Synology DS216se 2-Bay Entry-Level and Cloud NAS Review

Bohs Hansen / 8 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

At the time of writing, you can find the Synology DS216se for mere $193.38 at NewEgg, £119.99 at Overclockers UK, or starting from €126.27 via Geizhals.

Overview

Synology’s DS216se doesn’t blow anyone away with its specifications, but we still saw a 2-bay NAS that performed very well in our benchmarks. Naturally the hardware has its limits and you shouldn’t be running the most CPU intensive apps on it. The DS216se isn’t just a budget device when you purchase it, it continues to be one thanks to the low power consumption. We saw a solid performance with figures up to 105MB/s, close to what the Gigabit Ethernet can handle.

The DS216se is an entry-level NAS for consumers that want a NAS with great features on a budget. Two drive bays allow for up to 16TB raw storage using 8TB hard disk drives while external drives can be connected through the two USB 2.0 ports. Sadly the DS216se doesn’t feature any USB 3.0 ports, but you can’t get it all for nothing. The Gigabit ethernet connection allows you to hook it up to your network and it also supports wireless USB adapters for network connectivity or to serve as an access point for other wireless devices.

While encryption is supported, this is probably not the device for that kind of operating. The DS216, however, comes with a CPU that has a floating point unit that boost the overall efficiency but is especially helpful when the NAS is creating thumbnails of your uploaded photos and video. You get a comprehensive backup solution that includes public cloud services, but you might not even want to use them. The DS216se is a perfect solution to run your own cloud storage with access to your files, including secure sharing, from everywhere and every device.

Pros:

Price
Good Performance for an entry model
Award Winning DSM Operating System
Low power consumption

Cons:

Slow speeds for encrypted folders
Only USB 2.0 ports and no USB 3.0

“A well featured NAS that comes with a low total cost of ownership and a good perfomance make the Synology DS216se a perfect first NAS for storage and personal cloud setups.”