Flexible, powerful and remarkably
easy to use -the best consumer NAS drive around
Centralizing storage is becoming
increasingly important as consumers move from PCs and laptops to storage-poor tablets
for their home-computing needs, but there can be practical difficulties. NAS
drives can be noisy and intrusive, and most require a wired network connection,
making it tricky to hide them away in a quiet corner.
That’s precisely the dilemma Synology’s
latest box, the two-bay DS213air, is designed to solve. As well as a Gigabit
Ethernet connection, it boasts 2.4GHz 802.1 In wireless, which gives it far
more flexibility than the average Ethernet-only NAS drive.
Synology
DS213air
It also makes it incredible easy to set up.
Once you’ve secured one or two hard disks under the thin, plastic case, and
switched it on for the first time, it’s possible to connect directly to the
DS213air’s wireless network, and set up the disk array, without having to worry
about running a setup utility on a PC or laptop first.
Once done, you can choose to deploy the
wireless in a number of ways. First, it can be used to connect the DS213air
directly to your home wireless network, as with any other client device.
Performance won’t be particularly fast in this mode - file transfers will be as
quick as your wireless network allows - but it keeps cable clutter to a
minimum, and you can place the drive wherever you like.
In the second wireless mode, the DS213air
operates as a wireless access point, allowing A laptops, tablets and phones to
connect to the NAS directly over its own, private wireless network. In this
mode, it needs a wired connection to the network for updates and access to the
internet.
In
the second wireless mode, the DS213air operates as a wireless access point,
allowing A laptops, tablets and phones to connect to the NAS directly over its
own, private wireless network
Finally, cable users can connect the
DS213air directly to their cable modem and use the DS213air as a wireless
router. However, the basic, single-band 2.4GHz wireless capability and lack of
extra Ethernet ports at the rear means this method doesn’t hold much appeal.
However you choose to deploy the DS213air,
though, it retains all the features that have made its predecessors favorites
at PC Pro. Its Windows-like DSM 4.2 web UI makes every aspect of it incredibly
easy to use, from file browsing to setting up more advanced features, such as
the bundled web server. It’s extendable via a range of downloadable software
packages, and a selection of free Android and iOS apps makes browsing files and
streaming media child’s play.
Performance is similar to that of its
predecessor, the DS212j (web ID: 374536). Over a wired Gigabit Ethernet
connection, top speeds hit 68MB/sec and 7 IMB/sec for large-file reads and
writes, and 512KB files copied across at 33MB/sec and 71MB/sec respectively.
Direct file transfers over 802.1 In Wi-Fi came in at 13.2MB/sec at close range,
dropping to 3.5MB/sec from 40m - on a par with a decent, single-band wireless
router.
With
a quiet cooling fan, and both USB ports now upgraded to USB 3, our only gripe
is the DS213air’s lack of advanced 5GHz connectivity
With a quiet cooling fan, and both USB
ports now upgraded to USB 3, our only gripe is the DS213air’s lack of advanced
5GHz connectivity. It’s also a little pricey for a dual-bay enclosure. However,
these minor drawbacks detract little from what is, in all other respects, a
fantastically easy-to-use and powerful NAS drive.
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Specifications
·
1.6GHz Marvell CPU
·
256MB RAM
·
2x3.5in/ 2.5in SATA II drive bays
·
Synology Hybrid RAID
·
JBOD
·
RAIDO, 1
·
Gigabit Ethernet
·
2 x USB 3
·
2yr RTB warranty
·
100 x 225 x 164mm (WDH
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