By Akash Jain in Synology —

Synology Guide for End users in 2024

This guide is designed for end users who are considering a Synology NAS for personal use. It covers the basics of NAS, essential terminology, practical things you can do with a NAS, tips on selecting the right model, and a few popular models suited for home users.

It is not intended for business or enterprise-level use, so features like High Availability (HA), Active Backup for Business, virtualization, Integration with Active directory, offsite backup or advanced server applications won’t be discussed. Instead, the focus is on how a NAS can simplify file storage, backups, and multimedia management for individuals or families.

What is Synology and what makes it unique ?

Well, you probably know but if you don't Synology is a manufacturer of Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, including different NAS servers that you can use for basic file storage to advanced data management, multimedia streaming, and security solutions.

Synology stands out due to its robust software ecosystem, user-friendly interface, and a wide range of applications available through its Package Center.

Synology's intuitive operating system, DiskStation Manager (DSM), makes it easy for users to access and control their data from anywhere in the world and its regularly updated with new features and security patches, ensuring users have access to the latest technology.

Now that you know that Synology makes excellent NAS devices, next question might be- what is a NAS

What is a NAS,  what is the advantage of having one 

If you're new to NAS, you're likely familiar with external hard drives or USB flash drives, which are types of Direct Attached Storage (DAS). Think of a NAS as a more powerful version of DAS. A Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, like a Synology NAS, connects to your network, allowing multiple users and devices to access and share files over the local network or the internet. Unlike DAS, which is limited to one device, NAS provides centralized storage, ideal for backups, file sharing, and media streaming.

Advantage of having a NAS are

  • Remote Access and Private Cloud: NAS devices like Synology enable you to set up a private cloud, providing secure, remote access to your files without relying on third-party cloud services. This gives you greater control over your data privacy and security while enjoying the convenience of cloud storage.
  • Multi-Device and Multi-User Accessibility: If you have multiple devices or users that need to access the same data, NAS is ideal. It allows seamless access across different devices and operating systems, making it a flexible solution for homes with multiple users or businesses with collaborative teams.
  • Enhanced Data Protection: NAS devices offer advanced data protection features such as RAID, automatic backups, and synchronization with public cloud services. This ensures your data is always safe, recoverable, and available, even in case of hardware failures.
  • Versatility and Expandability: NAS devices are more versatile than DAS. They can serve as media servers, web servers, backup servers, and more. Additionally, they can be easily expanded with more drives or connected to additional NAS devices for increased capacity, making them a scalable solution for growing storage needs.
  • Cost-Effective for Multiple Users: While NAS devices may have a higher initial cost than simple DAS, they become more cost-effective over time when used by multiple users or devices. They reduce the need for redundant storage devices and streamline file sharing and collaboration.

Basic Terminology of NAS ( not Just Synology NAS, this applies to all NAS)

Understanding NAS terminology, including Synology , is crucial for choosing the right device and setting it up effectively . Here are some key terms that you should be familiar with

1. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)

RAID is a technology used to combine multiple hard drives into a single storage unit. So for example your DS923+ can take 4 hard drives, with the magic of RAID they will be combined into 1 large volume, but that's not all that it does there are 3 things RAID does for you - Combine, Protect and give you better performance 

  • Combining of Disks : RAID will combine multiple disks as one. This makes it easier to manage than individually manageing each members of RAID
  • Redundancy: This means that if one drive fails, your data is still safe because it is also stored on another drive. Easiest to understand is  RAID 1 setup (mirroring) where there are 2 drives and one drive is copied onto antoher. If one fails you still hae the second drive. Then there is RAID5 where you have more than 3 drives and any 1 drive can fail and then RAID 6 where in a set of more than 3 drives any 2 drives can fail. They all work on Parity bits and we have written another article about how parities work if you are curious on the logic how it works.
  • Performance: Since multiple hard dries are written to at the same time , RAID increases performance. Mostly the performance is similar to the combined performance of all the drives ( so if you have 4 drives in a RAID 5, then the RAID is almost 3 times faster than the single drive. On a RAID0 its 4 times ). 

Different RAID levels (RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, etc.) offer varying balances of redundancy and performance, allowing you to choose the best setup based on your storage needs and priorities.  If you use a 2 Bay, use RAID1 and on 4bay and above use RAID5 or RAID6. 

2. Volume

A volume is a storage area created from a RAID group to store files and data. Think of a volume as a container or partition within your NAS where all your files, folders, and applications are stored. The size and structure of a volume depend on the RAID configuration and the total storage capacity of your drives.

For example, if you have a NAS with two drives configured in RAID 1, you might create a single volume that spans both drives, giving you a safe, redundant storage space for your files. Alternatively, you could create multiple volumes on the same set of drives to organize data differently or for different purposes (e.g., one volume for backups, another for multimedia).

4. Remote Access / Private Cloud

Remote access allows you to access your NAS from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. This feature effectively turns your NAS into a private cloud, meaning you can securely access, share, and manage your data remotely, just like you would with popular cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox, but with complete control over your data privacy and security.

Synology NAS devices are particularly good at this, offering easy-to-use remote access features through their QuickConnect service or a custom domain. This is ideal for users who need to access their files on the go, share large files with others, or work collaboratively without relying on third-party cloud services.

5. Public Cloud Integration

Public cloud integration refers to the ability of your NAS to connect and synchronize with popular public cloud services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, and others.

This feature is useful for creating a hybrid storage solution, combining the benefits of local NAS storage (control, security, speed) with the scalability and accessibility of public cloud services. For instance, you can back up your NAS data to a public cloud for off-site redundancy or use cloud sync to keep certain files accessible from both your NAS and a cloud service.

Basic Things You Can Do with Synology

A Synology NAS offers a wide range of functionalities that go beyond simple data storage. It is a versatile tool designed to help you manage, share, and protect your data more efficiently. Here are some of the basic things you can do with a Synology NAS:

1. File Storage and Sharing

A Synology NAS acts as a centralized storage hub where you can store all your documents, photos, videos, and other files. This centralized approach makes it easy to organize and manage your data in one place, eliminating the need for multiple external drives or USB sticks. You can easily share files with family, friends, or colleagues by creating shared folders and setting permissions, ensuring that only the right people have access to your data.

2. Automated Backups

One of the critical features of a Synology NAS is its ability to perform automated backups. You can schedule regular backups for your computers, laptops, and mobile devices, ensuring that your important data is always protected without manual intervention. Backups include Versioning and Incremental Backups where you can  Keep multiple versions of your files. Disaster Recovery is also supported so in case of hardware failure of a pc for example, you can quickly restore your data from the NAS backups ( including your OS). 

3. Multimedia Streaming

A Synology NAS can serve as a powerful media server, allowing you to stream movies, music, and photos to various devices like smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, and gaming consoles. With the Standard DLNA/UPnP Support : you can  Stream media directly to any DLNA/UPnP-compatible device without additional software. or you can install popular media serves like  Plex Media Server or Jellyfin.  There are also Audio Station and Video Station: Synology’s built-in apps that  allow you to manage and stream your music and video collections directly from your NAS to any compatible device, including mobile devices with the Synology DS audio and DS video apps.  

4. Cloud Sync

Synology NAS can sync with popular cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more. This capability provides an additional layer of data protection by keeping a copy of your important files both locally and in the cloud. 

5. Remote Access

With a Synology NAS, you can access your files from anywhere in the world. This remote access capability is facilitated by Synology’s QuickConnect service and mobile apps, which allow you to securely access your data without needing to configure complex network settings. 

  • QuickConnect and Mobile Apps: Use Synology’s QuickConnect feature to connect to your NAS remotely using a web browser or mobile apps like DS file, DS photo, DS video, and DS audio, providing full access to your data and multimedia content.
  • Web-Based File Management: Manage your files through a web interface (File Station), where you can upload, download, move, or delete files as if you were on your local network.
  • Virtual Private Network (VPN) Server: Set up your Synology NAS as a VPN server to establish a secure connection for remote access to your network and files, further enhancing your data security.

6. Device Synchronization

Synology NAS can synchronize data across multiple devices, ensuring that all your devices have access to the same up-to-date files. This feature is particularly useful for people who use multiple devices (like a desktop at work, a laptop at home, and a smartphone on the go). This is aomost like having your own Dropbox . 

7. Photo Management

With applications like Synology Photos and Photo Station, a Synology NAS offers a robust platform for managing and sharing photos and videos.

  • Automatic Organization: Automatically categorize photos by date, location, or even face recognition, making it easier to find and manage your photo collection.
  • Shared Albums: Create shared albums that family and friends can access, comment on, and download, enhancing your photo-sharing experience.
  • Photo Backup: Automatically back up photos from your smartphone to your NAS using Synology's DS photo app, ensuring your memories are always safe and accessible.

8. 24x7 Download Station

Synology NAS devices come with a built-in Download Station, a powerful tool for downloading files from the internet directly to your NAS.

  • Automated Downloads: Schedule downloads of large files (like movies, software, or games) directly to your NAS without keeping your computer on.
  • Torrent and NZB Support: Download files via BitTorrent, FTP, HTTP, eMule, and NZB with ease, all managed through a single interface.

9. Surveillance Station

Turn your Synology NAS into a powerful surveillance system with Synology Surveillance Station.

  • IP Camera Support: Supports a wide range of IP cameras for home or office security. You can monitor live feeds, record footage, and receive alerts based on motion detection.
  • Remote Monitoring: Access and control your surveillance system remotely through a web browser or mobile app, ensuring you can keep an eye on your property from anywhere.

10. Printer and Scanner Sharing

With a Synology NAS, you can share printers and scanners over your network, making them accessible to all devices.

  • Network Printing: Connect a USB printer to your NAS, turning it into a network printer accessible by all devices on the network.
  • Scanner Server: Share a USB scanner over the network, allowing multiple users to scan documents without needing separate devices.

Advanced Things You Can Do with Synology NAS

If you are tech sevy you can do many more things with your Synology. Specially with Docker almost every linux application is available and with Virtualization you can run a windows, linux or Android VM on your NAS if you have enough processing power on your Synology for example.

  • Virtualization: Run virtual machines using Synology Virtual Machine Manager . You can run a full Windows VM or Android VM on your Synology if you have a powerful enough device . Basic VMM is free and there is an advanced VMM which offers features like HA .
  • Docker: Use Docker containers to run lightweight applications or services. Synology has a GUI application so you would never have to do anything with command line.
  • Web Hosting: Host your own website or blog directly from your NAS. Popular applications like Joomla and wordpress can easily be installed 
  • Email Server: Set up a private email server to manage your communications securely.
  • Surveillance Station: Turn your NAS into a surveillance station with support for IP cameras. Each device gives you 4 free licenses and more can be bought in packs of 1, 4 or 8.  If you use Synology Cameras, you don't need the licenses either.

Ways to Install Additional Apps on Synology

Synology offers several ways to expand your NAS's functionality:

  • App Store (Package Center): The easiest way to install apps is through the Synology Package Center, which offers a wide variety of Synology and third-party apps. Installing is as easy as clicking install and this is most of the people will install application. 
  • Virtual Machine Manager: Install different operating systems or software environments within a virtual machine. 
  • Docker: Run applications in isolated containers, ideal for advanced users looking to maximize flexibility and performance. Synologys container manager lets you run containers easily. 

Security on Synology

Since your NAS is a server that would be connected to the internet, Security is a top priority for Synology. The Synology DSM operating system is built with multiple layers of security. 

  • Account Protection: Multi-factor authentication and automatic IP blocking help protect against unauthorized access.
  • Firewall and IP Blocker: Built-in firewall and IP blocking features to defend against network attacks.
  • Encryption: AES 256-bit encryption for data storage and file transfers ensures your data is secure.
  • Security Advisor: Analyzes your NAS for potential security vulnerabilities and provides recommendations for improvements.

Offcourse a NAS is only as secure as it is configured to be , so you have to configure your NAS properly to ensure that its secure which is not very difficult if you follow the best practices. 

Choosing a Synology Device That Works for You

Here are 5 things you should know if you want to choose a synology model that works for you. 

1. Number of Bays ( how many hard drives can fit in your Synology) 

Number of bays signifies how many drives your Synology can hold. So a DS923+ for example has 4 x 3.5" bays.  It can hold 4 x 3.5" SATA HDD or 4 x 2.5" SATA SSD, or a mix of both. 

  • 2-Bay NAS: Ideal for home users or small offices with modest storage needs. A 2-bay NAS allows for basic RAID configurations, such as RAID 1 for redundancy or RAID 0 for increased storage capacity. This type is perfect if you primarily use your NAS for file storage, media streaming, and simple backups.
  • 4-Bay NAS: Offers more flexibility and scalability, allowing for more complex RAID setups (like RAID 5 or RAID 6) which provide better redundancy and data protection. A 4-bay NAS is suitable for users with larger storage needs or those looking to use their NAS for multiple purposes, such as hosting virtual machines or running multiple applications simultaneously.
  • 5-Bay and Above: For power users, creative professionals, or small to medium-sized businesses, a NAS with five or more bays offers maximum flexibility and capacity. These models are ideal for environments where data storage requirements are high, and advanced features such as virtualization, high-speed caching, and multiple RAID configurations are necessary.

2. Hard Drives (HDD) vs. Solid State Drives (SSD)

Choosing between HDDs and SSDs is another crucial decision . Hard drives are cheaper, largers but slower than SSDs. You can also go with a hybrid setup with 2 separate volumes on HDDs and SSDs, or deploy caching.

  • Hard Disk Drives (HDDs): Traditional spinning disk drives that offer large storage capacities at a lower cost per gigabyte. HDDs are a good choice if your primary need is to store large amounts of data, such as backups, photos, videos, and documents. They are well-suited for applications that require high storage capacity but not necessarily high speed, like archiving or video surveillance storage.
  • Solid State Drives (SSDs): Provide faster data access speeds and lower latency compared to HDDs. SSDs are ideal for applications that require quick access times and high performance, such as database hosting, running virtual machines, or high-speed file sharing. Although more expensive per gigabyte than HDDs, SSDs can greatly enhance the overall performance of your NAS.
  • Hybrid Setup: Many users opt for a hybrid setup, using HDDs for bulk storage and SSDs for caching. This configuration balances cost and performance, providing both high capacity and improved speed where needed.

3. SSD Caching

Caching in a NAS improves performance by deplying SSDs to store frequently accessed data for faster retrieval.  So every time you access a file that you very frequently access, it is served from SSD instead of HDD.

There is Read caching  that stores commonly used files on the SSD, speeding up how quickly they can be accessed. And there is Write caching that makes writing appear faster since the data is written to SSD temporarily very quickly and then written to HDD later.

If you have files that you frequently access or your data has predictable access pattern you can use Caching. 

4. Network Connectivity

NAS devices come with network ports that operate at different speeds: 1G and 2.5G are common in consumer NAS, while 10G is standard in enterprise NAS. There are multiple ports on most of the NAS, which can be teamed (combined)  to increase bandwidth or be used for failover, which ensures that second port takes over if one connection fails.

If you need 10G connectivity then look for a NAS model with built-in 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) support or one that allows for expansion cards. This feature ensures that network speed is not a bottleneck and significantly enhances data transfer rates, particularly in high-performance computing environments.

5. Memory and Expandability

  • RAM: More RAM allows your NAS to handle more simultaneous tasks and users. If you plan to use your NAS for advanced applications like virtualization, Docker containers, or intensive file sharing, consider a model that supports expandable RAM.
  • Expandability: Some Synology models allow for expansion units to increase storage capacity beyond the initial drive bays. This is ideal for growing businesses or users who anticipate needing more storage in the future.

Best End User Models of Synology

For end users, Synology offers several models that provide a balance of performance and affordability, our top picks are

  • BeeStation- 4TB :
    A fantastic choice for users seeking  Simple entry level storage. This is the easiest to configure Synology model and the only one that comes preconfigured with HDD.
  • DS223:
    A 2-bay Entry level NAS ideal for users needing more storage capacity and the ability to use Synolog's advanced apps and services.
  • DS923+:
    The best selling 4-Bay NAS model, you can not go wrong with. If there were a flagship product in synology DS923+ would be it.  Powerful enough to be used in an office and  perfect for more demanding home users
  • DS220+:
    A 2-bay NAS with balanced power, ideal for home enthusiasts and power users.

If you need assistance in selecting a Synology NAS device that fits your needs and budget, feel free to reach out to us, and we'll be happy to guide you.