Synology DiskStation DS119j 1-Bay Budget NAS Review

What is the DS119j Best Suited For?

Cross-Platform and Cross-Device File Sharing

To start with, you get the standard cross-platform file sharing. After all, that’s the whole idea behind a NAS, or Network Attached Storage. With it, you’re able to access your files on any connected device you own. Whether it’s a PC running Windows, MacOS, or Linux/Unix – or even your smart devices. TVs, gaming consoles, and other DLNA/UPnP devices will all be able to access the same files stored on your Synology NAS.

On the Go a Lot? Not a Problem!

Accessing your files when you’re on the go might be just as important as accessing them at home. Luckily, that’s no problem either. Synology’s operating system, DSM, has everything built-in that you’ll need. From a free dynamic DNS service to support for mobile companion apps.

Synology’s DDNS service allows you to connect home with an easy-to-remember address, a simple but necessary feature. Most people have a dynamic IP address these days which means that it’ll change on occasion. A normal URL which you define yourself is also easier to remember than an IP. So that’s a double win. There are companion apps available for all three major mobile OS systems: Android, iOS, and Windows Mobile. The most complete solution on the market.

What Can I Use All This For?

The connection isn’t just one-way, naturally. Sure, you can stream all your videos, view your photos, play your music, and browse all your files – from any connected device capable of it. While that’s cool, there’s so much more that you can use it for.

You can sync all your snapshots directly from your phone or tablet to the NAS. Not only does this give you a backup for your files, it also helps you free up space on your mobile device. The synchronisation isn’t just limited to mobile devices, just to be clear. You can also automatically sync and backup your files from your PCs to it with ease.

Security and Encryption

These days, security is more important than ever. There are a lot of threats out there to which you can be vulnerable when you connect to the internet. Malicious attacks and ransomware can disrupt access or even destroy your files.

Synology comes with military-grade Shared Folder encryption which is a great layer of security. The DS119j also comes with a hardware encryption engine which helps this process a lot. You’ll get nearly the same performance from encrypted shares as you will from non-encrypted. So there’s no reason not to protect your important files.

The basic security features aren’t very basic either. In fact, they’re quite comprehensive. Account protection is basic but important. It can block untrusted clients with too many failed login attempts which reduces the risk of brute-force attacks. The firewall can control which specific devices are allowed to access your device. It even works with geo-location to block out specific countries or just allow those you know will access it. Why leave it open to an area from where you’ll never connect to the device from?

Built-in Office Suite and Drive Solution

One of the coolest features on any Synology NAS is the built-in collaboration and drive features. You get a complete Drive solution, just like the one you know from Google. The difference is, you have control over your own files and they’re only stored on your local NAS.

This includes document and spreadsheet functionality with everything you could want from those. You can collaborate with your colleagues with ease, eliminating the risk of double the workload. You can even talk to each other in real-time through the built-in chat client. That’s awesome.

Files and documents can easily be shared with anyone you wish to share them with. You can share with just specific people, everyone who has the link, and even set a time-out on the links availability.

Surveillance Station

The DS119j that I’m testing today is quite simple and as such, probably not the one you’d pick as a base for your surveillance station. That said, you still can. The Surveillance app allows you to hook up your IP and webcams and create a physical surveillance setup of your office or premises in general.