DiskStation DS218j

A versatile entry-level 2-bay NAS for home and personal cloud storage.

 

What is the Synology DiskStation DS218j?

Across Synology’s bewildering array of models, a ‘j’ suffix generally denotes a cheaper, home-orientated model. Synology describes the two-bay DS218j as ‘entry-level’, but its performance is anything but.

This is a two-bay NAS. When configured with the default Synology Hybrid Raid (SHR), it will tolerate the failure of one hard disk without any data loss, but at the expense of one disk’s capacity. This large loss of capacity is inevitable in a small, two-bay NAS.

SHR becomes more efficient the more disks a NAS has, so a four-bay model can protect the data of all four disks if one goes bang, and you still lose the storage capacity of only a single disk. 

 

Synology DS218j – Specifications and design

Synology has bumped up the processor speed of this year’s NAS: the DS218j now has a 1.3GHz dual-core processor, up from 1GHz in the last generation. This means it has as much processing power as the more expensive, office-orientated DS216 I reviewed last year.
 

Cloud Station Backup for PC protection

Featuring real-time incremental backup technology, your data stored on a PC can be backed up to a Synology NAS instantly, using minimal system resources, bringing a truly comprehensive and secure private cloud experience.

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 Incremental backup: fast while reducing performance impact

Cloud Station provides an optimized PC backup solution. With the incremental backup technology, Cloud Station backs up only the modified files and divides them into even smaller parts, demanding significantly less system resources than traditional backup methods.

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 Real-time backup saving you from massive data loss

Cloud Station Backup carries out the most complete backup tasks in real-time. When data is voluminous, real-time backup prevents massive data loss due to unexpected disaster during backup cycles.

 

Synchronize files across your devices

Cloud Station Suite provides real-time data synchronization across all your devices and other Synology NAS. "Intelliversioning" keeps the most important file versions to better utilize storage space. 

 

Easy file access with QuickConnect

Access files on your Synology NAS over the Internet without the hassle of setting up port forwarding rules, DDNS, or other complicated network settings. QuickConnect allows you to connect via a secure, customizable address, so that you can instantly access media and work files on any Internet-connected device with no additional charge.

 

Seamless integration with your mobile devices

Synology mobile applications are designed to allow quick and secure access to your data wherever you are.

 

You still get 512MB of RAM, and room for two 3.5-inch hard disks out of the box. It’s possible to fit 2.5-inch hard disks and SSDs, but only with an adapter; the DS218j needs the Type-C model, which costs £11. Models higher up the range such as the DS216 or DS218+ don’t require adapters to fit 2.5-inch disks.

The NAS is a simple, glossy white box. It features status lights for the disks and network on the front, and two USB3 ports on the rear to connect external disks for backup, or to manually copy files to and from the NAS. This basic NAS doesn’t offer extras such as front-mounted USB ports or a dedicated USB file-copy button. I did like the NAS’s thick, sticky rubber feet, which make it unlikely you’ll knock it off your desk.

SPECIFICATION