Synology DS418j Budget-Friendly 4-Bay NAS Review




/ 7 years ago

« Previous Page

Next Page »

Initialisation and First GUI View


There are multiple ways to get started with your new Synology NAS and the QuickStart Guide will help you with them. You can easily use your mobile phone, or as I prefer it, with the Synology Assistant desktop application. But you don’t need it, and you don’t need to have a PC either to get started.

Initialisation

Synology Assistant is a small but useful tool. It will quickly find any Synology device on your network for easy management. You can map network drives, set up the Wake-On-LAN feature, or simply connect to the device’s user interface. Uninitialised devices found will automatically be opened in your default browser.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init finder

The initial page will help you identify the NAS you’re connected to. You might set up several devices at the same time and want to make sure you’re connected to the right one. It will be shown with a photo as well as device details.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 0

DSM Installation

The first step in the setup is to install the operating system. This can be done automatically by clicking Install now or manually in case you want to flash a specific version.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 1

The page says it can take up to 10 minutes, but it should be a lot faster in most situations. Since the OS file is downloaded, the speed will be partially dependant on your internet connection. If you got a really bad connection, it might be wise to download the file manually to flash it from a local source.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 2

NAS Details

All the NAS’ information will be set by a single page. You need to give your new NAS a name, define an admin user, and a password.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 3

That’s all there is to it, or at least almost.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 4

NAS Behaviour

You can specify how your NAS should handle available updates and installed drives.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 5

You can quickly connect it to an existing Synology QuickConnect account or create a new and free one. This will help you create easy connections from your mobile devices, no matter where you’re located.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 6

Default Apps

The last step is optional but recommended. It will install the seven most common features to the NAS, making it ready for use as soon as we’re done.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 7

And that’s it folks, your brand new Synology NAS is now up and running.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 8

Welcome to the Graphic User Interface

The first time we enter the user interface, we’re presented with a small tour around the various features. It’s only a few clicks and it is helpful for users new to Synology devices.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 9

After the initial tour, the help file opens. You can prevent this from happening the next time you log in by setting a mark in the checkbox. The help file is very comprehensive and it can be opened manually at any time.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 10

Synology Disk Station Manager (DSM)

Synology’s Disk Station Manager, or DSM for short, has come a really long way. It’s a highly stable and expandable system. The desktop inferface is easy to use as it works more or less the same way your desktop does. You have a task bar, a start menu, notifications, and shortcuts to main features at a glance. There are overlay widgets for system information and the desktop icons also feature overlay icons for notifications. More shortcuts can easily be dragged to the desktop for quick access.

Synology DS418j SS00 Init 11

More of the User Interface

This was just the initialisation and a first view on the NAS. We got a brand new dedicated page for a complete view of the OS and its features. Instead of showing you the same again and again in every review, more or less, we now have a general OS article for every NAS brand we review. That will save a lot of time on the creation of each NAS review which in return allows us to bring you more quality content, more reviews, and more unique articles.

You can check out our view on Synology’s Disk Station Manager by clicking here.

« Previous Page

Next Page »


Topics: , ,

Support eTeknix.com

By supporting eTeknix, you help us grow and continue to bring you the latest newsreviews, and competitions. Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest technology news, reviews and more. Share your favourite articles, chat with the team and more. Also check out eTeknix YouTube, where you'll find our latest video reviews, event coverage and features in 4K!

Looking for more exciting features on the latest technology? Check out our What We Know So Far section or our Fun Reads for some interesting original features.

eTeknix Facebook eTeknix Twitter eTeknix Instagram eTeknix Instagram
  • Be Social With eTeknix

    Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Reddit RSS Discord Patreon TikTok Twitch
  • Features


Send this to a friend
})