many things, so I'd recommend a Synology for sure! :thumb:


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## Ducky (Mar 19, 2007)

dholdi said:


> Probably in case one fails, some NAS have dual Ethernet ports, however the one you are looking at doesn't.


You can team the dual port versions to increase the throughput.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Ducky said:


> You can team the dual port versions to increase the throughput.


I wish I knew what that meant


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## camerashy (Feb 9, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> I wish I knew what that meant


Is this any better for you.......你可以组队双端口版本，增加吞吐量。


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## dholdi (Oct 1, 2008)

LeadFarmer said:


> I wish I knew what that meant


Think about it with a Detailing perspective - its quicker to fill a bucket using 2 hosepipes than it is with 1


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

OK, so whilst I'm running ethernet cable up into the loft then I might as well run two cables?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

The boxes aren't very big at all, you could stick it behind your router, which would save faffing with Ethernet cable routing

Just make sure your router has a gigabit port on it, otherwise your transfer speeds will crawl

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Hereisphilly said:


> The boxes aren't very big at all, you could stick it behind your router, which would save faffing with Ethernet cable routing
> 
> Just make sure your router has a gigabit port on it, otherwise your transfer speeds will crawl


Thanks. I was thinking of hiding it in the loft to keep it safe and out of the way. If the house was burgled and devices stolen then at least theres a chance the NAS would be safe in the loft.

I'll be using the gigabit port on my router to connect a 12 port switch, with the NAS connected to the switch. I assume this would work the same?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks. I was thinking of hiding it in the loft to keep it safe and out of the way. If the house was burgled and devices stolen then at least theres a chance the NAS would be safe in the loft.
> 
> I'll be using the gigabit port on my router to connect a 12 port switch, with the NAS connected to the switch. I assume this would work the same?


Yeah the theft is a good point, if you can be bothered to run the cables of course
Id like to think most thieves wouldn't bat an eyelid at a box behind the router and go for the obvious TV or so

Yeah a gigabit switch will be fine, if all your other wired devices go into that switch too, then LAN traffic will all be gigabit, only going through the router when internet access is needed

Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Hereisphilly said:


> Yeah the theft is a good point, if you can be bothered to run the cables of course
> Id like to think most thieves wouldn't bat an eyelid at a box behind the router and go for the obvious TV or so
> 
> Yeah a gigabit switch will be fine, if all your other wired devices go into that switch too, then LAN traffic will all be gigabit, only going through the router when internet access is needed
> ...


Thanks. Whilst we are talking about switches, can I ask the following...

I have a BTHub5 router and I am in the process of running Cat5 all over the house and plan on having switches in some of the rooms connecting to various devices eg...

Switch in my rear living room connected to TV/PS4/Sky and also to a few ethernet walk plates.
Switch in my front living room connected to TV/PS3/Sky and wall plates
Switch in a bedroom connected to TV/PS4 and to the Synology in the loft.

So should I connect the first switch to the gigabit port on my router, and then connect all the other switches to this first switch? Or should I connect each switch directly to the router, even though only one port on the router is a gigabit port?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks. Whilst we are talking about switches, can I ask the following...
> 
> I have a BTHub5 router and I am in the process of running Cat5 all over the house and plan on having switches in some of the rooms connecting to various devices. So should I connect the first switch to the gigabit port on my router, and then connect all the other switches to this first switch? Or should I connect each switch directly to the router, even though only one port on the router is a gigabit port?


Avoiding the bthh5 is the best option as it only has 1 gigabit port, that should be the only thing connecting to your switch
Daisy chaining switches is fine to do, but it can cause bottlenecks, as ultimately the small switches are connected to the main one via 1 cable

If this is not going to be a problem then crack on, but my advice, if you're in the process of routing cables is to route alot of cables, as many as you need to each room, and feed then all into a 24 or 48 port main switch.

That way all your LAN traffic is not bottlenecked at all. You can use multi plate patch sockets in each room to plug into and not take up alot of space. Plus you don't have to buy alot of small switches and power those

The above is how you would wire up a business building anyway

Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

OK, so a whilst I could have a number of switches around the house, a better option might be just one cable from my BTHub5 to just one main 24 port switch, with lots of cable going from this switch around the house to each room?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> OK, so a whilst I could have a number of switches around the house, a better option might be just one cable from my BTHub5 to just one main 24 port switch, with lots of cable going from this switch around the house to each room?


Yep, you got it

Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

This one is all you need, no point in forking out more for a managed switch, unmanaged ones are plug and play and work great

http://www.ebuyer.com/263573-tp-link-tl-sg1024d-24-port-desktop-gigabit-switch-tl-sg1024d

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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Hereisphilly said:


> This one is all you need, no point in forking out more for a managed switch, unmanaged ones are plug and play and work great
> 
> http://www.ebuyer.com/263573-tp-link-tl-sg1024d-24-port-desktop-gigabit-switch-tl-sg1024d
> 
> Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk


Thanks very much Hereisphilly, much appreciated.

Are all 24 ports in that switch gigabit ports?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks very much Hereisphilly, much appreciated.
> 
> Are all 24 ports in that switch gigabit ports?


Yes they are

They do a rack mount version of the same unit, but in a bigger box if you plan on storing it that way too

Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk


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## Ben108 (Jul 26, 2014)

HH5 has 4 gigabit ports as well... mine arrived today finally!


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Ben108 said:


> HH5 has 4 gigabit ports as well... mine arrived today finally!


I didn't even realise that, but you are correct.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Its looking like Il'l be getting either the Synology DS215j, DS216j or the DS216PLAY.

Doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference between the 215 & 216.

How does the 216PLAY differ? I know its a media centre but how does it work? Am I right in thinking I can play music & watch videos from the other models, if so then how is the PLAY different?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> Its looking like Il'l be getting either the Synology DS215j, DS216j or the DS216PLAY.
> 
> Doesn't seem to be a great deal of difference between the 215 & 216.
> 
> How does the 216PLAY differ? I know its a media centre but how does it work? Am I right in thinking I can play music & watch videos from the other models, if so then how is the PLAY different?


A normal nas is basically a dumb file store and requires the device to be able to play the file format and have enough processing power to do it. The nas does nothing other than send the file that's stored on it. If the device can't play the file, it doesn't get played. That's the ds16j in a nutshell

The play has a much more powerful processor. You'll probably have to use the software that is supplied with the nas, but basically, if the device can't play the file stored on the nas, whether it's in the wrong format or its simply not powerful enough, then then nas will transcode the file on the fly and convert it.
This means you can use a relatively limited and low power player to play whatever you want

Personally, unless you specifically need it, most players can play everything themselves
Certainly all smartphones can play HD content

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks Hereisphilly, that a good explanation.

I assumed that if I stored a video file on say a DS216j and I clicked on this file from my laptop, then my laptop would open up the necessary player to play the video?


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks Hereisphilly, that a good explanation.
> 
> I assumed that if I stored a video file on say a DS16j and I clicked on this file from my laptop, then my laptop would open up the necessary player to play the video?


Correct :thumb:

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks Hereisphilly, that a good explanation.
> 
> I assumed that if I stored a video file on say a DS216j and I clicked on this file from my laptop, then my laptop would open up the necessary player to play the video?





Hereisphilly said:


> Correct :thumb:
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


So with the DS216PLAY if I clicked the same video file, the NAS would play the file itself? So would it then send that video file back down the ethernet cable (or via wifi) to my laptop, and play on my laptop screen using its own player software? Would the PLAY enable me to watch that same video directly on another device, such as my smart TV?

Sorry if this sounds dumb.


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> So with the DS216PLAY if I clicked the same video file then the NAS would play the file itself? So would it then send that video file back down the ethernet cable (or via wifi) to my laptop, and play on my laptop screen using its own player software?
> 
> Sorry if this sounds dumb.


Yeah it's that part I'm not 100% sure on. I think you'll have to use its supplied software or at least something that supports the nas to trigger the transcode

But yeah it would stream a transcode over your network

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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks, looks like the PLAY might be worth having then :thumb:


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## Hereisphilly (Nov 17, 2014)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks, looks like the PLAY might be worth having then :thumb:


If it's not alot more money, then yeah go for it!

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## Warriors2013 (Aug 10, 2013)

LeadFarmer said:


> Thanks, looks like the PLAY might be worth having then :thumb:


The 216play is a great bit of kit, I have just bought and set up one myself. The player comes with its own software, which includes Plex media server (downloadable). This can be used to stream several different movies at the same time via compatible devices. I have tried it with movies streaming to two TV's, an iPad and an iPhone, all at the same time and in HD.


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## LeadFarmer (Feb 23, 2011)

Warriors2013 said:


> The 216play is a great bit of kit, I have just bought and set up one myself. The player comes with its own software, which includes Plex media server (downloadable). This can be used to stream several different movies at the same time via compatible devices. I have tried it with movies streaming to two TV's, an iPad and an iPhone, all at the same time and in HD.


Sounds good, thanks for the info. I assume you have a wired ethernet connection to it? Was it easy to set up and put content on it? Also, where did you buy it from please?


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## Warriors2013 (Aug 10, 2013)

LeadFarmer said:


> Sounds good, thanks for the info. I assume you have a wired ethernet connection to it? Was it easy to set up and put content on it? Also, where did you buy it from please?


I have it connected via wired Ethernet to my VM superhub. The second TV is connected to the superhub via home plugs and accesses the NAS faultlessly. Content is added to the NAS either by drag/drop from my laptop (over wifi) or via USB connection. Set up and use is very simple and the Synology software is very easy to use.

Got mine from here (because it's only a couple of miles away from me)
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/2-b...m-gbe-usb-30-usb-20-2x-25-35-sata-upto-16gb-m


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