Synology’s DiskStation DS225+ is a compact 2-bay storage solution that’s designed for small teams and branch offices. It’s also not for the faint of heart in setting up and using if you new to such products.
Overview
The DS225+ is a a quad-core processor, a hardware encryption engine, and Btrfs file system support.The compact NAS is designed to centralize data management. It comes with a thorough suite of tools through Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) for managing, sharing, and protecting files and photos, backing up devices and data, and serving as the core of a smart surveillance system.
The DS225+ is equipped with two drive bays that are capable of natively supporting 3.5″ SATA hard drives as well as 2.5″ SATA hard drives and SSDs. Using its two drive bays, this NASlets you store and share a large number of files with multiple user accounts (more on this below).
Synology notes that it’s ideal for synchronization with central offices as “its built-in synchronization features allow for ready integration into existing deployments.” However, this 2-bay system is perfect for home, home office, and edge environments if you’re willing to take your time to setting everything up properly. The DS225+ offers raw data storage capacity of up to 40 TB when equipped with 20 TB drives. The one I tested was equipped with two 4TB WD hard drives.
The DS225+ comes equipped with both a 2.5GbE port and a 1GbE RJ-45 port, so you get fast network connectivity from the get-go. Note that it requires compatible hard drives for installation, so, if you spring for the 2-bay system, keep this in mind.
Features
My favorite feature of the DS225+ is that its Active Backup Suite provides protection for macOS, Windows, and Linux devices (though, admittedly, I’ve only used it with macOS), virtual machines, and cloud accounts, as well as off-site backup options. Another sweet feature is that it enables you to set up a cloud for cross-platform access and site-to-site syncing for distributed teams. What’s more, Surveillance Station delivers scalable video management and offers real-time intelligent analytics to safeguard your physical assets.
Things you should know
Installing the drives was a little tricky, and I could never get the hard drive bay cover to snap back into place flush after installation. Also, there are no written instructions on how to set up and use the DS225+. You have to go online, which is a bit of a pain.
I had an issue with getting the Synology software to “find” the 2-bay storage system. I had to download Synology Assistant, a desktop utility that searches for Synology servers within the local area network. It allows you to search and connect to your Synology server or set up Wake on LAN (WOL). Using this resolved the issue.
Despite these issues, once going, the DS225+ works flawlessly. It will be overkill for most folks, but, after reading the details in this review, you’ll know if it’s for you.
Pricing
The DiskStation DS225+ costs a reasonable $339.99. But keep in mind that you’ll also need to buy hard drives of whatever capacity you prefer.
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