Really happy with both this unit and PB tech. Have it loaded with 8TB seagate iron-wolfs and it worked seamlessly first time (unlike the other brand NAS I bought first and returned).

The DiskStation DS416slim is an interesting hunk of network storage, in that it is much easier to carry around than any other NAS we've seen previously. Plus, as SSD prices fall and capacities rise, it's not hard to imagine being able to stick four 1TB SSDs inside for fast, quiet, redundant storage.

Remarkably small footprint; dual Ethernet and USB 3.0 ports, including link-aggregation support; full DSM experience, despite size

Slower than many other NAS we've reviewed; limited capacity; due to use of thin 2.5-inch drives

Four bay tower NAS units aren't exactly svelte, however how about a four bay tower NAS that fits into the palm of your hand? The Synology DiskStation DS416slim is one of the smallest four bay NAS units we have seen in our labs.

Very small size; DSM OS

Limited capacity; It's no speed demon

This is my first NAS, was fairly easy to setup. Take the NAS out of the box slap in some drives and power it up. Then point your browser to the specified address and follow the directions. The things that take a bit more setup are the web/cloud tools.

Bought this product based on reviews. Bought the WD 4T Red drives. Inserted them, powered up, ran through setup, on reboot, got blinking blue light of death (BBOD - google it). Contacted support. Inserted only one drive and able to complete setup. Adding other disks literally took over 3 DAYS!!!!.

While casual NAS users may be better-served by a more affordable model, those with heavy video needs will find the DS418play combines a bevy of useful features to create a very capable multimedia NAS.

Integrated 4K video server; Powerful media transcoding abilities; Many apps available to expand featureset

Pricey; No direct HDMI output; No PCIe slot for upgrades

Whether you want to access important documents, pictures from your latest holiday or one of the movies from your collection, the Synology DS418Play will work perfectly as your own personal cloud.

Easy to set up; Fast and robust system; Offers access from computers and mobile devices; Easy to manage; Can act as back or storage or both

Has quite a large footprint; Doesn't come with HDDs - requires additional expense

Every year, our homes become mini data centers, with the addition of new computers and mobile devices as well as the introduction of smart home and IoT appliances. We not only consume more massive amounts of data and content, we also produce just as much via our smartphones, digital cameras, and...

Design and Hybrid RAID makes it easy to hot swap drives; Solid file transfer speeds; 4K online transcoding on the fly; DiskStation Manager (DSM) transforms NAS into personal cloud

Slow to wake up on LAN

Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices have definitely evolved over the past few years. Yes they are there to give you a reliable data backup for your files, with easy access to these files over the network, or even over the internet.

– Easy setup and configuration; – Synology Hybrid RAID; – Can add more RAM if needed; – Hardware accelerated 4K video transcoding; – Newer Synology Drive app is great; – Lots of "Packages" to add to the functionality; – 2 LAN ports w/ link aggregation and failover support

– Hardware acceleration only seems to work with DS Video app

Synology has been around since the year 2000 and they are known for creating outstanding and high-quality NAS or network attached storage devices; they are also recognized for producing IP surveillance solutions, as well as various network equipment that can be utilized for personal or business use.