Storing family photos, business documents, and media libraries across a pile of external drives and free cloud tiers gets messy fast. The Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS224+ offers a different arrangement: one compact metal box on your network that holds everything and answers to your phone, laptop, and TV alike.
This diskless 2-bay unit ships with 2GB of DDR4 memory, gigabit Ethernet, and support for both 3.5-inch hard drives and 2.5-inch SSDs, with a maximum capacity of 36TB across the two bays. The real draw is DiskStation Manager, Synology’s operating system, which turns the hardware into a private cloud with file sync, device backup, photo management, and surveillance recording built in. This Synology DiskStation DS224+ review looks at how those pieces hold up in daily use.
- Centralized Data Storage - Consolidate all your data for complete data ownership and multi-platform access
- Sharing and Syncing Across Systems - Access, share, and sync data across different systems and devices using intuitive controls
- Powerful Backup and Restoration - Back up and restore critical devices and data using a host of intuitive backup tools
Setup runs through a browser-based wizard, and most buyers report getting from unboxed to fully configured in about an hour. The enclosure sits near the top of Amazon’s NAS category and carries a two-year warranty.
Bottom Line
If you want centralized storage you control, without paying a monthly subscription for space you already own, the DS224+ earns its place on the shelf.
Check current availability and pricing for the Synology DS224+ on Amazon.
Overview: Synology 2-Bay DiskStation DS224+
Two drive bays, a metal chassis, and roughly 1.3 kg of desktop hardware make up the physical side of this NAS. Read speeds reach about 225 MB/s over the gigabit Ethernet connection, which saturates a standard 1GbE home or office network.
The unit arrives diskless with 2GB of DDR4 installed. Memory is expandable, and several owners add a 4GB module before first boot to give Docker containers, virtual machines, or Plex transcoding more headroom.
DSM handles the rest: user accounts, shared folders, snapshot backups, mobile apps, and surveillance camera licensing all live in one web interface. Our broader tech product reviews cover adjacent storage gear if you’re comparing options.
Who This NAS Is Best For
Small teams, home offices, and households consolidating years of scattered files are the natural audience. Photographers who shoot large RAW libraries, families archiving digitized home video, and two-to-ten-person businesses that need shared folders without a Google Workspace bill all fit the profile.
Buyers who want a single-bay unit purely for archiving can spend less; the Synology DiskStation DS223j covers that lighter end of the lineup.
Centralized Storage and Private Cloud Access
Every file lives on hardware sitting in your building, reachable from any device on the network and from outside it through Synology’s QuickConnect service. That means no per-user storage tiers and no third party holding the keys.
DSM creates shared folders with granular permissions, so a bookkeeper sees accounting files while a designer sees only project assets. Synology Drive delivers the sync-and-share experience people expect from consumer cloud services, running entirely on your box.
One owner described dropping Google Drive entirely after moving to this NAS, which is the pattern that comes up repeatedly in feedback.
How It Replaces Scattered Drives and Cloud Folders
Consolidation is the practical win. Instead of hunting through a drawer of USB enclosures, you mount one network volume and search it.
Retiring a stack of external drives also removes the failure risk of unmonitored single disks. With two drives in RAID 1 or SHR, the DS224+ survives one disk failure and emails you when something looks wrong. Guidance on reliable storage solutions applies directly here.
Cross-Platform File Sharing and Syncing
Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android clients all connect without extra licensing. SMB, AFP, NFS, and FTP protocols are supported natively, so mixed-platform offices don’t need a translation layer.
Synology Drive Client keeps selected folders mirrored to laptops, with version history retained on the NAS. Synology Photos indexes images and offers automatic phone camera upload, which several reviewers use as a replacement for paid photo cloud plans.
Media streaming works through DLNA and Plex, though one owner noted an Android TV set behaving inconsistently when discovering the NAS after a DSM update.
Working Across Computers and Mobile Devices
Mobile apps carry most of DSM’s functionality. DS File handles browsing and uploads, DS Photo covers the image library, and DS Video serves media to phones and tablets.
Access from smartphones and tablets works over local Wi-Fi and remotely. Pairing the NAS with a capable router improves that remote experience; the Synology WRX560 integrates directly with DSM services.
Backup and Recovery Tools
Active Backup for Business ships free with the DS224+ and covers Windows PCs, physical servers, VMware, and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace accounts. There are no per-seat license fees, which is unusual at this price tier.
Hyper Backup pushes copies of the NAS itself to a second Synology, an external USB drive, or a cloud provider, closing the loop on the 3-2-1 rule. Snapshot Replication captures point-in-time versions of shared folders, useful when ransomware or an accidental delete hits.
Mac users get Time Machine support over the network without extra configuration.
Protecting PCs, Files, and Important Data
Bare-metal restore is the feature worth calling out. Active Backup can rebuild an entire Windows machine to new hardware from a NAS-stored image.
File-level recovery runs through a browser: browse the backup, pick a version, restore. For anyone who has managed Windows Storage Spaces desktop RAID manually, the difference in effort is substantial.
Drive Compatibility, Capacity, and Diskless Setup
The DS224+ arrives empty, and the two bays accept 3.5-inch NAS hard drives or 2.5-inch SATA SSDs. Maximum supported capacity reaches 36TB using two 18TB drives.
Synology publishes a compatibility list, and current DSM builds show warnings for drives outside it. Third-party NAS-rated disks from Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba continue to work in practice, though checking the list before buying saves headaches.
Tool-less trays make installation quick. Most owners have drives seated and the array initializing within minutes of opening the box.
What Buyers Need to Purchase Separately
Two items belong in the same order as the NAS: drives and, for many users, a memory upgrade.
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| NAS hard drives (x2) | 3.5-inch, CMR recommended; WD Red Pro 14TB is a common pick |
| 2.5-inch SSDs (optional) | Quieter and faster, lower capacity per dollar |
| 4GB DDR4 SODIMM | Brings total memory to 6GB for Docker and Plex |
| Cat6 Ethernet cable | One gigabit port; a second is available for link aggregation |
Browsing current hard drive reviews helps size the array before you commit.
Pros and Cons
Strong software and a quiet, compact chassis define the experience; network speed and the base memory allocation are where the compromises sit.
Pros
- DSM remains the most polished NAS operating system available, with free backup and photo apps included
- Quiet operation, low power draw, and a solid metal enclosure suited to a desk or shelf
- Two-year warranty with an active knowledge base and video documentation
- Supports up to 36TB, plus SSD options for silent operation
- Setup takes roughly an hour from unboxing to working shares
Cons
- Gigabit Ethernet caps transfers around 225 MB/s; 2.5GbE models exist at similar prices
- 2GB of stock memory constrains Docker and multi-stream Plex until upgraded
- Some owners report the NAS needing a manual restart after a router reboot drops the connection
- Documentation assumes some networking familiarity, which slows first-time buyers
- Drive compatibility warnings on newer DSM versions add friction with third-party disks
Anyone weighing alternatives will want to compare the QNAP TS-264-8G, which ships with faster networking.
What Customer Reviews Reveal
Feedback skews strongly positive, with an average rating in the mid-4s across several hundred buyers and a consistent theme: the software justifies the purchase. Owners upgrading from older Synology units like the DS213j describe the speed difference as dramatic.
International reviewers echo the sentiment, praising ease of configuration and compatibility with both SSDs and high-capacity hard drives. Several buyers mention the unit arriving ahead of the promised delivery date.
Common Praise and Recurring Frustrations
Reliability, silence, and DSM’s feature depth show up in nearly every positive review. Multiple owners cite dropping paid cloud subscriptions after setting up Synology Drive.
The complaints cluster tightly. One user described a Sony Android TV intermittently failing to see the NAS after a DSM update, another reported having to manually restart the unit whenever the router reboots, and a third wished the included setup documentation went further. None of these come up often enough to suggest a systemic defect.
Conclusion
The DS224+ suits buyers who want a dependable private cloud with mature software and are content with gigabit networking. Its combination of free backup licensing, tight mobile app integration, and low noise makes it a sensible foundation for a home office or a small team’s shared storage.
Budget for two NAS-rated drives and a 4GB memory stick alongside the enclosure, and plan an evening for initial setup and the first full backup run.
View the Synology DS224+ on Amazon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Synology DS224+ worth buying for home use?
Yes, particularly for households with large photo libraries, media collections, or multiple computers needing backup. The upfront cost of the enclosure plus drives pays back against recurring cloud storage fees within a couple of years for most users.
What is the Synology DS224+ used for?
It functions as centralized network storage, a private file sync and sharing server, an automated backup target for PCs and Macs, and a media server. DSM also supports surveillance recording with camera licenses, plus Docker containers for self-hosted applications.
Does the Synology DS224+ come with hard drives?
No, the DS224+ ships diskless, so you supply the drives yourself. Both bays accept 3.5-inch hard drives or 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, and drives install into tool-less trays without a screwdriver.
Which drives are compatible with the Synology DS224+?
Synology’s official compatibility list covers its own HAT3300 and HAT5300 drives along with select third-party models. NAS-rated CMR drives from Western Digital, Seagate, and Toshiba work in practice, though recent DSM versions display compatibility warnings for unlisted models.
Can the Synology DS224+ be used as a Plex media server?
Yes, and its Intel Celeron processor handles hardware transcoding for common formats. Adding a 4GB memory module is worth doing before running Plex alongside other DSM services, since the stock 2GB fills quickly with multiple streams.
Is the Synology DS224+ suitable for a small business?
Yes, particularly for teams of roughly two to ten people that need shared folders, permission controls, and endpoint backup. Active Backup for Business includes unlimited device licensing at no extra cost, covering Windows workstations, Microsoft 365 accounts, and virtual machines.
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