Synology DS418j Budget-Friendly 4-Bay NAS Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

Synology’s DS418j can be yours for £302.98 in the UK and $299.00 in the US. That is a more than reasonable price for a NAS like this.

Final Thoughts

It’s always a pleasure to review a Synology NAS and it was no different this time. The DS418j is a tiny system that has a lot to offer. First of all, it’s a very budget friendly 4-bay NAS with a price tag of just £300. Whether you start out with smaller drives or opt for the newest 12TB drives, you’ll have plenty of capacity.

The Hardware

The connections are kept to the basics with two USB 3.0 ports and an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet connection. That’s not a lot, but it’s all that’s needed for most people’s SOHO setups. With them, the NAS can share, stream, and backup to and from almost any device. Internally, the DS418j got an impressive upgrade with the next generation processor and memory. That gives the DS418j a huge performance boost over its predecessor.

We saw a great performance from the NAS in all areas, even when we encrypted the share. The built-in hardware acceleration engine is what makes the difference.

The Enclosure

The enclosure is a bit different than most NAS. It has a nose and loads from the rear. The rear-access for the drives offers an additional benefit of easy maintenance. You get direct access to the fans which allows you to clean them regularly. A proper maintained NAS will run silent and live longer. The downside to the design is that there isn’t an USB port on the front.

The Operating System

The system is powered by DSM which is a great and evolved operating system. It offers you all the features you need to store and stream your memories, create a personal cloud server, or run all the services needed for a small business. DSM supports all three major mobile systems, Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile, which is a huge plus.

Warranty

Synology backs the DS418j with a 2-year warranty, but the unit should last a lot longer. With that in mind, we look forward to 20TB drives in about 2 years and 40TB in about 6 years times. Storage migration to larger drives is a breeze with DSM. So, the DS418j can become the home for an insane amount of files in the near future. Even with the current 12TB drives, you get up to 48TB raw capacity.

Pros:

• Big performance improvement over the predecessor
• Strong performance with Encrypted Folders
• Rear access for easy maintenance
• Low price for a 4-bay NAS
• Great operating system

Cons:

• No front USB port

“A powerful 4-bay NAS for the budget-oriented user. It is as perfect for multimedia streaming as it is for a personal cloud and backup role.”

Thank You, Synology, for this review sample.