Network Attached Storage (NAS): Looking for a Replacement, Recommendations

LurvinOZB on 04/09/2019 - 14:04
Last edited 04/09/2019 - 15:08 by 1 other user

Powered down my DS1515+ before going on a short trip of 4 nights and upon returning, the Synology NAS couldnt power up. Purchased 2015 so its currently out of warranty (4 years).

  1. Is it the trend that NAS should have a life expectancy of 4 years? What's your mileage like?
  2. Dont like Synology support. Basically told me if its defective and out of warranty, I'm out of luck

So I have everything sync to my G-Drive so at least all my data are intact. Even though I now have a useless IT brick and 5 pieces of good HDDs.

Am thinking of:

A. Get a 10tb external single HDD and just hook it up to my PC and sync from there. Probably gonna cost less than $400.
B. Get another 5 bay NAS. Could choose between Synology or another brand but whats your take on other 5 bays brand?

Ta

Computing NAS

Comments

  • stratbargain on 04/09/2019 - 14:15
    +1

    https://www.synology.com/en-us/company/news/article/Synology…

    Probably an issue with the Intel CPU. They did acknowledge and extend the warranty but four years maybe a bit long. But I'd keep complaining and see what happens

    https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1423089

    EDIT: Warranty should be 3 years + 1. (4 years). So double check your invoice and get back onto Synology - https://www.synology.com/en-au/products/status

    • LurvinOZB on 04/09/2019 - 16:10

      April the 9th, 2015 <— purchase date! Bugger!

  • JimmyF on 04/09/2019 - 14:29
    +1

    Powered down my DS1515+ before going on a short trip of 4 nights and upon returning, the Synology NAS couldnt power up

    Google, synology ds1515+ resistor fix

    This unit has a intel CPU with the ATOM 'bug' that is fixed with a 1 cent part

    • LurvinOZB on 04/09/2019 - 16:25

      question is how do we know if our unit is affected?

      i am contemplating on a $149 Synology 250w PSU replacement until I saw your post.

      am bewildered at why of all times, when I power the unit down, only did the "bug" affect the unit (if its really the bug issue).

      am waiting for Synology to revert back with their local repair centre.

      • navjay on 04/09/2019 - 17:24

        From memory, the 2015 models (415, 1515, etc) are the ones affected and the resistor fix is more of a preventative measure to prevent cpu damage, however some have had luck with reviving dead NAS' with the fix.

        • JimmyF on 04/09/2019 - 19:32

          the resistor fix is more of a preventative measure to prevent cpu damage,

          Your memory would be wrong then.

          The issue is the ATOM CPU design had a under sized resistor built into the silcon that 'burns' out over time way too early, stopping the CPU from booting up.

          The 'fix' is to replace that resistor upstream before the CPU :)

      • JimmyF on 04/09/2019 - 19:30

        question is how do we know if our unit is affected?

        If your unit has a intel/ATOM CPU it has the issue. Hint the DS1515+ only shipped with the Intel CPU

  • CyberMurning on 04/09/2019 - 14:40

    wow i didnt know about that bug.

    btw, i have DS 1511+ (yes production year was end of 2010)
    still working fine. Turned on for like 12-15 hours per day, every day.

  • carnyturbo on 04/09/2019 - 14:40

    You could go half way between A and B and get something like the Orico 9558U3-BK 5-Bay HDD Enclosure. I have one plugged into my server and it has been great. Not NAS without a computer for it to plug into, but you could get creative with how cheap a computer could run it as a NAS (raspberry pi or spark photon or similar?).

    • CyberMurning on 04/09/2019 - 14:41

      if get another synology he can just plug in all the hdd and all back to normal

      • dan0909 on 04/09/2019 - 15:15

        True. things could be back to the way they were in terms of software & data IF you follow exact instructions after buying a new 5 bay Synology NAS.

        • CyberMurning on 04/09/2019 - 15:18

          btw, my NAS was second hand. i guess i am lucky to get it in almost brand new, and served me for 8 years)
          i was considering qnap and synology at that time.
          the good with qnap is they have usb ports in the front. mine are at the back, but new synology follow qnap setup

  • navjay on 04/09/2019 - 15:26

    I have a Synology and am looking to upgrade. I've found buying a used Synology (~2014 onwards) would probably be the best for a basic NAS, but I've decided to build my own NAS/streaming PC. A new Synology 4-bay NAS without drives would be around $400, and building a cheap barebones NAS PC would be around $200 without drives (micro atx tower case + cheap celeron/atom integrated motherboard). I'm opting for something slightly more powerful that I can use for some VMs as well for around $500 all up without drives (Ryzen APU, mini-itx case).

    EDIT: For your case, a 5-bay NAS is harder to find, but a micro ATX/tower case would easily hold many drives. Worst case you might need a RAID card to connect more drives to your motherboard.

    • LurvinOZB on 04/09/2019 - 16:20

      actually u got a good point. I got this pc last Dec post and upgraded a few parts. I guess for tech noobs like myself, Synology's user interface takes out all the guesswork on updating, streaming plex and transferring files etc. sorta in a way "it just works" type of functionality. wonder how hard is it to operate with an actual PC NAS.

      any idea where can i got some reference on building a PC NAS?

        • navjay on 04/09/2019 - 17:22

          Seems good, but I reckon you can find cheaper integrated motherboards that can run a basic NAS, and possibly also a cheaper case. From my own research, I'd recommend against going with a mini-itx case if size isn't an issue as you pay a premium for those motherboards.

      • navjay on 04/09/2019 - 17:18

        I love the Synology DSM interface as well - especially the photo station app which can automatically upload photos and video from my family's phone to the NAS. I'm thinking of running Xpenology (Synology DSM for third-party hardware) in a VM to keep using the interface.

        That PC would definitely work as a NAS running Xpenology in a VM if you have enough SATA ports and drive bays, however it might be a little power hungry. As far as I know, the downsides is some set-up time and maybe some tinkering, and resorting to an older version of DSM (I think the latest versions have 6.1, and 5.x has been tried and tested for a while).

        As for building a PC NAS, I found that there isn't a great one-stop shop for info, but my best sources are the NAS-Killer builds (search on google) as well as searching for completed builds on au.pcpartpicker.com (can pick a certain component, eg integrated motherboard and then search for all builds completed using that part).

  • KitchenSink on 04/09/2019 - 18:46

    I have a Synology DS411. Bought back in 2011 and still going. Had a few HDDs die. Its survived multiple power outages and still works.

    Mind you its kinda sluggish but works fine for file storage which is what I mostly use.

    • CyberMurning on 04/09/2019 - 19:29

      The biggest issue for me with my 2011 model is USB 2 only not 3. Imagine if you need to transfer TBs of big files

      • KitchenSink on 04/09/2019 - 20:03

        Yeah I just use the network connection. Don't really bother with the USB2.

  • askme69 on 04/09/2019 - 19:59

    I have a ds413j, it has never been turned off in the 8+ years i have had it.

    Why do you turn your NAS off?

    PS: I have had a DLink, Cisco, Netgear prior to the Synology and they all lasted about 1 year each. They were crap.

    • CyberMurning on 04/09/2019 - 20:02

      I set mine to be off between midnight and 11am, because I sleep or don't use nas during that time….

      • Ryanek on 04/09/2019 - 20:56

        That's the best time to download torrents!

        • CyberMurning on 05/09/2019 - 10:36

          well if everyone think the same then it is not anymore haha….

    • LurvinOZB on 05/09/2019 - 10:27

      My house main power supply trips whenever there is a heavy rain pour. Didnt want to risk screwing the HDDs with a power trip during my absence, little did I know the unit packed it in after powering down

  • LurvinOZB on 06/09/2019 - 08:05

    Well after numerous back and forth with Synology support and unanswered email from KS Computer (Futu) asking for help and RMA, there seems to be no hope out of getting a replacement.

    Online retailer where I bought the unit off didn't even bother replying to my email. Synology is adamant there is no way to verify if it's the CPU fault, and because it's out of warranty for a couple of months, they won't touch it. There goes over $1,000 worth of brick that I could use for only 4 years.

    Never again Synology, Futu, Kai Seng Computer …

  • LurvinOZB on 11/09/2019 - 08:41

    Update~

    Synology gotta back after a series of continued back and forth …

    Basically I requested for RMA consideration based on:

    1. Synology self-admission to the CPU fault and provision of the additional 1 year warranty due to that issue
    2. Consumer guarantees law that the product which cost over $1,000 dollars should be "of acceptable quality", and "safe, lasting, with no faults", and should reasonably be expected to last longer than 4 years of usage
    3. Goodwill

    Synology's dick move reply after first denial and subsequent consultation with their management:

    A. I have to post it back to Taiwan or via my retailer (Kai Seng Computer)
    B. They will only repair if its due to CPU fault, otherwise, I will have to pay for anything else
    C. Must prepay USD$150 return postage

    Seeing that Kai Seng Computer (KS) didnt even bother to reply me and offer any form of assistance, and the cost of the return postage coming in at a whopping USD$150 for the 5 bay NAS, I'm effectively left with a $1.2k brick with 5 HDDs worth of data. Synology at first denied all responsibility, after which I pointed out the ACL obligation, came up with the dick move of wanting US$150 for the return postage and only the repair of the CPU if its deemed faulty. A global manufacturer (yep) doing cents and dimes with a customer who is currently on a 2nd Synology NAS (both of which are 4 and 5 bays product line), taking the hardline of only CPU repair if it is the case (which I gather its impossible to know what exact fault it is except to take the word of their tech diagnosis) or pay hundreds for any other issues even though those parts cost minimal since they are manufacturer and not giving consideration that upon paying the US$150 "postage" fee, they still want to charge and charge. Seriously … worst manufacturer I came across in a long time.

    To close for future reference~
    - Wouldnt consider Synology for the third NAS. The typical overseas manufacturer who wouldnt give two crap once ya out of warranty. Belkin, on the other hand, came up good with multiple of their RMAs (even without of warranty UPS))
    - Will be building my own cheap PC NAS (cheaper and easier to repair if needed down the road). Common sense approach I guess not to be held hostage like in the case of Synology, cheaper to build my own, and swappable parts if shit hits the fan. The harder task would be to watch a couple of Youtubes on how to build one and finding an OS/ feature to share the files
    - Wont be buying from Kai Seng Computer (yes they might be a FEW DOLLARS cheaper during those run of the mill eBay sales but to be honest, I rather pay an extra few dollars to other retailers for support)

  • CyberMurning on 11/09/2019 - 08:55

    Hmm thanks. I think I will follow you, my next Nas would be custom made. It's more fun building it anyway and cheaper. I don't know what came to my mind 7 years ago to made me paid $500 for an empty second hand nas….

    • LurvinOZB on 11/09/2019 - 11:38

      My first NAS was a Netgear 4 bay, packed it in after the replacement went flat line after 2 years. Since the original and replacement had a combined lifespan of 5 years, I guess the ROI is justifiable.

      Second 4 bay was from Synology, still working but just can't assess on updated OS due to some security settings. Can only access from my old laptop.

      This third one was the most expensive coming in at over $1k but became a paperweight just after 4 years 4 months of use.

      The sour after taste was really the behaviour of a global multinational manufacturer who tried to shaft all responsibility at the first 5 support responses, and did a dick move by providing a half arse RMA after being given the terms of ACL. I mean … If I am willing to shell USD$150 to cover my return "postage", pay for outbound postage which is probably another AUD$40-50, why would a big company like Synology do a half arse RMA and tell me they would only do the CPU repair (which in articles online is a fix which literally cost less than a dollar) and everything else is chargeable. I couldn't determine if it's the CPU fault, or if it's the power supply. If I spend $140+ to get a PSU and it came back to the CPU fault, I'm potentially out of pocket even further. If Synology technician determine its the PSU fault and wants another USD$ripyouoffamount and if I don't pay up, there goes my outbound postage plus their so-called USD$150 "return postage cost".

      Man … It's silly. Belkin gave superb after sales service even for out of warranty items. TP Link gave network support for their products, even after 4 years of usage. Synology manufacturing cost for the PSU or the CPU fix cost much much less and yet, the customer service supervisor who reviewed my case gave such a disheartening response. I guess it's fair to say Synology won in this round, but also lost. They won by being a jerk, and lost by being so short sighted as I would continue to purchase their products if the outcome was different.

      I guess I can continue to waste effort in pushing based on the ACL provision that it's not unreasonable to expect a product which cost upwards of over $1k be of a quality product that would last beyond a 5 year mark, but this is getting absurd with each and every reply rough their support ticket.

      /Rant over …

      Back in the days, NAS wasn't cheap. $500 could be a good deal.

      • LurvinOZB on 11/09/2019 - 11:46

        I think between Synology and Belkin, Synology does not have a registered office here in Australia and communication was direct from their Taiwanese main office, whereas my past dealings with Belkin was direct through their QLD office. IMO an important point of distinction and something I would consider and place emphasis on if I want to invest and pay for expensive products.

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