Synology DiskStation DS418j NAS Review
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Last year I had an opportunity to review Synology’s DS416j. This device offered a lot of features and what I saw I really liked. DS416 definitely was an eye opener. Since then Synology worked on improving their DSM (Disk Station Manager) and internal components of their ‘J’ series line up. Very recently Synology has retired DS416j and release a new and improved version, DS418j. DS418j is externally identical to DS416j in every way. (The same cooling, power, color) However the internal components have been improved. DS418j is equipped with 64-bit processor with 1 GB of DDR4 ram. This is a major improvement from the last year’s model. The new CPU is by Realtek that has just been released. What so special about this chip is that it has ability to transcode video at higher frames per second. This comes very handy when using DS418j as a surveillance station or as a media center..
With Synology’s Package Center it is easy to pick the right app to run on DS418j. There are numerous applications available to install and use free of charge.
The range of applications is anything from DNS Server to SugarCRM. Package Center also allows users to install custom applications manually. These features give a higher advantage to Synology over other NAS devices that do not offer any custom or pre-installed applications.
Performance of the DS418j is up to par with all of the small/medium business NAS devices we have looked at so far. From what I have seen from the benchmarks and test data is that DS418j is a great home/small office NAS that can handle all the load that you will throw at it. Whether it’s a file server you are looking to have or surveillance station or media server DS418j will perform and deliver your content with ease.
When comparing the prices of DS418j to other NAS devices in the same class, I feel that the price is very fair for a diskless NAS enclosure. This 4 bay NAS retails for about $ 300 USD at the time of the review. I do strongly believe that the price vs value of this product is fair as well. You do get what you pay for. Good product and another great job by Synology!
