Synology DS213+ NAS Server Review

A great thing about the NAS market is that competition is huge, and in our minds, Synology has done a fantastic job of making sure that this competition has been keeping on its toes. Each one of the company’s NASes we’ve tested to date have impressed, and fortunately, the DS213+ isn’t about to become an exception.

In many of my network-attached storage device (NAS) reviews, shamelessly plugged here, here and here, I have tried to drive home the importance of backing up your most important data.  Whether it be to a NAS box, a USB external hard drive or one of the many cloud-based solutions available, it really doesn’t matter.  The point is to always “back it up.” For my look at Synology’s DS213+ NAS, I don’t plan to extol the virtues of having a home disaster recovery plan – except, I just did… damn.

I have reviewed enough NAS boxes over the years to have developed a fairly easy-to-reproduce set of tests.  I get the device in, I photograph it and then I run the standard battery of tests that we have been using for quite a few years.  With Synology, I always know what to expect.  While the company has changed up the design of the units themselves, I have come to expect a certain subtle quality in the company’s products. 

When the DS213+ showed up reading for testing, I was immediately brought back to our review of the DS212 earlier this year.  In it, we covered a considerable amount of available options that Synology’s firmware has to offer.  We went through the mobile apps, connecting the NAS to a VMware host, Apple’s Time Machine functionality, as well as the standard tests we have always run.  For those looking for a shallow dive into those waters, I suggest you give that review a quick once over.  For those of you looking for our take on the DS213+, carry on.

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