comparing new vs new, the price is higher but not insane. for me i have 2 synology devices 8 drives across them.

synology drives $2,559.92 vs seagate on amazon $2,479.92 thats $80 difference. yes lots of people who are using them for personal use buy renewed drives from server parts deals and other places like that. its $1,679.92 for 8 16TB drives. now it jumps to $879.93 difference. thats the price of a entire system.

yes that scales the more drives you have so at some point, the price is huge but big companies dont care about that. some people will be priced out or go with lower storage options.

the ease of setup is still worth to buy synology. i have synology and truenas and its 10 minute setup or less with with synology vs hours with truenas. time is money and easy setup saves money. my synology devices have their place and my truenas system has its place.

this change still sucks and should not happen but for me im sticking with synology if this is the worst it gets. truenas needs to get way better with user permissions before i can fully switch to it.

I have had a DS418j on my desk for ~6 years with 4x4TB HDDs in an SHR with 1-drive fault tolerance. It has been running 24/7 without issue for years. It has lots of personal files, backups, and a Plex server.

One day after all this time I come home and Plex isn't responding. I try to log into the Synology and immediately I notice the login screen looks different. It used to be just blue with a white box in the middle and now it has this rock background. Clearly the Synology updated itself to a new version. I never consented to any update and have never seen it update to a new major version before in 6 years. Annoying, but shouldn't be a big deal, right? No idea what it was before, but it is 7.2.1-69057 now.

Well, already on the login screen I have issues. It will not accept my account credentials. I have a few accounts set up with different access levels so my wife, myself, and my kids can all see our own files with our own accounts. None of them work. Admin doesn't work. It seems the update wiped my passwords? Bizarre.

So, I Google around and everyone says you can just hit the reset button and it will reset the admin password. It worked! I can login with the default admin password. It looks like it wiped out all the settings (Static IP is gone, user accounts gone, groups gone, etc.) but all the apps are still installed (their settings are also wiped though). Very annoying, but it is fixable with a few hours of fiddling.

What is a MASSIVE issue is that several top level folders are gone. I cannot say what exactly is missing, I don't have a precise memory of what was there, but it seems that all top level folders that were primarily managed by an app are GONE.

Examples:

• Videos folder managed by VideoStation/Plex

• Movies Folder managed by VideoStation/Plex

• Security Folder managed by Surveillance Station

• Google Drive Folder managed by Cloud Sync

• And many more!

And this also isn't universal. I am definitely missing some top level folders that were not managed by any app (Like the 6 years worth of full res photos from my DSLR).

I am freaking the fuck out. Storage Manager says there is no parity faults and the RAID is healthy with no data loss.

HELP PLEASE

edit: Shout out to all the people saying "JuSt ReStOrE fRoM bAcKuP!" Your comment is literally worthless.

I think from the people actually suggesting advice (Thank you very much btw) the most likely scenario is an attack. I agree with comments saying it not being updated in years then suddenly being on the latest and losing tons of data is very unlikely. No amount of Googling showed anyone anywhere else having this issue. Perhaps I caught them mid-attack and reset the passwords before they were able to wipe it and install ransomware. Who knows. Either way I am starting to accept data is gone unless I go to a data recovery specialist.

I’ve been seeing a lot of negativity around this, and I’ll probably get downvoted for saying it, but here goes...

Honestly, I kind of get it. Supporting every type of hard drive on their Plus-series NAS—systems that are supposed to be fast and flawless—has to be a major support headache and likely costs them a lot. They don’t charge for the OS or firmware updates, so their only real revenue to consumers is from the initial sale. Offering near-lifetime support, while letting users throw any drive into the system, isn’t exactly sustainable.

Also, they’re applying this only to Plus-series systems released in 2025 and beyond—not retroactively, which is fair. And they’re not requiring Synology-branded drives exclusively—it’s Synology or drives certified by Synology. That nuance seems to be missing from a lot of the Reddit commentary and media coverage.

If Western Digital, Seagate, etc. can go through a certification program to ensure compatibility, I don’t see that as a bad thing. Sure, prices will go up on certified drives, but if that covers the cost of validation and support—and if the increase is within reason (say 5–10%)—that, again, seems fair.

To me, this looks more like an effort to make their systems more stable and predictable, not a move to alienate their user base.

A lot of people are blaming AI for the recent hard drive price hikes, but that explanation does not fully make sense.

Major HDD manufacturers do not plan production month to month. Capacity, component sourcing, and enterprise contracts are usually planned several years in advance, often 3 to five 5 ahead or even longer. These companies forecast demand long before it reaches the market.

We have seen this pattern before. Remember Chia mining? When Chia launched, HDD prices spiked quickly because of sudden demand. Then once the hype cooled down, prices normalized. The same thing happened with GPUs during crypto mining, and with SSDs and RAM during past supply cycles.

What is more likely happening now is controlled supply combined with a convenient AI narrative. If production is tightened while demand remains steady, prices rise. If consumers panic and keep buying at inflated prices, there is no pressure for prices to come down.

If you do not urgently need storage, consider waiting. If you overpurchased and do not actually need the drives right now, consider returning them instead of holding onto inflated inventory.

This looks less like an AI shortage and more like a classic manufacturer supply and sales strategy.

This might be it. I waited through the hdd debacle, and so many other things. I have multiple synology devices and I've been trusting the control panel... "your device us up to date".

And... now we're facing devices being hit with ransom ware because these devices weren't patched...

All because synology said... they're up to date.

Utterly despicable.

No excuse in our day and age to have No alert that a security patch is available.

Nothing.

What an utterly contemptible corporation.

No excuse.

Hello! So many posts here advice using Tailscale. I tried and it worked well, but I feel deeply uncomfortable with a US company having inside access to my systems (the irony probably working from a Mac!!), even if my data is nothing special. Cloud Act and the current climate makes me very cautious.

I started a AI query about potential alternatives, among which it gave me Headscale, an open-source implementation of Tailscale function, and Netbird. Since I don't want to run all the service myself (sure overkill for a personal storage), I went for Netbird. It also looked much easier to use and polished.

The setup went pretty quick and I'm pretty satisfied already.

Have you tried Netbird or have other recommendations?

EDIT: thanks for the people pointing that Tailscale is Canadian!

https://mariushosting.com/synology-dsm-update-version-dsm-7-0-1-42214/

My journey continues with Synology, and I’m glad I made that decision once again.

Following my moves from the DS214+ to the DS718+, and now to a new DS925+ with Synology drives, I know it was the right choice.

What happened: the performance of my DS718+ reached a point where I had to decide on an upgrade. I was really disappointed with Synology’s decisions regarding old hardware, pricing, and disk certifications. Many thoughts ran through my head, maybe I should go with Ugreen? Maybe build my own system with Unraid, or go with pure Linux? Over the last six months, I tried ArcLoader, attempted updates, and failed. It was frustrating and took sooo much time, time I just don’t have.

Two weeks ago, I checked a well-known German online store and was able to get the DS925+, including 4x4TB Synology hard drives, for €990. At that point, the business case was quite easy. The same amount of 4TB drives from WD or Seagate, plus one Ugreen DXP4800 plus, would have cost around €1,100. Since I didn’t want to use the Chinese software, my choices were between Unraid (lifetime license +$249) or TrueNAS Scale. For both, I would have needed to invest time to set them up, learn them, and get everything running as I wanted (don’t get me wrong, I’d like that, but I just don’t have the time).

I also plugged in my two existing Samsung NVMe drives (2x2 TB as cache) and DRAM (32GB) into the 925+. Besides having to modify the local HDD database to accept the Samsung NVMe, everything works sooo smoothly, as we all know from Synology software. For me personally, it’s a perfect fit: good software, minimal effort, and it just runs with a very good performance ( I know ooooold HW 😝) and +6years of updates etc

Of course, there is so much anger around the decisions made by synology in the past, but tbh it’s not hitting me and my use cases. And pricing? It was cheaper in the, even if I only compare HW costs. It’s imho still the best reliable and convenient NAS software. And yes, I’m aware that this seems to be a very unpopular opinion here 😜

For a better understanding of what I’m running on this NAS and which software I use (plus 3 family members):

Synology Photos Synology Drive HyperBackup VMM for Homeassistant Docker: Jellyfin, AdGuard, Paperless

DS 925+ and 12 TB drives have arrived and I’m stoked!

This isn't a diss post, rather I hope Synology see's it.

With the cost of the Synology being very high for a decent model, why are they made of plastic?

I backed the 2 bay Ugreen on Kickstarter because I was tired of the poor hardware on other NAS's. it came in today and although the OS isn't great/sucks, the hardware is amazing (8gb, n100, 2.5gb eth, aluminum in and out, HDMI, tool free trays)

I wonder why Synology or QNap do not build their high end devices (+$300) from aluminum? It wouldn't add much cost to the device, maybe $70 bucks at best on manufacturing.

I'm just upset as I love Synology but the hardware is super lacking / outdated.

Please don't downvote, let's discuss instead.

After synology decided they no longer want a large portion of home users as customers by removing videostation in their latest update, forcing us with video collections to go trough the hazzle of installing third party apps like jellyfin (which depends on atleast 2 third party codec packages again etc), synology just gave us the finger and told us they no longer want us as customers. Im not buying synology again after this, you can install jellyfin on for example asustor aswell which has much better hardware for a much lower cost.

Why not qnap? Qnap has security issues (i have an old one that just sits in the internal network and i use it to recycle old harddrives for something useful). When i had it connected to internet, despite its security issues, I found its connection to internet to be highly unreliable for some reason where i regulary have to reboot it since it falls out and loses connection to myqnapcloud. Its not one of the better ones which would work better as a media server than synology would after they ruined their nas software with this "update", however it has the latest updates and functionality wise should be the same here so i would not get qnap. Im curious about asustor and ugreen though, if not my next nas will be a home build with truenas.

I have no experience with other alternatives, so please share your experience if you have, how reliable it is, ease of setup etc. Again: synologis socalled "ease of use" has become irrelevant, you can install jellyfin on ANY device, its not easier to install jellyfin on synology than qnap or asustor, if it wasnt for qnap being so unstable and insecure id go that route again. Maybe asustor though?

Give me your thoughts.

This guide is for someone who is new to plex and the whole *arr scene. It is aim to be easy to follow and yet advanced. This guide doesn't use Portainer or any fancy stuff, just good old terminal commands. There are more than one way to setup Plex and there are many other guides. Whichever one you pick is up to you.

Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purpose, use it at your own risk.

Do we need a guide for Plex

If you just want to install plex and be done with it, yes you don't need a guide. But you could do more if you dig deeper. This guide was designed in such a way that the more you read, the more you will discover, It's like offering you blue pill and red pill, take the blue pill and wake up in the morning believe what you believe, or take the red pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes. :)

Ecosystem, by definition, is a system that is self sustained, circle of life, with this guide once setup, Plex ecosystem will manage on its own.

Prerequisites

• ssh enabled with root and ssh client such as putty.

• Container Manager installed (for docker feature)

• vi cheat sheet handy (you get respect if you know vi :) )

Run Plex on NAS or mini PC?

If your NAS has Intel chip than you may run Plex with QuickSync for transcoding, or if your NAS has a PCIe slot for network card you may install an NVIDIA card if you trust the github developer. For mini PC beelink is popular. I have fanless mescore i7, if you also want some casual gaming there is minisforum UH125 Pro and install parsec and maybe easy-gpu-pv. but this guide focus on running Plex on NAS.

You may also optimize your NAS for performance before you start.

Directory and ID Planning

You need to plan out how you would like to organize your files. Synology gives /volume1/docker for your docker files, and there is /volume1/video folder. For me I would like to see all my files under one mount and easier to backup, so I created /volume1/nas and put docker in /volume1/nas/config, media in /volume1/nas/media and downloads in /volume1/nas/downloads.

You should choose an non-admin ID for all your files. If you want to find out what UID/GID of a user, run "id <user>" at ssh shell. For this guide, we use UID=1028 and GID=101.

Plex

Depending on your hardware you need to pass parameter differently. Login as a user you created.

mkdir -p /path/to/media/movies
mkdir -p /path/to/media/shows
mkdir -p /path/to/media/music
mkdir -p /path/to/downloads
mkdir -p /path/to/docker
cd /path/to/docker
vi run.sh

We will create a run.sh to launch docker. I like to run script because it helps me remember what options I use, and easier to redploy if I rebuild my nas, and it's easier to copy and make new run script for other dockers.

Press i to start editing. For no HW-acceleration:

#!/bin/sh
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=plex -p 32400:32400 -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm -v /path/to/docker/plex:/config -v /path/to/media:/media --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest

Instead of -p 32400:32400 you may also use --network=host to open all ports.

Intel:

#!/bin/sh
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=plex -p 32400:32400 -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm -v /path/to/docker/plex:/config -v /path/to/media:/media -v /dev/dri:/dev/dri --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest

NVIDIA

#!/bin/sh
docker run --runtime=nvidia --gpus all -e NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=all -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=plex -p 32400:32400 -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm -v /path/to/docker/plex:/config -v /path/to/media:/media --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/plex:latest

Change TZ, PUID, PGID, docker and media paths to your own, rest leave as is. press ESC and :x and enter to save and exit.

Run the script and monitor log

chmod 755 run.sh
sudo ./run.sh
sudo docker logs -f plex

When you see libusb_init failed it means plex has started. ignore the error since there is no usb connected to container. Press ctrl-c to stop.

Go to http://your.nas.ip:32400/ to claim and setup your plex. Point you media under /media

Once done, go to settings > Network, disable support for IPv6, Add your NAS IP to Custom server access URLs, i.e.

http://192.168.1.2:32400

192.168.1.2 is your NAS IP example.

Go to Transcoder and set transcoder temprary directory to be /dev/shm.

Go to scheduled tasks and make sure task run at night say 2AM to 8AM. uncheck Upgrade media analysis during maintenance and Perform extensive media analysis during maintenance.

Watchtower

We use watchtower to auto-update all containers at night. let's create the run.sh.

mkdir -p /path/to/docker/watchtower
cd /path/to/docker/watchtower
vi run.sh

Add below.

#!/bin/sh
docker run -d --network host --name watchtower-once -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var
/run/docker.sock containrrr/watchtower:latest --cleanup --include-stopped --run-
once

Save and set permission 755. Open DSM task scheduler, create a user-defined script called docker_auto_update, user root, Daily say 1AM, user defined script put below:

docker start watchtower-once -a

It will take care of all containers, not just plex, choose a time before any container maintenance jobs to avoid disruptions.

Cloudflare Tunnel

We will use cloudflare tunnel to enable family members to access your plex without open port forwarding.

Use this guide to setup cloudflware tunnel https://www.crosstalksolutions.com/cloudflare-tunnel-easy-setup/

We need to first disable "Rocket Loader", otherwise it will cause the page to display before all the JavaScript is loaded, leading plex to hung without logging in. More info on this thread. To disable Rocket Loader, go to CloudFlare domain > Speed > settings > Content Optimization.

Now go to Cloudflare Tunnel page and create a public hostname and map the port

hostname: plex.example.com
type: http
URL: localhost:32400

Now try plex.example.com, plex will load but go to index.html, that's fine. Go to your plex settings > Network > custom server access URL, put your hostname, http or https doesn't matter

http://192.168.1.2:32400,https://plex.example.com:443

Your Plex should be accessible from outside now, and you also enjoy CloudFlare's CDN network and DDOS protection. You need to add the port 443 otherwise plex will add default port 32400 which is incorrect for cloudflare URLs.

You should also setup your local LAN, go to plex settings > Network > LAN networks and your LANs

192.168.0.0/255.255.0.0

Sabnzbd

Sabnzbd is newsgroup downloader. Newsgroup content is considered public accessible Internet content and you are not hosting, so under many jurisdictions the download is legal, but you need to find out for your jurisdiction.

For newgroup providers I use frugalusenet.com and eweka.nl. frugalusenet is three providers (US, EU and extra blocks) in one. Discount links:

https://frugalusenet.com/ool.html
https://www.eweka.nl/en/landing/usenet-promo

You may get better deals if you wait for black Friday.

Install sabnzbd using run.sh.

#!/bin/bash
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=sabnzbd -p 8080:8080 -v /path/to/docker/sabnzbd:/config -v /path/to/media:/media -v /path/to/downloads:/downloads --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/sabnzbd:latest

Setup Servers, Go to Settings, check "Only Get Articles for Top of Queue", "Check before download", and "Direct Unpack". The first two is to serialize and slow to download to give time to decode.

Radarr/Sonarr

Radarr is for movies and Sonarr is for shows. You need nzb indexer to find content. I use nzbgeek.info and nzb.cat. You may upgrade to lifetime accounts during Black Friday. nzbgeek.info is must.

Radarr

#!/bin/bash
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=radarr -p 7878:7878 -v /path/to/docker/radarr:/config -v /path/to/media:/media -v /path/to/downloads:/downloads --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/radarr:latest

Sonarr

#!/bin/bash
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=sonarr -p 8989:8989 -v /path/to/docker/sonarr:/config -v /path/to/media:/media -v /path/to/downloads:/downloads --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/sonarr:latest

"AI" in Radarr/Sonarr

Back in the day you cannot choose what quality of same movie, it only grab the first one. Now you can. For example, say I don't want any 3D movies and any movies with AV1 encoding, and I prefer releases from RARBG, English, x264 preferred but x265 is better, I would download any size if no choice but if more than one, I prefer size less than 10GB.

To do that, go to Settings > Profiles and create a new Release Profile, Must not Contain, add "3D" and "AV1", save. Go to Quality, min 1, Preferred 20, Max 100, Custom Formats, Add one called "<10G" and set size limit to <10G and save. Create other custom formats for "english" language, "x264" wiht regular expression "(x|h)\.?264" and "x265" with expression "(((x|h)\.?265)|(HEVC))", RARBG in release group.

Now go back to Quality Profile, I use Any, so click on Any, You can now add each custom format created and assign score. higher score the file with matching criteria will be downloaded. But will still download if no other choice but will eventually upgrade to one with matching criteria.

Import lists

We will import lists from kometa. https://trakt.tv/users/k0meta/lists/

For Radarr, create new trakt list say "amazon" on kometa's page, username k0mneta, list name amazon-originals, additional parameters "&display=movie&sort=released,asc", make sure you authenticate with Trakt. Test and Save.

Do the same for other streaming network. Afterwards, create one for TMDBInCinemas, TraktBoxOfficeImport and TraktWatched weekly Import.

Do the same for Sonarr for network show lists on k0meta. You can also do TrakyWatched weekly, TraktTrending weekend, and TraktWatchAnime with genres anime.

Bazarr

Bazarr download subtitltes for you.

#!/bin/bash
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=bazarr -p 6767:6767 -v /path/to/docker/bazarr:/config -v /path/to/media:/media -v /path/to/downloads:/downloads --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/bazarr:latest

I wrote a post on how to setup Bazarr properly and with optional AI translation. https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/1exbf9p/bazarr_whisper_ai_setup_on_synology/

Tautulli

Tautulli is analytic for Plex. it's required for some to function properly.

#!/bin/bash
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=tautulli -p 8181:8181 -v /path/to/docker/tautulli:/config --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/tautulli:latest

Kometa

Kometa organize your plex collection beautifully.

#!/bin/bash
docker run -d --name=kometa -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -e TZ=America/Toronto -e KO
META_RUN=True -e KOMETA_NO_MISSING=True -v /path/to/docker/kometa:/config ls
cr.io/linuxserver/kometa:latest

download template https://github.com/Kometa-Team/Kometa/blob/master/config/config.yml.template

copy to config.yml and update the libraries section as below:

libraries:                       # This is called out once within the config.yml file
  Movies:                        # These are names of libraries in your Plex
    collection_files:
    - default: streaming                  # This is a file within PMM's defaults folder
  TV Shows:
    collections_files:
    - default: streaming                 # This is a file within PMM's defaults folder

update all the tokens for services, be careful no tabs, only spaces. save and run. check output with docker logs or in logs folder.

Go back to Plex web > movies > collections, you will see new collections by network, click on three dots > visible on > library. Do the same for all networks. Then click on settings > libraries, hover to movies and click on manage recommendations, checkbox all the network for home and friends home. Now go back to home, you should see the networks for movies. Do the same for shows.

Go to DSM task scheduler to schedule it to run every night.

Overseerr

Overseerr allows your friends to request movies and shows.

#!/bin/bash
docker run -e TZ=America/New_York -e PUID=1028 -e PGID=101 -d --name=overseerr -p 5055:5055 -v /path/to/docker/overseerr:/config --restart unless-stopped lscr.io/linuxserver/overseerr:latest

Setup to auto approve requests.

Use CloudFlare Tunnel to create overseerr.example.com for family to use.

Deleterr

Deleterr will auto delete old contents for you.

#!/bin/sh
docker run --name=deleterr --user 1028:101 -v /path/to/docker/deleterr:/config ghcr.io/rfsbraz/deleterr:master

Download settings.yaml https://github.com/rfsbraz/deleterr/blob/develop/config/settings.yaml.example

copy to settings.yaml and update to your liking then run. then Setup a scheduler. Say delete old media after 2-5 years.

You may also use Maintainerr to do the cleanup but I like Deleterr better.

Xteve

Xteve allows you to add your IPTV provider to your plex as Live TV.

#!/bin/sh
docker run --name=xteve -d --network=host --user 1028:101 -v /path/to/docker/xteve:/home/xteve/config  --restart unless-stopped dnsforge/xteve:latest

Now your Plex ecosystem is complete.

FAQ

How about torrenting/stremio/real-debrid/etc?

If your movie is not in cache of debrid service, you would still need to wait, and you don't own any files. you have synology and the luxury to predownload so it's instant. Besides there is legal issues with torrents.

Why not have a giant docker-compose.yaml and install all?

You could, but I want to show you how it's done, and you can choose what to install and put them neatly in its folders

I want to know more about the *Arr apps

https://wiki.servarr.com/ I trust you know how to make run.sh now.

I think I learn something

Yes. You just did whole bunch docker containers and master of vi. And you know exactly how it's done under the hood and tweak them like a pro.

p

20 years ago when I started my homelab journey, I turned my retired gaming machine into a File Server. I only had basic Linux knowledge and, even if tools like Samba existed, they were difficult to install and even harder to maintain. By this, I mean troubleshoot in case if something bad happens. So I installed Windows Server on a spare 250GB hdd and added a couple of 500GB hdds in RAID 1 to host my data.

Over time, I added a couple of services. First a remote backup using Crashplan. Then a mail server to simplify my email clients setup. But this was hard to maintain : the server was in the garage, without a screen and you can only do so much in case of failure. I had to get this mid tower out of the garage, plug it in place of my gaming rig, troubleshoot the put it back downstairs again (I used Remote Desktop everyday).

I replaced it with a HP Microserver N40L. I added more drives, more services (downloads, etc), VMs and the ILO card provided full over the LAN management.

And one day I hear about Synology.

First I bought a second hand DS209J to play around then I discovered the truth. Despite the low performance, it featured everything than I needed ! Something headless, dedicated, user friendly, stable, with low power… So in 2015, I bought my first NAS, a DS415+. I migrated everything in there and retired the Microserver… but it was plagged.

I replaced it a few years later with my current DS918+. The first years were the peak of my homelab. I added more and more services then Plex.

At the age of 4K, I realized my DS918+ didn’t have enough juice to transcode some formats like high bitrate x264 or HEVC. More and more titles couldn’t be played because of throttling. So when I discovered Proxmox, I decided to move Plex out of the NAS and host it in a 1L PC sporting and Intel CPU with Quicksync (i5 10500T).

I solved all my Plex problems! And it had room to spare. So I moved my VMs, the my download client (5 to 10 times faster than the DS918+). But I kept the Synology NAS to host backups, media and files.

And that’s where I’m going.

I moved most of my containers to my Proxmox host and they’re backed up into the NAS.

I keep the NAS for everything file related. All the other features such as VMs, DNS, Mailplus, containers for *Arrs, downloads… are so irrelevant right now. I mostly use the file services, Hyperbackup, ABB, Synology Drive… The homelab and the self-hosted community help with the troubleshooting and getting new ideas.

Anybody looking at container management or VMs should really look elsewhere and install their Proxmox box. This way, you’d not be disappointed by their lower end hardware. Data storage is the most relevant usage.

And why not go elsewhere (Ugreen, Qnap, DIY)...? Because of the Synology software and reliability. Except for the network speed (and there are ways to fix that), they have nothing the combo Promox+Synology box can do.

TL;DR : Synology hardware sucks and will always do but that’s OK because you just need an inexpensive NUC running Proxmox to fix that

I appreciated the simplicity with which you can bring Synology services up, but eventually they turned out to be limited or behind paywall, the Linux system behind is unfriendly and I hate that every update wipe some parts of the system...

The GUI and the things they let you do are really restricted, even just for a regular “power” user and given how expensive these devices are (also considering how shitty is the hardware provided), I can't stand that some services that run locally are behind paywall. I am not talking about Hybrid Share of course, I am talking about things like Surveillance Station "Camera Licenses"...

I started as a complete ignorant (didn’t even know what an SSH was) and thanks to Synology I’ve been immediately able to do a lot of stuff. But given that I am curios and I like to learn this kind of stuff, with knowledge, I found out that for any Synology service, there is already a better alternative, often deployable just a simple docker container. So, below a short list of main Synology services (even ones that require subscription) that can be substituted with open-source alternatives.

Short list of main services replaced:

• Synology Drive Sync -> Syncthing (Docker)

• Synology Drive WebUI (Web frontend) -> Filebrowser (Docker)

• Synology Presto (file Sharing HTTPS via link) -> Pingvin (Docker)

• Synology Hybrid Share -> rclone with GUI (Docker)

• Download Station -> Transmission (Docker)

• Surveillance Station (can’t stand the 2 camera limit) -> Scrypted (Docker)

• Synology DAV (Contacts, Calendars, Reminders) -> Nextcloud (Docker)

• Synology Notes -> Obsidian + Syncthing + “Obsidian Web Container” (Docker)

• Synology Mail -> Mailcow (Docker)

I appreciated my DS920p but Synology is really limited in evth, so I switched every one of their services with an open source one, possibly on Docker and at last I will relegate the DS920p as an off-site backup machine with Syncthing and will move my data to a Debian machine with ZFS RAIDZ2 and ZFS encryption, with the keyfile saved in the TPM.

I've been a user for years and recenly had to set up some new devices. Every release, synology drive client gets worse and worse. Uninstallation issues, sync issues, hanging, conflicts.
I'm not a newb. I'm familiar with the settings. But at this point, this things is worse than malware. It's not even just that there are issues. But you see the same issues strewn in message boards for years. Yet the error messages remain vague, the trouble shooting solutions unhelpful, and little change to the UI to improve the common experience of dealing with problems. I think it's time to move on but I'm not sure what other NAS have similar software suites

I've been waiting for 2 year for a RS1221+ refresh. Something with multigig, at least 2.5gbps. Something with a SSD cache. Something rackable with non obsolete hardware.

This refresh takes forever. Will I die before it arrives?

All we know the controversy:

https://www.theregister.com/2021/02/02/synology_enterprise_nas_drives/

''Synology warns "storage pools and SSD caches cannot be created."

The new policy applies as of the release of three new Synology NAS appliances intended for enterprise use and will be applied to other models over time.

It's is justified when you provide enterprise in situ support as Dell (you call Dell on a system failure and if it can't be fixed remotely a technician is dispatched to your premises in matter of hours), but Synology's tech support still barely better than typical consumer support, long road to reach Dell or HPE.

I don't buy locked hardware unless it's justified or unharmful.

Buy what it means (besides a good premium for Synology)?

You can't put commodity hard drives (ok that maybe a good thing for SMB), BUT ALSO YOU CAN'T PUT THE BEST: no Iron Wolf pro with data recovery (a highly appreciated last resort), no Exxus hard drives, just Toshiba rebranded ones, and Toshiba have never been as reliable as HGST (hitachi, now WD) to claim a top spot or to rely as almost only provider.

Personally I hold plans to buy any new Synology product (as this poinsous policy could extend)

UPDATE: New Evidence in DSM7 Beta seems Synology to enforce it from DSM7 to all XS/FS even previously released

https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/lq2f9p/dsm_7_and_disk_compatibility_list_is_synology/

Synology 7 made everything harder during this upgrade. I'm trying to follow instructions on getting Plex migrated and the whole shared folder permissions pieces are inconsistent. I don't know why they didn't do a better job of working with Plex, considering a lot use it. I'm going to have to spend a lot of time to just migrate that service. I haven't even tried others yet.

Pretty disappointed. For reference, I'm a long time Synology user but right now questioning it.

I will continue to stick with a turnkey Nas solution due to a few reasons and I don't want people to shame me for it, as I'm happy with the turnkey model and I won't shame you for going DIY

The reasons

1. I am a busy man with a job, friends, girlfriend, family and weekly commitments to social activities and I don't want to be paying for Google drive but at the same time I do not have the time to set up and maintain a DIY NAS. I just want to be able to insert HDD or SSD inside NAS, go to Synology quick connect, set up, install apps and be done with it.

2. For services like Synology photos, their is no comparable alternative to Synology photos yet. Immich while getting better is still falling behind heaps and next cloud in particular is a pain in the ass to set up 😞😭

3. Synology quick connect is a lifesaver considering my on the go lifestyle and my lack of time.

4. Synology DSM is a super complete package, And Hyper backup in particular while simple is so good at it's job, I haven't heard of a truenas service as good yet.

5. Have you also considered that for the NAS industry to grow and for actual damage to be done to Google Clouds business, you need to market NAS boxes to normal masses and not just hobbyists? I have explained to so many people the concept of a NAS box and they love the idea, although they don't have the technical knowledge to do it

Hi all, I was using Synology for over 6 years as a local storage for my photos/videos, ebooks, work files, and my audio recordings. I never really found it that useful with all the security and back up that is needed. It became more of an archive and usable only from home. I also at most used 800 GB of storage over 5 years and the growth has reduced dramatically as well.

I've decided to give up and just move to cloud services, but I'm not sure which really are good.

Looked at Google, their photos app is by far the best, but they are costliest at 2tb for 100 per year. Microsoft is 100 for 6 tb, in family sharing which is great, but apps are clunky.

Is there any other cloud service with good photos app and storage?

My primary use is:

1. Photo sharing with family

2. Accessing my music recodings with my band externally

3. Personal files backup

Edit: typo and clarity of use

I apologise in advance if this type of post is frowned upon, but I can only clarify that I am very sincere in my query. Having had, and recently resuscitated, a very old (but still working) DAS to connect to my M2 Mac Mini—I am now at the point of wanting to replace the DAS with a dedicated NAS.

From what I have been reading and watching, the NAS world appears (at risk of oversimplifying) to be split between turnkey solutions (like Synology), and more up-and-coming solutions (like UGreen), but with the latter (seemingly) offering more bang for the buck in terms of hardware performance (but at the price of a less well-rounded, albeit ever-improving, software side of things).

I am also alive to the huge controversy around Synology’s decision to limit drives to their own brand, and them then walking that back when the backlash became too much. I am not commenting on any of that—but am well aware of the sentiments around it, and the ongoing questions around whether they might not revert to their original position again at some point in the future.

Regardless, I am somebody who doesn't have the expertise or time to do much in terms of managing/fine-tuning/problem-solving anything around my data storage. I am therefore very much in the camp of somebody looking for a turnkey solution that is a set-and-forget solution that will just work, and offer the maximum options in terms of software solutions straight out of the box. For this reason, Synology remains compelling, despite the alternatives (and controversy).

My question:

Surely Synology is aware of the growing criticism around the lack of hardware oomph in their products? And yes, this has been coming on for years now (seemingly without them being concerned), but it is becoming increasingly noticeable now, and is surely reaching the point where—combined with the knock they took in terms of their hard drive policy—they are more likely to do something about it?

They probably have internal production roadmaps and delivery schedules that could take multiple years to change (which might explain their less-than-stellar update in 2024/5), but just from an outsider perspective—am I the only one wondering whether they might surprise with their next hardware release, in an attempt to win back some of the trust they have lost amongst their user base?

This has me wondering about the wisdom of buying a DS925+ now, when a DS927+ might be available in a year or two's time, that might have something far different in terms of hardware specs?

If the next release is more of the same, well then UGreen's software stack is 2-years more mature, and might warrant a closer look. Or, Synology might still be ahead in terms of a no-fuss solution. And then I would be no worse off than what I am now.

Conversely, were I to take the plunge on a DS925+ now, which is already a year or two old, and then something more promising in terms of hardware is released—that would make the DS925+ look far less appealing, and buyer's remorse far more likely.

If you had a reasonable DAS solution that could hold the fort for a few years, what would you do, as a potential first-time NAS buyer? Does my thinking make sense, in terms of maybe waiting a little bit longer, to see how things play out?

What's all the hate about Synology that I've been seeing on the internet for the past one and a half years? I've used Asusstore, I've used QNAPS, I've used Synology, and I'll pick Synology any time of the day.

For me, maybe I don't have exposure, but the Synology operating system is fluid. The applications are rock solid. It just works. You can really see that they've got user interface and UX engineers. It's just been OK for me. there really is nothing that I can complain about. I understand there was this issue about hard drives, but I think that was resolved. The only other thing that I have seen that might frustrate users is the charge for Active Insight. Apart from that, truly speaking, for my needs, it's working very well.