Why You Can Trust CNET Synology Disk Station DS214se review: Loads of storage features for very little cash
The budget-minded Synology Disk Station DS214se is an excellent choice for home with casual backup, media-streaming, and data-sharing needs.
The dual-bay Disk Station DS214se NAS server has more to offer than any other entry-level network attached storage (NAS) server I've seen.
Synology Disk Station DS214se
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Running the latest DSM 5.0 operating system, the server has many features found in much higher-end servers, such as the top-ranked DS1513+ , making its US price of just $155 for the disk-less version (or $340 with 4TB included) a steal. It's just as good value in the UK and Australia -- it's available from various resellers with different amounts of storage, but you'll find it disk-less from around £120 or AU$180.
And despite the minimal amount of system memory and a lackluster processor, in my testing the DS214se still registered an excellent data rate for a dual-bay server, especially its read speed.
Keep in mind, however, that this is still a low-end storage device. Basically, it's designed to excel at performing just one (or a very few) tasks at a time, and isn't suitable for heavy multitasking environments. So if you're looking for a network storage solution for a small home with just a few users, you won't go wrong with the the DS214se. Otherwise, pick something that's more powerful from this list.
Robust operating system, budget hardware
The DS214se uses the chassis design of a much older generation, such as the DS410 that came out four years ago. This means you have to open the chassis before you can install or replace the internal hard drives. While this is quite easy to do (you just have to undo two little screws on the back and slide out the left side of the server to open it), I much prefer the front-facing drive-bay design found in new newer DiskStations, such as the DS712+ , or the DS1513+ .
You only need to do this if you buy the diskless version of the server. Otherwise, chances are you won't need to service the internal hard drive for a long time. But when you do, note that you'll need to turn off the server before you start the job. Considering the logistics, you can't expect to swap out the hard drive while the server is still running, as in the case of servers with front-facing drive bays. The server supports standard SATA internal drives of both 3.5-inch (desktop) and 2.5-inch (laptop) designs, of any capacities. You can buy it preloaded with only 2TB hard drives, however, so if you want to use 3TB or larger hard drives, you're better off getting the diskless version and buying the hard drives separately.
The DS214se has nothing to impress when it comes to its hardware components. On the inside, it's powered by a minimal Marvell Armada 370 processor running at 800MHz, and 256MB of DDR3 memory that's not upgradable. The "se" designation stands for "single-role," meaning the server is not designed to run multiple roles (tasks) at the same time. On the back, the server has just two USB 2.0 ports to host more storage or printers. This is very disappointing, since all the NAS servers that I reviewed last year already support USB 3.0 and have more peripheral ports.
To make up for the old design and the lackluster hardware, on the inside the DS214se runs the latest version of the acclaimed DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system, version 5.0. The new OS brings about a much more robust Web-based user interface -- very similar to that of a native operating system -- and a new way to set up the server to work over the Internet, as well as a huge collection of apps that add much more value to the server.
Simple to set up
With DSM5.0, the DS214se is quite easy to set up, especially when you buy the version that comes with hard drives included. In this case, you just need to plug the server into your existing network using a network cable (one is included), and turn it on.
Now you need to log into its Web interface, which involves pointing a browser on a computer to its IP address, or running the Synology Assistant software. Once launched, the interface is presented to end-users similarly to the appearance of an operating system, like Windows or Mac OS. This is all within the Web page, and most users can figure things out from there. But if you can't, the Synology Assistant can also perform a few additional tasks, such as mapping network drives to share folders.
Note that, if you buy the disk-less version of the server, you'll need to install the hard drives and the operating system yourself. In this case, the Synology Assistant software can automatically download and install the operating system in a single, seamless step, much in the way you'd update your iPhone or install a new OS on a MacBook Air.
The Web interface allows you to perform any customizations to the server, including its general settings, RAID configuration, and all other settings, including those of all apps.
Flexible RAID
By default, the server's two internal hard drives are set up in the Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) configuration. This is a useful setup that I highly recommend. SHR automatically sets up the available storage into the best configuration for the given number of drives, as well as the best data protection, performance, and storage space, in that order. In the case of the DS214se, since it's a dual-bay server (that is, it has two internal hard drives), an SHR setup is very similar to RAID 1.
On top of that, SHR also allows for the use hard drives of different capacities and allows you to easily scale up the server's storage space without having to rebuild the RAID from scratch.
You don't have to use SHR, however -- you can easily switch to standard RAID configurations, such as RAID 0 or RAID 1, with the DS214se. All Synology NAS servers support all available standard RAID configurations based on the number of internal drives they contain.
Excellent platform support
The DS214se supports all computing platforms available to consumers, be it Windows, Mac OS, Linux, or even mobile platforms such as Android or iOS.
For example, for Windows, apart from data-sharing via the SMB protocol, you can also set up the server to be part of a domain via the Active Directory Service -- this allows Windows administrators to manage the the NAS server's storage via the domain controller.
For Macs, the DS214se will automatically appear on the Finder and will appear as the destination for Time Machine backup.
Also, for many of its features, the server comes with mobile apps to support Android and iOS devices.
Excellent Package Center design
Advanced NAS servers allow users to add and remove features. Synology has the best way for you to add more features to its servers, and by far the most packages.
DSM 5.0 comes with a very well-organized Package Center that lets you install (and remove) packages on a Synology NAS server. Each package is a new program that adds a function or a feature to the server. Depending on the server's capability, there are a certain number of packages that can be installed on it. The DS214se comes with 35 packages organized in five categories: backup, multimedia, security, business, and utilities. Note that these are packages that haven't been vetted or developed by Synology, and you can also manually install packages that are not found in the Package Center.
Most, if not all, of these packages are excellently designed and each deserves a specific review of its own. For the time being, I'll just mention a few that most people would find useful with the server.
The Download Station is arguably the most comprehensive download application; it allows the server to download files from the Internet by itself and is able to download files from Web sites that require authentication (such as RapidShare). It also supports BitTorrent file-sharing services. You can search for desired content and double-click on the result to start the download. You can also manage the downloads remotely from a mobile device via the DS Download mobile app for Android and iOS. Technically, the server can handle up to 30 concurrent downloads at a time, but considering its power, 10 or fewer at a time is more realistic.
The Cloud Station works similarly to the Dropbox service but much better. There's no limit to how many computers you can use for syncing or how much data can be synced, as long as it doesn't take up more than the available space on the server or the quota of the user account. The only limit of the Cloud Station is the fact that it won't sync files that are larger than 10GB. Technically, the DS214se supports 512 user accounts, but, again, considering its power, you probably would want to use only a few with it. Still, if you have a fast connection to the Internet, you consider cancelling your Dropbox.
Surveillance Station turns the server into a comprehensive DVR for IP cameras. The server supports up to six cameras (only one camera license is included, and additional camera licenses each cost $49 (£42, AU$73), although four-packs are available). This feature worked extremely well in my trial and is a great tool for your home's security. There's also a DS Cam mobile app for both iOS and Android devices, allowing for monitoring your home or business via your mobile device even when you're out and about.
Time Backup is a package that offers Time Machine-like backup for the server itself. You can choose to back up certain share folders on the server on to a connected external hard drive or to another Synology NAS server. After that, you have the options to back up the server thoroughly with multiple versions, such as every hour of the day, every day of the week, and every week of the month. You can also limit the amount of time you want to keep the backup, such as up to three months, six months, and so on. This is an excellent app if you use the server to host important hot data and don't want to to lose information due to accidental editing.
There are many other cool packages, too. For example, in the multimedia category alone, there are Photo Station (for photo sharing and blogging), Music Station (music streaming), iTunes Station, Media Server, and Video Station for video streaming. Video Station was one of my favorites until it stopped supporting DTS sound, due to expired licensing. Synology says it's working to get that back, but there's no timeline for it.
In short, what the DS214se (as well as any other Synology NAS server) has to offer surpasses what most people would expect and is by far the most comprehensive among NAS servers. Not that most packages are quite easy to install and use, but generally, you do need to be comfortable with basic computing to set them up.
Surprisingly fast performance for a single-role server
Considering its hardware, I didn't expect much from the DS214se, but the server delivered nonetheless. In my testing via a gigabit connection, the server registered the sustained write speed of 52MBps and the read speed of 100MBps. Both were very fast, especially the read speed.
CNET Labs network storage performance
- Write
- Read
Note that the test was done when there were no other packages running in the background. When I tested the server with a Time Machine backup job running, it was slower, but not by much. However, when I deliberately used multiple packages at at time, the performance was indeed noticeably slower, and the interface also showed a significant lag.
In all, while the DS214se definitely trailed behind others in terms of heavy multitasking, it can do a lot more than just one operation at a time. You can interpret the single-role designation to mean that it's designed to excel in single tasks, rather than it can perform only a single task at a time.
Other than that, the server worked well in my testing without any hiccups. Despite the big fan on the back, the speed of which depends on how hot the server gets, it was very quiet.
Conclusion
The DiskStation DS214se is definitely among the most affordable on the market, and it's easily one of the best, thanks to the vast number of features it has. In all it has the most value when compared to any other with the same configuration.
As a low-end single-role server, I find its performance quite impressive so long as you don't make it run many heavy tasks at the same time. That said, it's a great deal for any small home with casual backup, media-streaming, and data-sharing needs. For the amount you spend, you will certainly be happy with it.
For a similar deal, also check out the WD My Cloud EX2 , which has fewer features and therefore is easier to use.