Synology DS412+

I have been playing with the Synology DS412+ for a while now and so far it has really been an excellent experience. My guess would be that the ‘+’ stands for excellence. Thhe DS412+ has a dual-core Atom processor running at 2.13 GHz and has 1 GB DDR3 RAM installed. It can take up to four HDDs with a max internal capacity at 16 TB (that is of course if you use something like 4 x 4 TB harddrives).  It can take up to four HDDs and its max internal capacity reaches 16 TB (if 4x 4 TB HDDs are used).  The two Gigaports on the back support Link Aggregation (LACP) and also has two USB 3.0 ports, one USB 2.0 port and one eSata port.

One of the strongest points with a Synology NAS for is the Diskstation Manager (DSM) that Synology sends with the NAS ,  it extends the options and gives you the possibility of adding new ones to it. If you have time I would recommend that you check out the live demo at Synologys website, it really gives you a good introduction on what you can and can not do with it. Inside the box we have an instruction manual, cables, and NAS.   One thing that I have always enjoyed with Synology NAS is the fact that they always have that great quality over them.  On the front of the DS412+ the plastic cover hides access to the removeable trays. Each of these trays can house either a 2.5 or 3.5 mm drive.   If you want access to them you have have remote the tray.  In the bottom right corner on the NAS we have the On/Off switch and USB 2.0 port.  In the top right corner we have  five LED indicators which indicate status for the NAS itself and for each of the four HDDs that you have installed.

Specifications

2.13GHz Intel Atom D2700 dual-core x86
1GB DDR3 RAM
2x gigabit ethernet
1x front, 2x rear USB 3.0 ports
1x eSATA
2x 92mm fans
external 12V/8.33A power supply
DSM 4.0-2228
iPhone apps: DS file, DS audio, DS photo+, DS finder, DS cam, DS photo
165 x 203 x 233mm
2-year warranty

On the side of the NAS we have the Synology logo engraved into the casing and on the rear side most of the real estate is occupied by the two 92mm fans (perhaps my favorite thing since it provides a really cool solution). On the bottom left side the I/O ports are located, two USB 3.0, a single eSATA and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Also the power input socket (12V) resides there also.

When you first boot up the NAS you have to install both Synology Assistant and Data Replicator. When you have installed these two your faced with another thing that you have to do install the DSM for your new NAS from Synology.  When you have installed it is you have en easy way to access your NAS both while you are at home and when you are on the go.  Either through the Synology Assistant or through the web.  The options are endless with DSM. One of my favorite packages with it is to install the Time machine package so that I easily can back up my MacBook Air at home. You can set it up a media server, iTunes music streaming, automated backups, mail servers, security camera storage and feeds, websites.  There is a lot of options available and they all hold a high quality. The range of the applications are diverse and all hold a high quality.

All in all the DS412+ has me really satisified with it’s combination of performance, high reliability and most of all it’s operating system, which I found to be very easy to use even for the most inexperienced users.  When using it in RAID 1 mode it is really fast and compared to other NAS that I have here at Swedish Tech Report HQ it is a lot faster.  If you are looking for a good quality NAS you can not go wrong with this one, it offers a lot of value for the money and that is speed:-) I have four 3TB drives running in mine and so far it has been an awesome experience.  

By Creative Tech Reviews