Product Comparison: Synology DS216play vs QNAP TS-251

Advertiser Disclosure

This site is a free online resource that strives to offer helpful content and comparison features to its visitors. Please be advised that the operator of this site accepts advertising compensation from certain companies that appear on the site, and such compensation impacts the location and order in which the companies (and/or their products) are presented, and in some cases may also impact the scoring that is assigned to them. The scoring that appears on this site is determined by the site operator in its sole discretion, and should NOT be relied upon for accuracy purposes. In fact, Company/product listings on this page DO NOT imply endorsement by the site operator. Except as expressly set forth in our Terms of Use, all representations and warranties regarding the information presented on this page are disclaimed. The information which appears on this site is subject to change at any time. More info

Best Pick

Synology DS216play Disk Station 2-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage

Check Price

QNAP TS-251 2-Bay Personal Cloud NAS

Check Price

General Specifications

Brand

Synology

QNAP

Model

DS216play

TS-251

Origin

Taiwan

About the Product

4K H.265 transcoding ready for multimedia enthusiasts. DS216play is designed for video streaming in addition to fast data transfer and backup tasks from your devices. Efficient hardware paired with sound dampening design allows fits perfectly anywhere.

The TS-251 provides a high performance & high capacity storage solution for SOHO & home, workgroup, and SMB users. Powered by the advanced QTS operating system, the TS-251 performs as an easy-to-use yet powerful NAS for data backup, file synchronization, remote access, home entertainment, and is ideal for users to build a personal cloud to access their data easily.

Key Specs

Hard Drive Capacity

24 TB

Number Of Slots

2 -bay

Storage Drive Type

3.5”, 2.5”, SSD, SATA 6Gb/s

3.5”, 2.5”, SSD, SATA 6Gb/s, SATA 3Gb/s

Hard Drive Capacity
Number Of Slots

What customers say about "Key Specs"

Synology DS216play Disk Station 2-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage

First time NAS user here; really impressed with this device. It was easy to physically install my 2xWD Red 6TB drives. The set-up and connection to my network was straight forward
I purchase this Synology DS216Play with the sole purpose of making it the media server for my home entertainment center as well as iPads, iPhones, Windows PC and laptops this is not going to be a "mission critical" server, there will not be data backups on it
The unit was easy to insert drive and update the modules. For my simple uses it works fine. My use is to have NAS for my house for files and a few movies.
Could have used a bit more user-friendly instructions that detailed the various ways one can set it up. But once I figured out how to make use of the variety of options on backing up documents, etc., it has worked out just as I had hoped.
It did take all day to unravel the process, so I don't recommend it for people lacking patience or some skill working with backup services.
After two weeks of exploring this machine and communicating with Synology Support, I still have no clear idea what the iTunes Server actually does.

QNAP TS-251 2-Bay Personal Cloud NAS

The operating system was a bit of a challenge to learn, and I am still exploring the features and applications that this drive brings to the table. So far, I am using it as a network drive, with file sharing between the two of us who live here.
I installed two 4 TB Seagate NAS rated hard drives, and set them up as a RAID 1, so that I have redundant storage in the event of a drive failure.
Easy to setup. Even getting the bonding interfaces is super simple. Nice Web UI. You also get the most usual options for RAID or setup you may want.
Don't get me wrong the QNAP is outstanding in its class and price point, the only mandatory upgrade is 8GB RAM if you plan to stream or transcode.
The only downside is that this machine needs more than the 1 GB ram that it comes with
VERY IMPORTANT!!!: I bought the one with 1GB and no disks. And bought a couple of 4GB Crucial, they worked like a charm but in order to install the second stick you have to break a small sticker that voids the warranty.
This is not a con if you only want the NAS. But remember that the CPU here is pretty anemic and stuff like Plex transcoding might be too much for it.

Size & Weight

Color

Black

White

Height

6.5 in.

6.65 in.

Width

3.94 in.

4.02 in.

Depth

8.86 in.

8.62 in.

Weight

1.9 lbs.

2.82 lbs.

Features

CPU

STM STiH412

Intel® Celeron® 2.41GHz dual-core processor (burst up to 2.58GHz)

RAM

1 GB

RAID Support

Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD

RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, JBOD

Extras

H.265 Transcoding ready, personal cloud solution, Multimedia powerhouse, Disk mirroring for redundancy, Easy file access with QuickConnect, Powered by Synology DSM

QTS - Simple and efficient, Qsirch – A smarter, faster way to search, Easily build your personal cloud and access anywhere, Real-time & offline HD video transcoding, Stream media via DLNA, AirPlay, Chromecast and Plex, Extend the functionality of the TS-251 with Virtualization, Cross-platform file sharing, centralized data storage, Well-rounded backup solutions to secure data, Disaster recovery solutions bring peace of mind, Archive your photo memories. Share your life., Build your home music library and enjoy music anywhere, 24/7 download center, Dropbox-like file synchronization across computers and mobile devices, Comprehensive surveillance solution providing 24/7 security, Signage Station - Creatively present your animated content, Access, use, sync and enjoy with your tablets and smartphones, A private space for work & sharing, Install-on-demand apps to extend NAS functionality, LED indicators with adjustable brightness controls, Economical storage expansion with scale-up solution, Energy-saving, NAS management can be just that easy.

Included Software

Synology Web Assistant, Synology Assistant, Cloud Station, Photo Station Uploader, Evidence Integrity Authenticator

QTS (Linux for Build-in System), Transmission, Joomla!, phpMyAdmin, WordPress, AjaXplorer, vtigerCRM, eyeOS, Magento, GLPI, QUSBCam, Tomcat, Mono, XDove, OpenLDAP, Optware IPKG, Python, Java, iStat

What customers say about "Features"

Synology DS216play Disk Station 2-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage

I started by transferring all my movies (about 2TB); took about 10 hours total. I then installed the Plex Media Server application and sync'd all the movies... again, easy. Hooked up to Plex on my Xbox One and watched a movie. EASY.
Like I said, I'm really impressed with this device. The software is intuitive and easy to use. Set-up was a breeze.
The unit has many apps that are updated by OEM. I am using a quarter of whats available.
I also connected to Plex with my bedroom Roku 2. Unfortunately, wireless streaming a Blu-ray movie wasn't happening. I'll probably upgrade the Roku and give it another go, otherwise I'll probably have to run a new network cable to get both rooms connected to Plex.
Even though this unit comes with an advertised "iTunes Server", it does not overcome the copyright protection built into iTunes movies.

QNAP TS-251 2-Bay Personal Cloud NAS

We are also sharing pictures, movies, and music on the drive. I also have some Web cameras mounted around the house that are connected to the NAS acting as security cameras.
There are hundreds of Applications that you can choose from that allow this NAS to do a large number of tasks. I am still investigating them.
Runs very quiet. Nice selection of applications. Clients, servers, etc. To add a little bit to the basic NAS. Backup to other places.
Kodi works very well. I've seen 1080p movies without a hitch. Gets updates fairly regularly although I get that probably most of them are for new products.
The best part about this device, aside from the stability, is the user interface which has an equally user friendly on desktop as mobile platforms. It integrates with iPhone syncing so you can use it like a mirror to iTunes or just as a backup for the media on your phones.
Buy a version with more than 1GB of RAM otherwise you will be constrained as soon as you get happy about apps, specially if something uses Java.
I'm disappointed with the speed and power of the OS. It gets the job done for me (I just needed a nas/archive storage) but I couldn't imagine using all the "built in" features because I feel like they would be painfully slow interfaces to us

Interfaces

LAN Speed

1000 Mbps

Number of LAN

Number of USB

eSATA

HDMI

Yes

What customers say about "Interfaces"

Synology DS216play Disk Station 2-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage

I really can't think of a single bad thing to say about my experience so far. If you're looking for a NAS I highly recommend you give a serious consideration to Synology's products.
So, along with this DS216Play I purchased a couple of 4 TB Western Digital red insert into its 2 internal bays. The hardware installation couldn't be any simpler
This unit has faster processor than my first unit and I ill try trans-coding on this one to see what that's all about. Second I am curious about using old NAS backup to my 2nd NAS.
On the other hand, it does stream my iTunes music collection to the OPPO. My collection is recorded as ALAC files and although the OPPO said it could handle these file, in the past using PLEX, it read them as video files instead of audio files.
This works, but if I could back in time and undo this decision I would. For my needs I should have just stuck with the standard USB External drive.

QNAP TS-251 2-Bay Personal Cloud NAS

The QNAP 251 is a great NAS. It was easy to install, and easy to setup as a mapped network drive.
I plugged both of the network cables into the router. I recommend this for faster network speeds.
I have a couple of Macs along with PCs. It was fairly easy to setup Time Machine. Disk encryption. Nice selection of apps from QNAP for IOS and Android.
The unit supports all common RAID configurations and is apparently scalable if you want to add a second, third or more units.
The device also doubles as a home of or HD media server via the USB and HDMI cable. I don't really have the utility for that but it's a great option for some given the form factor.
The trays are plastic with screws so don't think about changing disks a lot, I do not believe they will hold much. On the other side, I believe it is expected at this price point.
I love the idea of the qnap os and offerings. Seems sluggish when overtaxing it like when first populating the drive with data. Sometimes we admin interface is not coming up.

Warranty / Certifications

Manufacturer Warranty

2 year(s)

Certifications

CE, FCC, BSMI

EAC, FCC, CE, NOM

Other Information

Manufacturer

Link

link

Manual

Download