The Synology DS209 is a complete home server alternative. It offers all the applications that you would find in a Microsoft's WHS. During my time with the unit, I found myself playing with the various applications and each time I found myself amazed at what the unit can do. Mated with two large drives, you can store a world of audio and video on the unit and access if from anywhere in the house, whether its to a PC or to a TV set. This is definitely a must have if you a collector of digital media like DVD and Blu-Ray discs. You can rip your own media to the unit and never have to worry about searching through shelves of DVD holders looking for the next movie to play.
If you run a small office and need a medium to serve as a file, print or mail server look on farther than the DS209. The unit comes with all the applications to handle the mentioned tasks. And what makes this unit more attractive than others is its ease to setup. Even the greenest novice can setup the unit using its simple to read guides. Are you a web developer? You are also in luck as the DS209 can be assigned the task of being a web host as well. And if you have never set up a web site before than you can use one of the many CMS application accessible to the DS209.
We can go on and on about all the features of the DS209, but it would probably take multiple reviews. If you are in the market for such an item, this is a good place to start. We have seen hard drives in the 1TB range go for less than $60 lately. Two of these with the purchase of a $300 DS209 will add to a very good NAS system for $420. Yes, this is more expensive than some of the other NAS devices on the market. But you can not compare the DS209 to cheap NAS enclosures that you on store shelves. The DS209 comes with a built-in CPU and system ram that helps with network latency and helps to control data access and speeds.
And I am sure the cheap NAS enclosures you see will not have all the features of the DS209 including print server, USB Copy, web hosting, media server, security DVR, back up and the many other features it offers. This is an Editor's Choice item without a doubt.
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