Synology CS-407
Created in 2000, Synology is a reference for NAS on the French market. Not only was the Taiwanese company one of the first to arrive, but in addition, it has excellent products and uncommonly efficient client support. The manufacturer actually has the same software base on almost each product from the beginning. For this reason, functions developed on new models almost always benefit older NAS owners via rather regular firmware evolutions.
The last update (version 0571) which is currently only available in its beta version will thus serve the entire line from the DS-101j (more than two years old) to the CS407 tested here. And this is for the best, because there has been a major evolution. Besides numerous supplementary functions, the update will completely change the interface of NAS management. With its attractive look and JavaScript (in the end we would have to say Ajax to be entirely correct), the configuration utility is the one that has the best ergonomics of all NAS tested.
As for new functions, there is notably activation of Telnet/SSH service, FTP SSL/TLS encrypting, NFS protocol management, Playstation 3 compatibility with the multimedia server, update of various applications (MySQL 5.0.51, Photo station 3, Audio Station…), the possibility for the expansion of a Raid 5 storage of three to four drives, management of encrypted backups and HTTPS privileges, and secured SMTP servers (SSL).
Also, there is the addition of a Surveillance Station that looks very promising. This application offers to manage the IP cameras on your network by notably allowing direct recording on Raid storage. A recording planner is available while the CS407 gives access to the main parameters of IP cameras such as resolution, image rate, movement detection zone, etc. For the moment, the list of recognized cameras is rather limited and Synology announces support of Axis (207, 207W, 210, 211, 212 PTZ), Panasonic (BL-C1, BL-C111, BL-C131, BL-C20, BL-C30, BB-HCM311, BB-HCM331, BB-HCM403, BB-HCM581) and D-Link models (DCS-900).
Note that the application is still in its beta state and the manufacturer is studying the possibility of payment for the management of several cameras in the final version. We didn’t test this function due to the fact we didn’t have a compatible camera during tests.
Another specific characteristic of the Synology CS407 is that it supports USB speakers. What is the point, you may ask? So that it can play music stored in the NAS or coming from an internet radio station or even an IPod connected on the other USB port. In practice, reading is controlled via the Audio Station program accessible via a Web navigator. We then select among the indexed playlists on the system the one we want to play.
As an added bonus, Synology combines its Audio Station with a Synology Remote (an option for around 35 € taxes included). Via radio waves, you can select the file source (raid, radio, IPod), play/stop, navigate through different playlists and control the volume. It may seem like nothing, but without a remote, all of this would normally have to be done by connecting to the Audio Station interface. And this is something we would gladly avoid, for example , when quickly needing to lower to volume to answer the phone.
The remote does not enable entirely doing without the interface, because it only allows reading the playlist selected by default for each source. But it is true that without an LCD monitor on the CS407, it’s difficult to do otherwise. Also, note that the radio antenna uses a USB port and with the speakers connected to the other, it is no longer possible to plug in a hard drive or IPod.
Installation and start up
The CS407 is the only NAS in our survey which you have to open to install drives. This does not mean that the operation is complicated. After taking out the two pegs on the back, you just have to lift the cover off for access to the 3.5 inch slots. Of course, this also means that this model does not support the change of drives in hotswap ; however, unless your installation is affected by any interruption of service when changing drives, it is not a handicap.
On the other hand, it does have an effect on cooling. When all of its rivals have a face that is considerably open with drive tray systems, that of the Synology is closed with exception to a few openings on the top and bottom. For this reason, the middle drives are 4° to 5° hotter than with the Qnap, for example. Either way, overall we are still at a very reasonable level of only 31.5°.
In use
We already mentioned the excellent user interface and there is on-line help. Each service has overall essential configuration options (except Bittorent seed options!). It’s unfortunate that the new Raid storage expansion function isn’t more flexible and we would have liked to have started with one or two drives like with the TS-409 or N5200BR Pro.
Following the example of Qnap and its Station Multimedia, Synology proposes the Photo Station 3 + Video. The idea is the same where we transfer photos to a specific folder and the system takes care of creating Web pages which you can then consult. You can thus add comments, consult various Exif information, and carry out rotation, in addition to defining different access rights per user and album.
Synology’s system also manages video but it’s not as serious. We tried it out with a short Divx and besides the overly long conversion to Flash, there was a lack of fluidity. Moreover, we were disappointed that nothing was included for the playing of audio files. Finally, a rather efficient and engaging blog system is also offered.
Performance/price ratio
Performances are very good. This NAS is behind Buffalo and ahead of Qnap in writing, and it is only slightly surpassed by Qnap and the Thecus N5200BR Pro in reading. You may recall that it is equipped with a very good Marvell 5281 processor at 500 MHz and aided by 128 MB of RAM. This is similar to Qnap but with only 256 MB of RAM. Be careful you do not confuse it with the CS407e, a more economical version, equipped with a Freescale MPC8241 at 266 MHz and only 64 MB of RAM. If you do make this mistake, you will see that performances are not quite the same! We didn’t test it but Synology announces for a Raid 5 storage -34% (SMB) and -45% (FTP) in writing as well as -22% (SMB) and -32% (FTP) in reading.
Given that the CS407 has already been available for months now, it can found rather easily and in addition for the very competitive price of around 500€ (taxes included) if not for less. It therefore has the best performance/price ratio of this survey and by far. Also, there are regular and quality firmware updates with the addition of new functions almost a year after its release!
We liked :
– the quality/price ratio ;
– performances ;
– configuration interface ;
– the support of USB speakers and remote ;
– IP camera management ;
– the management of sub-titles by the media server ;
– the recent addition of new functions.
We didn’t like :
– the very limited Raid migration possibilities ;
– trays for drives ;
– no hotswap ;
– cooling isn’t optimal ;
– server PHP/MySQL performances are barely enough.
