Geek Grotto

The DS716+ and DS214+ So, we have had a DS716+ in house for a few months now, and unlike other reviews focusing on technical specs and whatnot, we will be reviewing this NAS from a standard consumer point of view and comparing it to the 2014 DS214+. So if you want to see transfer speeds and network overhead info and more.... you won't find it here. If you want to know how your media consumption, or sharing to your phone from another location will work or if it's any better than your old NAS, then read on!

So a few weeks back, Cnet had posted a promotion for IDrive that included a year of service AND a 1TB WIFI USB 3 HDD for $34.50. Well, already using a similar device, a Seagate Satellite 500GB (1st revision), I figured I'd try it out. While ordering was quick and easy, everything else was.... silent at best.

Synology today has released the DS216+, the "little brother" to the DS716+ that was just released recently. Besides the $299 price, which is $150 LESS than the DS217+, it retains the most important feature... on the fly 4K transcoding! Running on an Intel Celeron N3050, this little guy is no slouch. Full press release after the break

A couple of weekends back, Synology held an event to show off what is coming soon and today we can share that with you! You may know Synology as a NAS manufacturer, producing network attached storage ranging from single drive home units to Enterprise solutions, all powered by their DiskStation Manger software.  Well version 6.0 is hitting beta and is available NOW! Also their next gen line up is being announced including 4K transcoding on the new DS716+ and their entry into the home router market and much more! UPDATE: DSM 6.0 Beta is now available. With all that said, after the break will be A LOT of info to take in, and trust us, it's worth the read!

If you are in the market for a NAS for home or small business, Synology has you covered today. The 5-bay DS1515 and 4-bay 1U rack mountable RS815 are now available for purchase. Running DSM 5.1 (5.2 is in beta), the DS1515 features 4 Gigabit ethernet ports and a quad core, Annapurna Labs Alpine AL-314 1.4GHz CPU and 2GB ram. The RS815 runs on a Marvell Armada XP MV78230 Dual Core 1.33 GHz CPU with 1GB of ram. You can read the full press release after the break

As the title didn't give it away, Synology has released the latest beta for its DiskStation Manager this morning. DSM 5.2 hits public beta with new features like AppArmor, SMB 3 Encryption, Docker integration and more! We personally haven't had issues with previous beta releases and can't wait to try this out! Read the full press release after the break

Synology had a a bit more than the DS415+ to show off today. The beta of DSM 5.1 is also available for anyone with a compatible NAS to try out! With new features as Notes Station, updated security and more, those who do not fear beta software have something to try out! Also, the top 3 beta testers will each nab a DS214se!! Read the full PR after the break

Synology has announce the availability of it's latest 4-bay NAS, the DS415+! Running on a Quad-Core Intel Atom CPU, there is plenty of horsepower under the hood for almost anything you could possibly want to run on it. If you are also into streaming your media all over the place, then you'll be happy to know that the DS415+ supports "Group 1" video transcoding. That means, depending on your device, you'll get either original video OR remuxed video up to 720p! Doesn't mean much on Android, but on IOS or Windows Phone, you are no longer limited to what videos you can or can't stream! You can read the full PR after the break

We're big fans of Synology NAS' here at the Grotto, and today Synology announced a big refresh for a little guy! With the ability to hold 4 2.5" Hard Drives or SSD's, 2 USB 3 ports, 2 Gigabit LAN ports with failover, and running DSM 5, the DS414slim is a big box with a small footprint! Read the press release after the break!

Synology has just released a new monster for their "J" line of entry level NAS devices. The DS414j not only includes DSM 5.0, which is a huge leap over previous versions, but this 4 hard drive NAS also includes a dual core CPU and USB 3.0! At just under $400, it's not a bad deal. Read the full PR after the break!