2-Bay NAS DS223 (Diskless)

I have been a fan of Drobos for decades, but recently when one of my Drobos failed I found out that Drobo is no more. The went out of business in 2020. So, the hunt was on for a replacement. The key feature (for me) of the Drobos was that they could hold drives of different sizes and would automatically adjust storage if a drive failed so that you only had to replace that one drive. To my knowledge none of the other DAS or NAS manufacturers supported this functionality. In my hunt, I looked at several NAS and when I got to Synology, I stopped in my tracks. Turns out Synology has an operating system for their NASs called SHR which stands for Synology Hybrid Raid. It doesn’t work like Drobo, but it is similar enough that you can put different drives in your drive station and the OS will handle it. The only down side from what I can determine is that when different size drives are used, then some space will be wasted because essentially the Synology SHR breaks each drive into very large chunks and pairs them up for data protection. If one of the drive chunks can’t be paired with a chunk on another drive then it will not be used. For example if you put a 4TB drive in your NAS paired with a 7TB drive, then SHR will only be able to match chunks for 4TB of total space and 3TB will be wasted. Not great, but usable until you can afford to buy another 7TB drive to match up with the 7TB you already have. Functionality: I wish I had known about the Synology SHR years ago, cause now that I bought their NAS and am learning about it, I am finding that there is an enormous amount of functionality that it brings to the table. I have struggled for years with sharing data between my Windows computer and my Macintosh because of the incompatible by design philosophy or either Microsoft, Apple, or both. The Synology NAS makes sharing data a breeze. Now, I need to mention that I am a software engineer (retired), so I am used to handling a certain level of complexity. So, I need to make it clear that Drobo was much simpler than the Synology NAS to setup. The Drobo was essentially a really big USB hard drive. You just format it and use it like any other drive. No muss no fuss. The Synology on the other hand is essentially a completely separate and very powerful computer that happens to have a whole bunch of storage in it. Synology try’s to make things simpler by allowing you to control everything through your web browser. Once you are connected to the NAS with you browser, you get what is actually a desktop on your NAS. I have included a screen shot of the desktop displayed in a browser window so you can see what I mean. The desktop includes various tools to adjust the configuration of you NAS as well as providing a way to download and install both updates, as well as additional applications (packages) for other things you might like your NAS to do. With Package Center you can install apps to turn your NAS into a download server, a DHCP server, And audio and or video media server, a mail server, you can load an office suite as well as a simple text editor, you can install a VPN server and eve a chat server. There are also Open Source applications that can be installed and also a category called Contributor that has some third party applications like TeamViewer and KodiExplorer. Overview: The DS423 I purchased has two Gig-T Ethernet ports on the back, along with two USB3 ports that can be used to backup the NAS to external USB drives. It has slots for four drives. As a replacement for my failed Drobo, the Synology NAS does a great job, at the expense of having to learn how to set it up. That is the only real down side. If you are a novice computer user, then you will need someone to set it up for you, or you will need to just go with a USB external hard disk and forget about using a NAS. The operating system in the NAS is Linux, but Synology has hidden it very well, so you don’t need to be a Linux expert, or even a Linux user to master the Synology, but you will need to brush up on some of the network terminology that is essential to configuring a NAS. Do I recommend the Synology NAS, definitely. I had mine up and running in a minimal configuration in a few hours, but exploring all the options takes time so expect to spend some additional hours learning some new stuff. By the way, Synology makes a 2 drive bay NAS DS223 that has all the capability of my DS423, but only costs $250. Add a couple of big drives and you have a pretty good backup system for little money.

If you want something really simple, get an external drive and attach it to your router, if router allows. This is a very capable device with lots of function and a learning curve. Not too hard to set up the basic functions. Still working on it.

I honestly wish I had switched to a diskless 2-bay Synology NAS sooner. After years of relying on a single portable external hard drive, the difference in stability, protection, and overall value is night and day. With a portable drive, everything felt fragile. One accidental drop, one internal failure, or one corrupted sector could mean losing years of photos, videos, and business files — with no backup. It’s not a storage system, it’s a single point of failure. The 2-bay Synology completely solves that problem. Because it supports RAID mirroring, my data is automatically duplicated across two drives. If one drive fails, I don’t lose everything — I just replace the drive and keep working. That kind of built-in redundancy makes it infinitely more secure than a single portable drive. Beyond protection, the connectivity and compatibility are incredible. It connects via Ethernet to my router and is instantly accessible across all my devices — Mac, PC, phone, and tablet. It integrates seamlessly with macOS Time Machine, works smoothly with Lightroom catalogs, and supports remote access when I’m away from home. Instead of unplugging and re-plugging a drive between devices, everything is centralized and always available. The stability is another major upgrade. Unlike portable drives that can disconnect, overheat, or become corrupted from being moved around, the Synology runs quietly and consistently in the background. It’s designed for continuous operation, not occasional plug-in use. I no longer worry about random disconnections or file transfer errors. And when it comes to value for money, it’s honestly unmatched. Yes, the upfront cost is higher than a basic external drive, but you’re not just buying storage — you’re buying data protection, expandability, and peace of mind. Since it’s diskless, you can choose your own drives and upgrade capacity over time instead of replacing the entire unit. That makes it far more cost-effective long term. What I love most is that it grows with me. I can increase drive sizes, add backup automation, and expand my storage strategy without starting from scratch. A portable single drive is temporary storage. A 2-bay Synology NAS is a secure, stable, long-term data management system. If your files matter — whether they’re family memories or business assets — this is absolutely worth the investment.

I wok as an IT Professional and have used Synology in many production environments. I have nothing but love for their products. I purchased the NAS to convert an 8 TB external drive into a NAS for my home network. It has been running amazingly. It was easy to set up and get going. It has more features than I need, but I will be implementing some in the near future. The one and only thing that disappointed me and has knocked a star off of what otherwise would be a perfect rating: The drive had preexisting data on it. I installed the drive in the NAS and went to do initial setup. It warned me that all the data on the drive would be wiped. Alright, thanks for the warning! I took the drive out of the NAS and placed it back in the external enclosure it was in... and to my horror the drive had already been formatted! It warned me AFTER it had already erased all the data from the drive! Luckily I have backups of most of my data, but I still lost about 500 GB of (thankfully) replicable data. SO be warned, if you are using a drive with data on it, it will be wiped the moment the NAS initializes for the first time.

Arrived early. Easy to set up, slotted 2x6TB... Hassle free setup.... Highly recommended for reliable NAS....

Ho acquistato questo Synology NAS DS223 a 2 alloggiamenti (senza disco) e ne sono davvero soddisfatto. È un dispositivo ben costruito, silenzioso e molto intuitivo, ideale per chi vuole centralizzare file, backup e multimedialità senza complicazioni. 🔹 Perché merita 5 stelle: Facilità d’uso: la configurazione iniziale è semplice e guidata, anche per chi non è esperto. Software Synology DSM: l’interfaccia è potente, ben organizzata e offre tantissime funzioni (backup automatici, condivisione file, accesso remoto, app multimediali, ecc.). Flessibilità: i due alloggiamenti permettono di scegliere tra varie configurazioni RAID o uso indipendente dei dischi. Affidabilità: il sistema è stabile, e il NAS gestisce bene carichi di lavoro anche con più utenti collegati. Silenziosità: funziona in modo silenzioso, cosa che si apprezza soprattutto in ambienti domestici. In sintesi: un NAS versatile, potente e facile da gestire, perfetto per backup, storage in rete o streaming multimediale. 5 stelle meritate! 💾📂✨

Ottimo prodotto, venivo da un DS418play che si era danneggiato, ho fatto la migrazione degli HDD (Semplicissimo) e tutto è perfettamente funzionante con le mie impostazioni. Ho notato con piacere che Il 423 è molto più silenzioso del 418. Servizio Amazon impeccabile, arrivato prima del previsto e con doppio imballo.

Pour la sélection des hdd, voir avant sur le site le tableau de compatibilité des marques

半年ほど利用。監視カメラの録画機＆ファイルサーバーとして24h稼働中。v6プラス回線でも外部からもアクセスできて非常に満足。単体としての稼働音も気にならないレベル。仕事部屋においてあるが付属のアダプタのコイルなきが酷いのが気になってリビングに置く気にならない。バックアップなどを考えると2ベイ以上にすればよかったなと思った。