Conclusion and Final Thoughts
DiskStation DS918+ is another well build NAS by Synology. Every year Synology releases newer models of their storage devices filled with features to make our lives a little bit easier when it comes to data backup and management. To list all of the features in DSM (DiskStation Manager) would take a very long time however based on the hardware of DS918+ it is clear to see that it is like a small computer with plenty of resources to be a media/file server, website server, video surveillance and more all at the same time. Performance of DS918+ is up to par with some of the similar models we have tested in the past. From the throughput perspective, I saw DS918+ using pretty much all the bandwidth of a Gigabit connection. I have not tested the second network connection in this unit as this wasn’t the purpose of this review, however, with proper configuration and a proper switch higher throughput speeds can be achieved.
My experience with DS918+ was a little more than a month and based on my observations it would make a great file server for home and small business use. If you are after more capacity then you should look into an expansion module (DX517). What I noticed in my inspection of DiskStation Manager is that Synology is introducing a High Availability option in DS918+. You can combine two DS918+ to create active/passive high availability cluster.
Currently, DS918+ retails for about $ 550 USD (diskless) and DX517 for about $ 500 USD (diskless). The price is definitely hefty comparing to other similar four bay models from different manufacturers. If you are looking for a fast and efficient solution for your small business, DS918+ definitely should be considered. Another great product from Synology.
