Synology DS418j Budget-Friendly 4-Bay NAS Review

Packaging and A Closer Look

The Synology Packaging

The packaging is the least exciting thing about any product, that’s a given. It’s still worth highlighting as it is the first level of information in the storefronts around the world. Synology has simple packaging, being a brown box with a couple of stickers. I like this for a NAS. It saves both the environment from unnecessary prints, and it’s less expensive to produce.

The front sticker has the included units feature highlights as well as a picture of the unit. In this case, the highlights are the CPU, the energy efficiency, the adjustable LEDs, and the operating system.

The sticker on the rear side has more details such as the available LEDs, connectors and other features. This is also where you can read more about the included hardware and the package content.

The NAS itself is inside the box, naturally. It has an extra film cover which makes sure that there won’t be any accidental scratches from the package-process.

Included Accessories

Included with the NAS is a network cable, a power cable for your region and an AC/DC power adapter. There are screws for both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch drives as well as screws to replace the pre-installed thumbscrews, should you wish that. There’s naturally also a quick start guide which will help you set the NAS up and get it initialised.

The Front of the DS418j

The front doesn’t have a lot of features to show, but there’s the middle line where everything is centred. The power button is located in the middle, surrounded by LEDs for the various features. The LEDs are nice and bright on full setting, but they are dimmable. If the device is placed where you sleep, for example, then you don’t want a lot of bright and blinking lights.

The Rear-side of the

The rear side is a little more interesting, especially due to the rear access. Four thumbscrews hold the top part, allowing easy access. When removed, the top folds down and provides access to the drive trays as well as the two cooling fans. For more security, you can replace the thumbscrews with the included standard screws.

All connection options are below the access hatch. You get a single Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port and two USB 3.0 ports. The Gigabit port is naturally for the network connection while the USB is for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth dongles, printers, or storage drives.

Drive Trays

The drive trays are quite simple, but effective. They can accommodate 3.5-inch as well as 2.5-inch drives. That opens up to a whole lot of possibilities, from HDDs over SSHDs to SSDs.

The Power Supply

The power supply delivers 7.1A at 12V which equals about 85 watts.

Internals

A view inside shows the simple PCB. The CPU is cooled passively and with the airflow generated by the case fans. The fan headers are easy to access, even when drives are installed. Easy maintenance is a big plus.