Synology makes some ofthe best network-attached storage (NAS) devices, but they often require quite a lot of technical know-how to set up and operate. That’s a hurdle for home users and freelancers who want something uncomplicated for basic stuff like safekeeping family photos or frequently accessing work files. Synology has worked out a solution for such users in the form of the BeeStation, which is much less involved than a typical NAS.
While Synology has made it fairly effortless to use its NAS enclosures with an OS that looks familiar to Windows and Linux users, it still requires a learning curve with so much technical information thrown at you. The company wants to make things easier for first-time NAS users and, at the same time, compete with packaged network storage products, like those offered by Western Digital. That’s the reason the BeeStatione exists.
The new BeeStation is an all-in-one NAS unit with storage built in, which means you don’t need to buy and slot in a hard drive separately. This simplicity extends to the rear as well, where you’ll find a 1GbE networking port to connect the NAS to your router, a USB Type-A port, a USB Type-C port, and a power connector. All this minimalism makes the BeeStation a pretty compact and lightweight unit that is made to be kept on your desk and easily moved around whenever needed.
On the inside, you’ll find a basic quad-core Realtek RTD1619B processor paired with 1GB of RAM to run everything. The configuration is similar to what Synology offers on its DiskStation DS124, but the new BeeStation differs from the DiskStation lineup in one key area: software.
Synology has launched the BeeStation with an all-new lightweight OS called BeeStation Manager (BSM), which is a far cry from DiskStation Manager (DSM) that powers its full-fledged NAS models. BSM is a straightforward OS that is designed specifically for people who want something as easy as Google Drive, and that’s exactly the kind of users Synology is targeting with the BeeStation.
BSM has only two apps (with no app store to download more): BeePhotos and BeeFiles. The former lets you back up your photos and videos from your phonejust like you do with Google Photosand comes loaded with smart features like auto-categorization by face. Meanwhile, BeeFiles isa replacement for Google Drive(even the UI looks inspired by it), helping you store all kinds of files on your own server, backup stuff from your computer and external drives, and even sync your existing cloud services likeMicrosoft OneDriveand Dropbox. BeeFiles also lets you send files to others using shareable links,just like you do on Google Drive.
The Synology BeeStation will be available in a single 4TB storage capacity, which should be good enough for home users to back up family photos and videos and even freelancers who want something faster and reliable to access their files without relying on a cloud service. The BeeStation will go on sale in the US on March 6th for a price of $200 for 4TB of storage, making it cheaper than the Synology portable SSD —the BeeDrive— that we earlier checked out for the same storage size.
Synology BeeStation
The Synology BeeStation is a nice middle ground for anyone looking to add a central storage system to their home to back up family photos and videos. The best part is that, unlike a conventional NAS that can get complicated to use, the BeeStation is as simple as it gets and for a price that is quite affordable.
