The 418play also offers hardware-based AES-NI encryption, and doesn't lose any appreciable performance with it's switched on. Many tests can be done on a NAS like Synology DiskStation DS418, depending on how you plan to use it: multimedia server, cloud server, backup server, and so on. There is no focus on beautiful looks like you see with other network devices like mesh WiFi systems or some wireless routers.

DS418 4 Bay Desktop NAS Enclosure Synology 2GB DS418 4 Bay Desktop NAS Enclosure

It also makes it easy to swap out older smaller drives and replace them without having to rebuild the entire RAID array. At first, we used one network cable to connect the NAS to the wireless router, and then two network cables, and enabled link aggregation, to see the potential speed increase.We recommend it to home users, IT professionals, and small businesses that benefit from creating their network attached storage solutions.

DiskStation DS418 - Synology DiskStation DS418 - Synology

Intel just launched its 14th generation of Core processors, a series of desktop CPUs based on the same architecture as the previous 13th generation but with slightly higher clock speeds. As mentioned, we found that the NAS can get a little noisy under load, but it does a pretty decent job of containing the hard drive noise considering its compact size. With transcoding, the NAS itself handles the codec support, and re-encodes (or transcodes) video content in a format the playback device can actually handle.To turn your NAS into what you need it to become, use the Package Center to find and install the apps you need. You may need to pin to the taskbar the apps you use frequently or remove icons for apps or Windows features you don’t use.

Synology DiskStation DS418play review | TechRadar Synology DiskStation DS418play review | TechRadar

In the Help module, you get information about the features found in the DSM, links to tutorials, and frequently asked questions, as well as links to video tutorials that showcase the potential of your NAS, and how to set it up, depending on what you want to do. To show the speed potential in this situation, we made several data transfers from a desktop computer to the DS418, and back. They are also lockable with an included key, but this isn't that secure and can easily be jimmied open with a small flathead screwdriver.

With the DS418play, it can adjust the resolution of that video to suit the playback device – for example, transcoding that 4K footage to 1080p. Chances are, if it's connected to the internet, the DS418play will want to download a system update during this initial setup, which is important to do. To emulate a typical network, we tested using a Gigabit Ethernet LAN, with connections running to the NAS, a desktop computer and Hisense smart TV. Well, on a NAS without it, streamed media is sent to the playback device (be that a TV, computer or smartphone) which then decodes it and plays the content.

Download Center - DS418 | Synology Inc. Download Center - DS418 | Synology Inc.

Inside the package, you find the following items: the DiskStation DS418 unit, the power adapter, two CAT. This also helps avoid any scaling issues, and can reduce network bandwidth use by not needing to send the entire 4K file. We then installed Kingston UV500 SSD drives inside Synology DiskStation DS418, and repeated the same measurements. The problem (especially with older TVs and lower-end smartphones) is that some devices won’t be able to play specific codecs, or will play them poorly.As you can see below, you can use this feature for load balancing, obtaining the maximum possible speed with dynamic link aggregation, or failover support. To make it completely foolproof, included is a printed-out quickstart guide with instructions and diagrams.