Synology USB Station 2

[haisaikat]

All,
I was wondering long to put a device on my network that can instantly plug and play USB drives connected to it and make them available on the network.
Note I already have DNS 323 on my network which is hosting two 1TB sata drives and can allow smb based file sharing on network with quota, security, torrent download capability etc. But where it lacks is USB drive hosting, the included USB port can only host printers although there are ways written on internet on how to hack that alongwith reviews on how such hacks can go bad at times. Hence I want to stay away from those hacks. Another problem with the DNS 323 is that the built in UPNP media server failes to be recognized by some clients like my Pana plasma which otherwise readily recognized Win7 based upnp streamng.

After reviewing a lot of devices I have finally made up my mind on the following http://www.synology.com/products/product.php?product_name=USB Station 2&lang=enu USB Station 2 from Synology, please post your opinions if you have any in this regard or better at this price point

One more rationale behind selecting such a product is that presently if I have to give something from my collection to a friend or even vice versa then I have to copy on my p[ortable drive and then share it and otherwise copy into my NAS from USB drive which is lot of time taking. If you have this type of a device then this goives you the capability to carry your mobile USB drives and then put them back on network share directly.

Hardware
CPU Frequency : 800MHz
Hardware Encrypted Engine
Memory : DDR2 128MB
Max Internal Capacity : 2X 3TB external USB hard drives (Capacity may vary by RAID types) (See All Supported HDD)
External HDD Interface : USB 2.0 Port X 2
Size (HxWxD) : 46 X 122 X 111 mm
Weight : 147g
LAN : Gigabit X1
System Fan : 70x70mm x1
Wireless Support
Power Recovery
AC Input Power Voltage : 100V to 240V AC
Power Frequency : 50 / 60Hz, Single Phase
Power Consumption : 5W
Operating Temperature : 5C ~ 35C (40F ~ 95F)
Storage Temperature : 15 to 155F (-10 to 70C)
Relative Humidity : 5% to 95% RH
Maximum Operating Altitude : 10,000 feet
Certification : FCC Class B, CE Class B, BSMI Class B
Warranty : 2 Years
Applications
File Station
Virtual Drive
Remote Folder
FTP Server
Bandwidth Control, Custom FTP Passive Port Range, Anonymous FTP, Transfer Log
Print Server
Max Printer # : 2
Printing Protocols : LPR, CIFS, IPP, Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Multi Functional Print Server (for Windows PC only)
iOS/Android Applications
DS audio
DS file
DS finder
Windows Phone Applications
DS finder
Add-on Packages
HiDrive Backup
Backup DiskStation data to STRATO HiDrive online storage
Audio Station
Supported Audio Format (USB Mode) : AAC, FLAC, M4A, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, WMA VBR
Supported Audio Format (Streaming Mode) : MP3, M4A, M4B
Supported Playlist Format : M3U, WPL
Internet Radio : SHOUTcast, Radioio
iTunes Server
Supported Audio Format : MP3, M4A, M4P, WAV, AIF, The music in WAV and AIF format can be streamed, but the metadata (ex: title, album) may not be indexed on the iTunes
Supported Video Format : M4V, MOV, MP4
Supported Playlist Format : M3U, WPL
DLNA/UPnP Media Server
PS3/Xbox 360 Support
Supported Audio Format : AAC, AIFF, APE, FLAC, M4A, Apple Lossless, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, PCM, WAV, WMA, WMA VBR, WMA PRO, WMA Lossless
Supported Video Format : 3GP, 3G2, ASF, AVI, DAT, DivX, DVR-MS, ISO, M2T, M2TS, M4V, MKV, MP4, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MTS, MOV, QT, SWF, TP, TRP, TS, VOB, WMV, XviD, RMVB (The actual playback capabilities may vary depending on the DLNA/UPnP client)
Supported Image Format : BMP, JPG (jpe, jpeg), GIF, ICO, PNG, PSD, TIF (tiff), UFO
Download Station
Supported Download Protocols : BT/HTTP/FTP/NZB/eMule (Up to 5 Active Download Tasks)
Maximum Concurrent Download Tasks : 20
General
Networking Protocols
CIFS
AFP
FTP
WebDAV
Telnet
SSH
File System
EXT4
EXT3(External Disk Only)
FAT (External Disk Only)
NTFS (External Disk Only)
Max File System Size : 16TB
File Sharing Capability
Max User Accounts : 32
Max Concurrent CIFS/AFP/FTP Connections : 32
Backup Solutions
Desktop Backup (Window: Synology Data Replicator 3, Mac: Apple Time Machine backup application)
Security
FTP over SSL/TLS
IP Auto-Block
HTTPS Connection
Management
Auto DSM Upgrade
Email/SMS Notification
DDNS Support
IPv6 Support
PPPoE
Custom Management UI HTTP/HTTPS Ports
HDD Management
HDD Hibernation
Utilities
Synology Assistant
Synology Data Replicator
Supported Clients
Windows XP onward
Mac OS X 10.5 onward
Ubuntu 9.04 onward
Supported Browsers
Chrome
Firefox
Internet Explorer : 8, 9
Safari (MAC) : 5
Language
English, Deutsch, Franais, Italiano, Espaol, Dansk, Norsk, Svensk, Nederlands, ???????, Polski, Magyar, Portugus do Brasil, Portugus Europeu, Trke, ?esk, ???, ???, ????, ????

 

[haisaikat]

guys 76 views.... any suggestions?

 

[sarge_in]

Synology is a very well respected brand, and I would expect its units to be of excellent quality. Their feature set is definitely much superior to DNS units - their DSM software is very flexible and feature-rich. I had the same DNS-323 and now have the Synology 1511+ and there is really no comparison. I don't have the USB version you listed but looking at their performance numbers it will certainly be slower than 'regular' Synology NAS units, just something to be aware of.

 

[rud3dawg]

Looks good... but synology products are known to be expensive when compared to the similar architecture firmware in other manufacturers list. I have not come across this sized firmware with the same features.. so this looks really good I mean.. NTFS filesystem with a
Max File System Size : 16TB.. is really good.

 

[haisaikat]

@sarge and @rud3d
Thanks for the feedbacks, what I wonder is although in some forums it is said that read speed in NTFS is slow (5mbps) it is not clear if that is over wireless or wired. On the other hand the max read speed tested on this device is 55+ mbps. So I am confused on this point. If it is 5mbps over wired / NTFS then this is a big NO as FHD videos will stutter at that bit rate.

Also I am thinking if below 10K INR i can setup a cheap PC with some open source OS like Unraid, etc that can offer similar feature but at greater speeds over NTFS.

More suggestions are welcome

 

[rud3dawg]

@sarge and @rud3d
Thanks for the feedbacks, what I wonder is although in some forums it is said that read speed in NTFS is slow (5mbps) it is not clear if that is over wireless or wired. On the other hand the max read speed tested on this device is 55+ mbps. So I am confused on this point. If it is 5mbps over wired / NTFS then this is a big NO as FHD videos will stutter at that bit rate.

Also I am thinking if below 10K INR i can setup a cheap PC with some open source OS like Unraid, etc that can offer similar feature but at greater speeds over NTFS.

More suggestions are welcome

If possible please check into the Wifi ranges etc.Since it supports DLNA It should ve been High data transfer supportive but just in case have a looksie to check ranges it supports are inclusive of Wifi g&n that should do the trick. I am currently running movies from my PC in my bedroom to the Living room on the other side of the adjacent wall using wireless bridge and a PlasmaTV with Ethernet port. I run 1080p s and also 3d VDOs close to about 20 gigs using the same and if my regular Bug bang fuzion 1156+ a WRT160N can transfer then so can the Synology you are referring to.:clapping:

As a matter of fact bcuz of the Gigabit ethernet port on the Synology USB Station 2although transfer speed theoretically should be about 119 mbps, the realistic figures should be close to 100 mbps.. hyeah:

 

[haisaikat]

If possible please check into the Wifi ranges etc.Since it supports DLNA It should ve been High data transfer supportive but just in case have a looksie to check ranges it supports are inclusive of Wifi g&n that should do the trick. I am currently running movies from my PC in my bedroom to the Living room on the other side of the adjacent wall using wireless bridge and a PlasmaTV with Ethernet port. I run 1080p s and also 3d VDOs close to about 20 gigs using the same and if my regular Bug bang fuzion 1156+ a WRT160N can transfer then so can the Synology you are referring to.:clapping:

As a matter of fact bcuz of the Gigabit ethernet port on the Synology USB Station 2although transfer speed theoretically should be about 119 mbps, the realistic figures should be close to 100 mbps.. hyeah:

Actual test reviews are showing that speeds of read is around 55mbps max, and one review said on NTFS it is 5mbps, hence my concern.

 

[GeorgeO]

USB 3.0 would have been nice.

 

[rud3dawg]

Actual test reviews are showing that speeds of read is around 55mbps max, and one review said on NTFS it is 5mbps, hence my concern.

saad.. If this is the case, but I would suggest you try it out with some friends existing setup.... and then you can be sure..if its the USB stations problem or any other issue that we have to worry about...I will be able to tell you in about 2-3 weeks when I ll have another Laptop in my place... right now I have a single desktop

 

[haisaikat]

i am also considering DIY route for similar solution with unraid or similar software.

 

[rud3dawg]

Yup yup.. DIY is the way to go.. I am gona slowly inch up to an HTPC soon but not soon enough.. my priorities now are towards a Center channel speaker> Inverter> Subwoofer and then may be HTPC or Surrounds..... Waaah!!! looks pretty long way to go even writing about it...

 

[sarge_in]

HTPC may give some more flexibility esp if you want to record tv shows. For anything other than that, including streaming HD movies, lossless audio and simple file sharing, Synology feature set is quite extensive and 'just works'. For example, it has very easy to use solutions to stream music and access files to iDevices and host photos to share. Can also connect to various ip cameras. User security setup, etc all comes in a nicely packaged firmware and is quite painless.
Read speeds should be confirmed of course to ensure they meet your needs. Can't speak to them myself as I don't have this unit.

 

[rud3dawg]

HTPC may give some more flexibility esp if you want to record tv shows. For anything other than that, including streaming HD movies, lossless audio and simple file sharing, Synology feature set is quite extensive and 'just works'. For example, it has very easy to use solutions to stream music and access files to iDevices and host photos to share. Can also connect to various ip cameras. User security setup, etc all comes in a nicely packaged firmware and is quite painless.
Read speeds should be confirmed of course to ensure they meet your needs. Can't speak to them myself as I don't have this unit.

Looks great but the only problem I have is with the Pricing and so I decided to make my own NAS/HTPC after checking out all the prices.. just waiting to get the Case first .. any one here has any sources for a mini ITX NAS case dealer .. and who doesn't quote a bug number??

 

[haisaikat]

I have been looking for such a worry free device and after much consideration came across Synology USB Station 2. In my case I want items copied from friends to be shareable without speding additional time on transferring to NAS hence looking for similar USB based solution.

The price of Synology is coming around 6K (+shipping, customs etc)

In this range I am hence also considering DIY Route as well

Say for example this cabinet MINI ITX CUBE CASEING, @ 1600 | eBaycosting 1800 with shipping.

PSU we can get under 500 cheap ones and expensive ones I am not sure

For motherboard+processor we must look for Gigabit enabled mobo hence we can use this Intel Atom one http://www.flipkart.com/gigabyte-ga...CZFH&ref=0d47ba93-b7e1-43e2-a910-ae4a4cd23eb0 for 3.4K

Next RAM, taking 1GB DDR3 Zion DDR3 RAM For Desktop PC 1066MHz RAM 1GB - BILL + 3 Years Warranty | eBay for 700 INR.

All done, total price coming to 3400+700+1800+500=6400 which is same as Synology. But here I am getting enclosure with SATA ports and many USB ports as compared to 2 ports in synology. What d? you guys think.

 

[rud3dawg]

Looks like a good deal ... any chance you can go for nxt higher one with an HDMI onboard ??? would be really helpfull for media player

 

[sarge_in]

Sounds great if all you need is USB ports for mobility. Have you considered what software you will need to provide the funcitonality that Synogy provides (if you even need those, that is) and how robust it is and how easy to setup (I just haven't explored that in much detail, so don't know).

I have spent enough time juggling USB drives and am done with that. I am fully invested in NAS that provides easy disk space pooling (have 4 x 2TB drives for enough space for HD movies), RAID single drive failure recovery option etc. So really depends on your final objective. If USB drives is the main purpose, DIY will surely give you more options and bang for the buck!

 

[sudhishkv]

I just bought Synology Diskstation DS212J couple of days back for $172. Waiting for the delivery.

Amazon.com: Synology DiskStation 2-Bay (Diskless) Network Attached Storage DS212j (White): Electronics

 

[haisaikat]

@sudhishkv, congrats for your purchase. Do post feedbacks once it arrives.

@rud3w, you can check this for HDMI output, ASUS E35M1-M Motherboard | Motherboard | Flipkart.com but pricey. Also if HDMI is not required then I found a cheaper version here Gigabyte GA-D425TUD Combo Motherboard | Combo Motherboard | Flipkart.com for 3.2K

@sarge, I am planning to use the Unraid software as OS which can boot from Pendrive as explored by sam9s already in his unraid NAS. Another option I found someone used is FreeNAS http://www.hifivision.com/diy/8118-diy-nas-interesting-blog-post.html and http://www.hifivision.com/home-theater-pc-htpc-media-pc/23256-my-first-diy-home-server-nas-pics.html

 

[rud3dawg]

Yeah I know....I was planning on a feature rich HTPC begin with ...something like an Asus mini-itx there are other mobos tooo.. like the intel D61AG and others which climb up in price...

 

[sam9s]

haisaikat, I was going through details of this Synology product and I am not able to get the intentions this product was devised. Is it a NAS/proper media player. Can you explain what situation in a media network this device carters too. Why exactly one would need this if he has a NAS and an HTPC....... can you through some light on the practical use/advantage of this product ...