Synology or Qnap?

[carlsson]

Hi folks,

I'm searching for a storage solution for 20-30 TB. I have been looking at Synology and Qnap for a while, but I haven't used any of them. Those brands seems to be the ones to choose if you want a disk storage cabinet solution, right?
The background is that my brother in law have like a dozen external drives that he wants to consolidate, and also replace a Time Capsule that broke down this weekend.
The reason I want to suggest a cabinet is because I would like to propose a dynamic, scalable solution with Raid.

Demands as I understand it:
- The unit should be able to connect locally as well as via the network (locally because if we copy the other external disks we need the speed (Interface should be Thunderbolt 2 or quicker)).
- Time Machine needs to supported. I understand that both Qnap and Synology have their own backup software, and that is fine as long as it works – I don't want to get a phone call every now and then from him, because the backup software is doing "something" that he doesn't understand (he's not very tech-savvy to put it mildly).
- Reachabiity over internet. Ie, if he's not at his office he should still be able to reach his files. It looks like both Qnap and Synology have this feature, but I'm not sure if they work as they should, and without any trouble.

I realize the answer to these questions is embedded in Qnap's and Synology's home pages, but I am looking for real life cases and opinions. ?

Tia,
Andreas

 

[cthompson94]

I have an older Synology (never used Qnap) I am not sure if the newer ones support Thunderbolt in general, they may support usb-c, maybe others with newer systems can chime in on that front.

As for Time Machine, it requires it's own partition and there isn't really a way around that since it is a Time Machine thing, so you would need to just create a "Time Machine partition" which would take care of that

Both would have access to be reached over the internet (the perks of a NAS) as to how quick it would be, would depend on what unit is purchased for the capability of the ethernet port, then of course the speed of the internet you would be reaching from. I don't have a problem reaching any of my files/photos from my phone via cellular connection.

Like I stated, I have never used Qnap, but Synology does have an "app store" with a lot of capability which is pretty user friendly. In the setup process there was a "beginner" set up where it just prompts questions and whatnot and of course a really advanced fully manual type setup all of which could be changed later of course.

Edited: Incorrect Time Machine comment

 

[tritian]

For Synology, all you need is a Time Machine Shared Folder not a partition.

I have 2 Macs using my Synology NAS as their Time Machine backup drive now. Works flawlessly.

 

[cthompson94]

For Synology, all you need is a Time Machine Shared Folder not a partition.

I have 2 Macs using my Synology NAS as their Time Machine backup drive now. Works flawlessly.

Thank you for that information! I didn't realize it was different compared to external drives, I have been just doing a full copy of my mac on my Synology so I will look into this as another backup option for my setup too! I will edit my post with a strikethrough about what I said about Time Machine

 

[pmiles]

Hi folks,

I'm searching for a storage solution for 20-30 TB. I have been looking at Synology and Qnap for a while, but I haven't used any of them. Those brands seems to be the ones to choose if you want a disk storage cabinet solution, right?
The background is that my brother in law have like a dozen external drives that he wants to consolidate, and also replace a Time Capsule that broke down this weekend.
The reason I want to suggest a cabinet is because I would like to propose a dynamic, scalable solution with Raid.

Demands as I understand it:
- The unit should be able to connect locally as well as via the network (locally because if we copy the other external disks we need the speed (Interface should be Thunderbolt 2 or quicker)).
- Time Machine needs to supported. I understand that both Qnap and Synology have their own backup software, and that is fine as long as it works – I don't want to get a phone call every now and then from him, because the backup software is doing "something" that he doesn't understand (he's not very tech-savvy to put it mildly).
- Reachabiity over internet. Ie, if he's not at his office he should still be able to reach his files. It looks like both Qnap and Synology have this feature, but I'm not sure if they work as they should, and without any trouble.

I realize the answer to these questions is embedded in Qnap's and Synology's home pages, but I am looking for real life cases and opinions. ?

Tia,
Andreas

Be forewarned that any system accessible over the internet is susceptible to attack. There are plenty of horror stories about people who have been hacked and lost all access to their device because they wanted the convenience of remote access over the internet. Novices and experts alike. These devices are under constant attack while online.

My system is set up to be internal only. However, that being said, you still must update security files, so it is never 100% internal only. Being that you are attempting to help someone who isn't tech-savvy set up such a device, odds are pretty good you will be getting quite a few phone calls. This is why companies have tech support... they spend their day dealing with these things instead of the users.

Just a reality check.

 

[iTundra]

A couple of thoughts...

Be careful about assuming that USB-2 will have better performance than IP.

Synology does not currently work reliably with Time Machine. I would avoid it, at least until they fix this. I've used a lot of Synology devices and have been a big fan of Synology and DSM but the problems with Time Machine have us looking elsewhere.

 

[njvm]

@iTundra may be having problems, but for the last 3 years I have used a Synology DS918+ with Time Machine and I have never had any problems, unlike when I was using a Drobo!

 

[HDFan]

Time Machine needs to supported.

Synology does not currently work reliably with Time Machine.

I have never gotten TM to work reliably with either QNAP or Synology. I do my NAS backups via Carbon Copy Cloner which works fine.

As for the differences between the 2 vendors:

QNAP has the better hardware. More expensive. Faster CPUs, thunderbolt support, more 10 GbE, OLED displays, voice reminders ("thunderbolt port has been connected"), HDMI ports. Their software is more configurable, such as setting the RAID rescrubbing speed which needs to be done regularly. The downside is that their software tends to have more glitches. They tend to release it without long testing periods.

Synology is a bit cheaper. Their software tends to be stabler with longer beta periods. Less configurable, a bit simpler to use. 10 GbE is an option. No thunderbolt. They are also now requiring that you purchase upgrades for some units from them. Their memory upgrades are like 3x the price you would pay on Amazon. Their high end units require you purchase disks from them as well. Believe you can use other vendors disks, but you get warning messages.

Performance I've found for 10 GbE is about the same. Thunderbolt can be faster, but you are throttled by the read/write rate of the units.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am thinking about a NAS setup for my Infuse usage. I am tired of waiting for the disks to spin up. At the moment, I have (2) external 16TB drives (one for movies and one for tv shows) and 2 other drives as backup connected to my Mac mini. If I were to get the Synology 4 bay setup with (4) 16tb drives. About how much money would that kind of setup run and how hard would it be for a Synology noob to set up? I don't need it for TM usage and would have it connected to a 1GB ethernet port.

 

[HDFan]

I am thinking about a NAS setup for my Infuse usage.

A lot depends upon the types of movies you want to stream, the devices you want to use, and whether you want to stream remotely. As Synology NAS units tend to be underpowered they generally can't handle 4K transcoding if you decide to move to a Plex server - which I prefer over Infuse. Many of their models can't even do 1080p with Plex. May not be an issue with Infuse but I'm not sure what happens if you decide to stream to other devices other than an Apple TV and transcoding is required.

To get an idea of 4K transcoding support for Plex see:

Plex NAS Compatibility

Nas Models <a href="https://support.plex.tv/articles/categories/nas-devices/">See our NAS device support articles for more information.</a> NAS Device,Software Transcoding,Hardware – Accelerated Transcoding <a href="https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php">PassMark CPU Benchmarks</a>,(Plex Pas...

docs.google.com

When you are purchasing consider you needs over time. As my storage needs have changed over the years I have had to replace my primary NAS unit 3 times as my storage and transcoding needs expanded. Was able to sell them so recovered some of the cost but do keep it in mind.

As for cost you can easily pay more for the disks than the unit itself. The QNAP 451-D1 can do some 1080p transcoding as can the Synology DS920+. They run ~$500. A Seagate Exos 18TB is ~$300, so that would be $1200 for the drives, ~$1700 total.

One mistake I made was saving money on drives by purchasing lower capacity ones and so I eventually maxed out the units and had to replace the drives with larger ones. You don't have to populate all 4 bays. You can just setup RAID 5 with just 3 drives and add a 4th drive as you need it. Get the biggest drive that is cost effective. 18 TB Exos is only $20 more than 12 TB @$300 but a 20 TB is $489 - not cost effective.

 

[HDFan]

The best resource I have found for deciding which NAS to purchase or how to set things up (Initial, Plex, Security, Ransomeware issues, etc.)

NAS Compares

Simply passionate about NAS

nascompares.com

He has a YouTube channel where he reviews and compares NAS models, discusses Plex performance, tries non-Synology upgrade products on their units, etc. Discusses other options besides QNAP and Synology, such as Asustor, TrueNas, etc.

NASCompares

Welcome to NASCompares - Free Advice on everything NAS and DAS to Thunderbolt and the Right Network Accessories. Choosing the right data storage solution for...

www.youtube.com

 

[elvisimprsntr]

Neither! QNAP is a cesspool of hard coded credentials and vulnerabilities. Just take a look at QNAP user forums

[RANSOMWARE] >>READ 1st Post<< Deadbolt - QNAP NAS Community Forum

[RANSOMWARE] Qlocker - QNAP NAS Community Forum

Synology might be a bit better.

If you have some x86_64 hardware laying around, you can install open source, enterprise class NAS software from TrueNAS. It supports any number of network file protocols, including TM via SMB (AFP has long since been deprecated by Apple)

TrueNAS - Welcome to the Open Storage Era

TrueNAS is the World's #1 Open Source Storage. Based on OpenZFS, it is trusted by millions and deployed worldwide.

www.truenas.com

Do not under any circumstances expose ANY NAS directly to the internet unless you want your NAS compromised and hit with ransomware. Don't be one of the 100's of thousands or millions of [redacted] that expose their NAS to the internet.

Shodan Search

433,357 results found for search query: qnap

www.shodan.io

Shodan Search

2,082,016 results found for search query: synology

www.shodan.io

If you want to reach your NAS via the internet, do not directly expose the NAS to the internet via port forwarding, UPnP, or any OEM cloud access method. Set up a VPN. Most routers support some sort of VPN access capability. If your's doesn't, then get one that does or set up a VPN server behind your existing router/firewall. TrueNAS supports OpenVPN.

Make sure you have a 3-2-1 backup strategy in place.

What is a 3-2-1 Backup Strategy? | Seagate US

What is a 3-2-1 Backup Strategy? - Backup and Recovery

www.seagate.com

 

[Apple_Robert]

A lot depends upon the types of movies you want to stream, the devices you want to use, and whether you want to stream remotely. As Synology NAS units tend to be underpowered they generally can't handle 4K transcoding if you decide to move to a Plex server - which I prefer over Infuse. Many of their models can't even do 1080p with Plex. May not be an issue with Infuse but I'm not sure what happens if you decide to stream to other devices other than an Apple TV and transcoding is required.

To get an idea of 4K transcoding support for Plex see:

Plex NAS Compatibility

Nas Models <a href="https://support.plex.tv/articles/categories/nas-devices/">See our NAS device support articles for more information.</a> NAS Device,Software Transcoding,Hardware – Accelerated Transcoding <a href="https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php">PassMark CPU Benchmarks</a>,(Plex Pas...

docs.google.com

When you are purchasing consider you needs over time. As my storage needs have changed over the years I have had to replace my primary NAS unit 3 times as my storage and transcoding needs expanded. Was able to sell them so recovered some of the cost but do keep it in mind.

As for cost you can easily pay more for the disks than the unit itself. The QNAP 451-D1 can do some 1080p transcoding as can the Synology DS920+. They run ~$500. A Seagate Exos 18TB is ~$300, so that would be $1200 for the drives, ~$1700 total.

One mistake I made was saving money on drives by purchasing lower capacity ones and so I eventually maxed out the units and had to replace the drives with larger ones. You don't have to populate all 4 bays. You can just setup RAID 5 with just 3 drives and add a 4th drive as you need it. Get the biggest drive that is cost effective. 18 TB Exos is only $20 more than 12 TB @$300 but a 20 TB is $489 - not cost effective.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, HDfan. I appreciate the information shared.