NAS in 2025 mostly about Synology but open to others

[phillyman]

Hi All,

I use a Synology 1512+ as my primary NAS. Shockingly it is still chugging along and can stream 4K to my TVs on LAN. It feels like I'm on borrowed time. I have not followed this segment at all in the last couple years. I know the transition to DSM 7 was very controversial and I remember reading that starting this year you have to use overpriced Synology drives on certain models.

Synology is a mature platform and from what I can glean they have pivoted to small enterprise solutions. Also probably because there isn't much need to update hardware as a consumer (see my system).

Do consumers still like Synology hardware/software? Do you like whatever system they now are on? Have you moved to something else like Ugreen (I see lots of ads) or ??? Or have you come up with some custom Apple Solution?

What do I use my system for? It is used as a central media hub for all family members. Backups for all. A secure VPN to access private cloud storage . No heavy lifting. Before somebody tells me it is not a (complete) backup solution. I know, I also have external HDs etc.

Thanks,
Philly

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am pleased with my Synology NAS DS921+ (DSM 7). I have (4) Iron Wolf 20TB drives. It is my Plex server and has been humming right along for the last 4 years. I am thinking about getting a 6 bay Synology NAS to primarily be used as an ongoing backup of the Plex Server. I also have a Synology DS220 that I use for Mac, iPhone backups, and other important files (20TB).

 

[phillyman]

I'm glad to hear that DSM 7 is humming along. Did you mind the upgrade for 6 to 7? I don't remember what all the controversy was but that the pitchforks were out for blood.

I don't like relearning settings and all. I appreciated the ease of use of the Synology system so I've leaned to sticking with it.

Philly

 

[zqbobs]

The breakpoint for me was that Video Station is not supported in v7.2.2, so I’m at 7.1.1. I think the OP statement that Synology is moving on from consumer markets is probably right considering their no third-party HDDs policy. DS920+ with 4x8TB IronWolfs.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I'm glad to hear that DSM 7 is humming along. Did you mind the upgrade for 6 to 7? I don't remember what all the controversy was but that the pitchforks were out for blood.

I don't like relearning settings and all. I appreciated the ease of use of the Synology system so I've leaned to sticking with it.

Philly

I didn't mind the upgrade. I read a lot of warnings and pitchfork type posts ahead and time and determined that most of it was hyperbolic chatter from people who wanted to stay where they were, which they could do. Basically, the same whining we often see on MR. lol

To be honest, I haven't delved into a lot of the DSM offered programs, although I did checkout a few.

 

[phillyman]

I might look to see if I can find a reasonably priced last generation five bay solution so I can continue to mix and match my hard drives. But since this one is still happily chugging along... I do appreciate that most of you haven't mentioned any hardware nightmares. Anyone try the Ugreen ones?

Philly

 

[mcnallym]

Have seen on other forums that Ugreen seem quite popular as an alternative to Synology.
I personally went terramaster and have a T6-423 which had for couple of years now.
What also seems popular is a Ubiquiti NAS and then attaching a mini PC to it. The Ubiquiti NAS is a Pure NAS so no Apps, Docker etc but is competitive on the price. Combine with a cheap isn MiniPC to run the Apps/Docker.
Kind of tempted that way for next time as looking at Ubiquiti Wi-Fi, switch, router etc and the NAS managed from same system and it plays well with Apple.
Just throwing it out there.

The complaints about Synology are just around the realistically using Synology Disks and they come with a hefty premium, that even the apple tax payers baulk at. That and the removal of more home based say we say features.
There is definite move towards enterprise and away from the prosumer market.

Dare I say it but in many ways like Apple moved away from the old Mac Pro market leaving nothing for the very high end users now. He replacements fit in the Apple market but the very top end not Apples interest now. Synology moving away from some sectors and those people vocal about it.

 

[phillyman]

I've looked into Ubiquiti and I'm sure an excellent product. When I looked at routers etc it was pretty expensive and very enterprise centric. No doubt their NAS and integration would be nice. Honestly as a pure mac user adding a miniPC seems more hassle than its worth. I'll probably just stick with Synology.

Years ago before streaming really took off, I thought Apple might do a home "hub" NAS/Airport/AppleTV/Homekit center. I know one could replicate that setup with a macmini etc. Too bad they didn't go down that route.

I still hope against hope they will have some homepod/Apple TV mesh wifi network that would perfectly integrate with HomeKit etc.

Thank you for the feedback. It seems like the prosumer market just isn't big enough (or lucrative) and so they focus on VMs and more organization centric devices and software. I'm lucky that with a VPN and some backup I'm pretty happy. I can use other video/music apps to access the stuff on the server. I liked Videostation when it worked for me. But at some point it broke and I now happily use infuse.

Philly

 

[ChrisA]

Synology was great. But today, the #1 comments on the Synology Reddit are "what platforms are you moving to?" The assumption is that everyone on being forced away from Synolgy by their recent policies.

Look for an open source alternative so you will never have to move again.

TrueNAS is good and is open source, but for those who need it, they also sell a turn-key version

 

[venom600]

I have a Terramaster F2-423 with two 14TB seagate drives I bought refurbished and a 2TB Intel SSD. I got it specifically because it is capable of running on any OS you want to. So far though, TOS 6 has been great.

 

[eyoungren]

I have a Zyxel NSA320. That's my first NAS, bought sometime in mid-2023 when I retired my PowerMac G3 B&W as a server.

I got my first Synology a year later, a DS213j. And about a month ago I got my third NAS, another Synology, a DS210j.

My ZyXel is used for daily backups from all computers on the network. It's 6TB. The DS213j is used for media, specifically my media and no one else really uses the home network except me. And the DS210j is tasked for cold storage and anything else I can eventually think of.

I don't use any of these boxes for anything more than storage and they aren't accessible from outside the network.

 

[meanmango]

I've been running TrueNas scale for over two years and it's been great. A mix of new and used parts in a Fractal Define 7XL. First time building a PC and I had no major issues. It was a fun project if you have time for some research and tinkering. I knew I would need expandability and now a couple years later I'm about to double the pool with 8 more drives.