Synology's DiskStation DS718+ ($399.99) is a powerful two-drive network attached storage (NAS) device that can be used in a variety of ways thanks to a generous catalog of Synology-branded and third-party apps. It doesn't come with any hard drives, but it does include a quad-core CPU and Synology's user-friendly DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system, and can be pressed in to service as a total backup solution, an email and media server, a personal cloud server, and more. Its excellent file-transfer speeds, scalability, and robust feature set make it our Editors' Choice for two-drive NAS devices.
Rich in Features
A black metal enclosure surrounds the DS718+, which measures 6.1 by 4.0 by 9.1 inches (HWD). The front has two tool-less removable drive sleds, system status and LAN activity LED indicators, a Copy button for one-touch transfers between the DS718+ and an attached USB drive, a USB 3.0 port, and a power switch. The drive sleds can be locked using the included key. Around back are two gigabit LAN ports, two additional USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA port, and a power jack. The eSATA port can be used to combine the DS718+ with another Synology NAS device to expand your total storage capacity to as much as 84TB.
Powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core CPU and 2GB of memory (expandable to 6GB), the DS718+ can accept 2.5- and 3.5-inch drives with a capacity of up to 12TB each. It supports RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD, Basic, and Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), and when used with a five-bay expansion unit it will support RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10 configurations. Supported file formats include Btrfs and EXT4 for internal drives and Btrfs, EXT4, EXT3, NTSF, FAT, HFS+, and exFAT for external drives. The DS718+ can accommodate up to 2,048 users, 256 user groups, and up to 512 shared folders, and it supports on-the-fly 4K video transcoding, which allows it to stream HD video to all of your connected devices.
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The DS718+ is managed using the DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system, the same web-based OS used by other Synology devices including the DS218j, the DS1517+, and the DS416slim. Its Windows-like desktop user interface makes it easy to create and share folders, configure drives, manage storage volumes, and download Synology-branded and third-party applications. It opens to a desktop view that contains Package Center, Control Panel, File Station, and DSM Help folders.
Off to the side is a System Health window that displays CPU and memory usage. Click on the Package Center to access and download the more than 100 apps that let you use the DS718+ as a mail server, a bit torrent server, and of course, a backup solution. You can download anti-virus apps as well as dozens of business, security, web-hosting, and cloud-sharing apps. Media server apps include Plex, iTunes, and Logitech Media Server apps, as well as Synology's own Audio Station, Video Station, and Surveillance Station apps.
To create users and user groups, assign user permissions, and set up security and firewall parameters, use the Control Panel. Here you can also configure FTP and DHCP server settings, enable push and email notifications, and configure media-indexing settings. In the File Station utility, you can view user file-sharing activities, manage files and folders, and configure remote connections to files.
The Main Menu can be accessed by clicking on the icon in the upper left corner of the desktop. This opens another desktop view with folder icons for Storage Manager, Security Advisor, Resource Monitor, High Availability Manager, Log Center, and Support Center apps. The Storage Manager lets you create volumes, configure RAID settings and disk groups, and view disk health statistics.
The Security Advisor lets you scan for malware and check password strength, and the Resource Monitor displays graphs with CPU, memory, network, and hard disk usage. It also allows you to view the IP address of all connected users and has Kill Connection and Delete User buttons. Use the High Availability Manager to combine two Synology NAS devices to create a high-availability cluster. In the Log Center you can view a history of system events and notifications, and the DSM Help app offers video tutorials and detailed articles about how to use the DiskStation Manager OS and your installed apps.
The DS718+ is covered by a two-year warranty. It ships with two Ethernet cables, a power adapter and cable, and a Quick Start Guide.
Quick Setup and Performance
As with other Synology NAS devices, installing and configuring the DS718+ is quick and easy. I started by installing a pair of Seagate 6TB HGST SATA drives in the drive sleds and secured them using the included drive clips. I attached the NAS to my router, powered it up, opened a browser, and typed http://find.synology.com. I downloaded the latest DSM operating system, which took several minutes, and when the NAS restarted I created an administrator account. Next, I created a quick SHR RAID volume, which only took a couple of minutes. The NAS will verify the disks in the background, but performance may take a hit during this phase. I set up a shared folder and was ready to test file-transfer performance.
We use a 4.9GB folder containing a mix of music, video, photo, and office document files to perform read and write file-transfer performance tests, and the DS718+ turned in speedy results on both. Its write score of 79.03MBps was the highest we've seen from a two-drive NAS, beating the QNAP TS-253B ($699.99 at Amazon) by a hair and the Synology DS218j and the Asustor AS6302T by a healthy margin. Its read score of 67.12 didn't set records, but was still faster than the QNAP TS-253B, the Synology DS218j, and the Asustor AS6302T.
Much More Than Storage
With the Synology DiskStation DS718+ NAS, you get solid performance and lots of features for less than $400. Granted, you'll have to supply your own drives, but once you do you'll be able to transcode and serve 4K video, back up your data with RAID integrity, and create your own cloud server. With access to more than 100 apps, the DS718+ can pull duty as an IP camera management solution, a mail server, and a multimedia server with support for Plex, iTunes, and other popular media platforms.
The user-friendly DSM operating system makes it easy to share and back up files and manage your storage, and you can choose one of several RAID configurations to protect your data. Moreover, you can combine the DS718+ with another DiskStation for expanded storage capabilities. All this earns it our Editors' Choice for two-drive NAS devices.
The Synology DiskStation DS718+ is a versatile, feature-packed two-drive NAS that delivers solid performance.
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