'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
Build a private cloud with Synology's new DS220j and DS420j NAS
A lot of people have suddenly found themselves working from home, and I've hearing from quite a few people who have noticed that this is putting quite a strain on their internet connection, especially those who need a solid connection for video conferencing.
One way to take the pressure off your internet connection is to bring data that you regularly need down from the cloud and store it locally.
And Synology has two new two-bay and four-bay NAS drives that fit the bill and won't break the bank.
I've become quite a fan of Synology. Not only is the hardware solid and reliable, but the DiskStation Manager (DSM) OS is simple to learn, quick to set up, and easy to administer. I've come across a lot of good NAS hardware let down by poor software. This is not the case with Synology.
Must read: The ultimate MacBook Pro accessory just got cheaper
Synology DS220j
Synology DS220j
The first is the two-bay DS220j. This is an entry-level NAS designed for home and personal users to store and share photos, videos, and documents. The DS220j is powered by a 64-bit Realtek RTD1296 quad-core 1.4 GHz, has 512MB of RAM, has built-in hardware encryption, and uses RAID 1 to protect against data loss from drive failure.
The two drive bays can each accept up to 16TB drives (which means with RAID 1, the max capacity of the unit will be 16TB), and are compatible with 3.5-inch SATA HDD, 2.5-inch SATA HDD (with optional disk holder), and 2.5-inch SATA SSD (with optional disk holder).
Synology reports read and write speeds for the DS220j in excess of 112 MB/s.
I've covered the Synology DS218j previously, and the build of the new DS220j is similar.
- 24/7 file server for your household to store share and backup personal data
- Award-winning DiskStation Manager (DSM) brings intuitive operation flow and reduces learning curve
- Access and share data with any Windows macOS and Linux computers or mobile devices
- Integrated media server to support multimedia content streaming
- Freely access private cloud files on-the-go and back up mobile photos with iOS and Android apps
Synology DS420j
Synology DS420j
The DS420j is for those who want a bit more of everything. It is a four-bay NAS designed for home data backup, file syncing, and sharing. It is powered by the same 64-bit Realtek RTD1296 quad-core 1.4 GHz, has 1GB of RAM, has built-in hardware encryption, and uses RAID 1 to protect against data loss from drive failure.
Each drive bay can accept up to 16TB drives (which means with RAID 1, the max capacity of the unit will be 32TB), and are compatible with 3.5-inch SATA HDD, 2.5-inch SATA HDD (with optional disk holder), and 2.5inch SATA SSD (with optional disk holder).
Synology reports read and write speeds for the DS220j in excess of 112 MB/s.
Worried that the power consumption of this is going to be massive? Don't. While in hibernation, the unit consumes only 7.88W of power.
- Four-bay home NAS with over 60 TB raw capacity support suitable for data backup and file sharing
- 64-bit 4-core 1 4 GHz processor and 1 GB DDR4 memory
- Over 112 MB/s encrypted sequential reading and writing throughput
- Easy-to-deploy surveillance solution that supports up to 16 IP cameras
- Energy-saving design with only 7 88 W consumed in hibernation mode
Synology DS218j - Unboxing and fitting hard drives
See also:
- Apple: This is how you should disinfect your iPhone, iPad, and Mac
- This Raspberry Pi-powered LEGO robot brute-force attacked an iPhone to find out what PIN codes are blacklisted
- An iOS glitch could be wearing out your iPhone's battery prematurely
- Coronavirus might make new iPhones hard to find
- Save up to $130 on the super-fast Samsung T5 external portable SSDs
- COVID-19 coronavirus: Changes I've made to my home office to make it cleaner, healthier, and safer
- Coronavirus, flu and other nasties: What if your job involves handling other people's dirty gadgets?
- Flagship Android smartphones lose their value twice as fast as iPhones
- Work from home: Essential gadgets and gear for productivity and good health
- Why coronavirus will mean no Apple WWDC 2020
- Don't waste your money on these Apple products: March 2020