# CONTEST ALERT - Synology-Digit NAS Review Contest - Win NAS units and HDDs



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


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## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


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## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


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## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


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## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


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## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


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## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


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## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


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## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


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## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


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## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


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## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


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## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


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## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


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## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


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## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


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## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


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## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


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## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


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## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


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## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


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## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


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## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


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## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


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## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


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## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


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## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


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## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


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## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


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## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


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## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


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## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


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## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


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## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


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## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


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## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


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## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


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## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


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## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


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## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


----------



## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


----------



## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


----------



## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


----------



## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


----------



## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


----------



## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


----------



## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


----------



## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


----------



## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


----------



## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


----------



## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


----------



## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


----------



## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


----------



## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


----------



## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


----------



## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


----------



## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


----------



## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


----------



## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


----------



## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


----------



## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


----------



## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


----------



## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


----------



## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


----------



## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


----------



## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


----------



## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


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## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


----------



## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


----------



## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


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## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


----------



## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


----------



## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


----------



## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


----------



## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


----------



## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


----------



## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


----------



## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


----------



## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


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## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


----------



## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


----------



## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


----------



## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


----------



## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


----------



## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


----------



## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


----------



## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


----------



## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


----------



## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


----------



## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


----------



## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


----------



## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


----------



## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


----------



## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


----------



## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


----------



## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


----------



## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


----------



## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


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## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


----------



## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


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## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


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## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


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## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


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## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


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## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


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## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


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## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


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## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


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## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


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## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


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## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


----------



## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


----------



## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


----------



## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


----------



## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


----------



## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


----------



## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


----------



## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


----------



## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


----------



## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


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## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


----------



## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


----------



## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


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## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


----------



## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

*Reviews*

IMCJ
whitestar_999
Aestivial
Vyom
Nerevarine
Cool Buddy
Rumbamon19
sygeek
Dragonoid

*Entries are closed. *

*WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*​
Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?

Why not simply take part in these two contests to get a free Synology NAS!

Note: this is Contest #1, click here to go to contest 2
*CONTEST #1*​Prizes​
5x Synology DS120j NAS (hard drives included)
5x Synology DS220+ NAS (hard drives included)
Details and timeline​
Applications open on - 4th April, 2021
Head over to - What is NAS?
Based on the above link, answer 2 questions on this thread to participate:
What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


Fill the Google form -  Synology NAS reviews - The Digit Forum
Applications close by - 21st April, 2021
10 participants will be selected and given Synology NAS units + HDDs - 23rd April, 2021
Selected participants will get to use the Synology NAS for 3 weeks and check out all the features
Selected participants have to review the NAS and share their experiences in this section* at the end of 3 weeks i.e. by 14th May, 2021
Selected participants get to keep the Synology NAS units + HDDs
Terms and Conditions​
Contest runs from April 2nd, 2021 to April 21st, 2021
This contest is sponsored by Synology and run by Digit.
Contest is open to all Indian Citizens above the age of 18 as of April 2nd, 2021.
Terms and conditions, and timelines are subject to change.
You must have an account on the Digit Geek forums in order to participate in this contest.
Only one application per household will be accepted.
Selected contestants will get to permanently keep the NAS unit along with the hard drives that they have been given as long as all terms and conditions are adhered to.
Forum rules are final and applicable to all interactions during the contest.
Digit and its parent company, 9.9 Group Pvt. Ltd. reserves the right to restrict entry.
*If all of this seems like too much trouble, then just head over to the simpler contest to get a chance of winning some Synology gear and goodies, **Contest #2*

*Changes: *
* This has been changed to another thread in the same section from a post in this thread on 05/04/21

Contest has been split into two threads. Responses to the second contest have to be in that thread. 14/04/21
All deadlines have been extended by one week. 14/04/21


----------



## Desmond (Apr 5, 2021)

You should also share this thread to the official Digit group.


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## Anorion (Apr 5, 2021)

I will in about 5 hours


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## sygeek (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
I have a couple of use cases I'd like to solve with a NAS:

The most common: shared storage for all my devices. No more shuffling around external HDDs, or using cloud providers (for non-essential data) to sync devices. I switch around plenty among my devices, and having a NAS will be a lifesaver. Currently, I use my desktop for this purpose and it is a NIGHTMARE.
Common encrypted repository for all important files and documents which is often required by my family.
Similarly, a Google photos alternative. The service is going to be paid in a few months and I'd like to self-host an alternative solution that my entire family can use.
Dump all my movies and shows, instead of deleting them due to storage/logistic constraints.
As a local Plex server (no transcoding).
Look to install various lightweight self-hosted software, which are currently running on a VPS.
Configure the NAS with my old phones for a homegrown surveillance setup.

*What application(s) you’d like to review?*

Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Share and collect files in a breeze
Your own unique use case


----------



## desiibond (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> I will in about 5 hours


Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


----------



## Æsoteric Positron (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The automatic backup is one of the features of synology that would prove a significant quality of life improvement. This would eliminate all the tension of loosing important documents and dear photos. Since synology also have redundancy the fear of loosing the backup itself would be non-existant. It would provide absolute peace of mind knowing that every important moment of your life is automatically backed up. Just the thought of never managing and doing your backups manually again is kind of rebellious against traditional backups.



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


DS120j NAS  itself. Its cheap and seems go to as the first NAS device.


----------



## Nerevarine (Apr 5, 2021)

*What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*
Multiple PCs and Laptop. Need a centralized storage for :
1. Media files to stream.
2. Sync Phone photos and music
3. Keep backup in Google Drive

Current system I use is the one described in this thread
Raspberry Pi 4 - devil's curse from hell
*geek.digit.in/community/threads/raspberry-pi-4-devils-curse-from-hell.207836/post-2378521Tinkering is fun but when I relocate to new residence, setting the whole thing up would be a tiresome job. An end to end solution would seemlessly fix most of my issues.

*What application(s) you’d like to review*
All of them.
Unique cases include, separating out my existing NAS from General purpose computing unit (download/seedbox)..
1. Use my Rock64 SBC to setting up a drive sync for automatic backups to Google Drive using Rclone.
2. Use my Rock64 SBC to only handle aggregator/download tool and store them in my NAS

Previously, Rock64 used to be both a NAS as well as a low powered computer to  do the above. Now since both are separate, if the Rock64 crashes, it doesnt take down the NAS with it. Plus the obvious performance benefit of doing so.

EDIT : I realized Synology has inbuilt solution to handle both of the above. No need of an external device. Furthermore, there is provision to access the NAS outside without portforwarding. This is amazing as this was a major pain for me, regarding port forwarding and getting the nas shared to outside internet.

If I get the chance to review, I can actually use my existing SBC for something else, timelapses, hydroponics etc etc..


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## RumbaMon19 (Apr 5, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have 3PCs at home and all need to be backed up as they contain important data. But space is coming as an issue here. I also do a lot of torrenting, so i need one NAS for storing all that. I have setup a mini home security camera, which requires a lot of storage than I expected, so NAS can be benefecial as storage usecase. I have a library full of photos which i capture from DSLR, so need to store them also. I will also be using it as a vpn server for home. My family members will be able to use Plex server for streaming.




Anorion said:


> What application(s) you’d like to review


1) Back up PC and Mac automatically
2)Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
3)NAS as the ultimate media streamer
5)Your own unique usecase:- As torrent client and also to store IP-CAM recordings in it.

Contest #2 


What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The Torrent feature, The software used by synology, DSM is much better and has more add-ons as compared to OMV which i am currently using. It helps to add more features like Torrents, VPN server and also use it for storing IP-CAM data. The easy backup features are also helpful, as the data is backed up timely, decreasing data lose risks.

     2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
DS220+ is good as it has better hardware. It will be able to run as plex server for home and download torrents without any performance glitches. It is also dual bay, so can be increased and also used with RAID setup.  It will be easier to multitask because of that extra juice.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

Hey just an update. The reviews have to be posted in this section as individual posts.


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## Anorion (Apr 6, 2021)

desiibond said:


> Should we also put our review plan, here in this thread?


If you want to, you can!

Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


----------



## hiteshsalian (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?


The best feature I liked is of streaming videos from anywhere, be it my personal desktop or mobile or my android TV. My current effort of downloading the video, then move it to external HDD and then connect it to a device to view it will be gone. This hassle will no longer exist and Synology NAS setup being so easier helps it even better. Plus I can share those videos with my friends as well, how cool that would be !! And not just download, I can give them a link to upload any videos they have which I need. And they can do that without even needing an account, easy peasy...



Anorion said:


> Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?


For a start, I would ideally like to go with the DS220j as it has a user friendly interface and is a complete multimedia solution which is perfect for my personal home use.


----------



## sygeek (Apr 6, 2021)

Anorion said:


> If you want to, you can!
> 
> Oi, everyone participate in both contests like Nerevarine did


Um, can a single participant get selected for both contests?


----------



## Aestivial (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-1:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)*


Ans. Well the foremost is accessibility; even though I lack considerable amount of storage for my overall usage, accessibility throughout my personal network connection (at Home) via a centralized storage medium, is something that I definitely cannot overlook! Given the add-ons of high-speed and ample data storage, it's a complete win-win.
Apart from that, I need a reliable source of backup for my data across multiple devices, in a centralized storage medium.
Employing the Moments feature from Synology NAS, I can finally rest easy with all the raw pics and videos from my phone, clogging my already short Google Storage space too.



Anorion said:


> *2. What application(s) you’d like to review?*


Ans. I'd be interested to review any/all of these following applications:
1. Back up PC and Mac automatically.
2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android.
3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.
4. Ease of accessibility across the network.




Anorion said:


> *#CONTEST-2:*





Anorion said:


> *1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?*


Ans. If I had to credit NAS for one best feature (in my opinion), it'd be accessibility. Synology NAS brings down the shortcomings of traditional physical external-drives and competes as an faster and more secure alternative while being all the more accessible at hand. Being able to stream, share and collect media so easily is something that I think is definitely appealing in Synology NAS.



Anorion said:


> *2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?*


Ans. Though, it really is a tough job to simply decide over all the available options being loaded with remunerative features, I think the one that would be an ideal choice for me (and my family usage) is the _Synology DS 220+ NAS, _being absolute value for money.


----------



## SaiyanGoku (Apr 7, 2021)

Anorion said:


> 1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)


I have a lot of media content (mostly family photos, videos), game play recordings, offline steam/EGS/uplay/gog/origin game installer backup, few personal coding projects and backup of FOSS/freeware for offline installation spanning over multiple portable HDDs (which is cumbersome to maintain). I'm a data hoarder basically. I'd like to consolidate all of this in a single NAS for 24*7 access and to make some of it selectively available to family members so that they don't have to depend on cloud storage or WhatsApp for sharing photos and videos.

I don't like the idea of uploading highly confidential and/or important personal data on the cloud storage. My laptop has gigabit ethernet port and wifi, so I should get similar speeds transferring files to NAS as I get on USB 3.0 to HDDs.
Also, having a NAS for myself would help me give away my old, lower capacity portable HDDs to family members.


Anorion said:


> 2. What application(s) you’d like to review?


*1. Back up PC and Mac automatically*
I have a redundant backup of important docs on my laptop and hdd which I would like to move to always accessible private storage.

*2. Photo and video backup for iOS and Android*
Can't save every one of those on phone because of storage limitations. I wonder if I can use the usb 3.0 port on DS220+ to directly transfer files from my phones.

*3. NAS as the ultimate media streamer/file-transfer.*
This would be my primary usage. I have deleted/transferred to cloud so much of media content in past because I kept running out of space. Also, it would mean more space on laptop for games. I can finally install Halo MCC, Flight Simulator 2020 or Warzone 

*4. Share and collect files in a breeze*
What to do when you want to share high quality videos and pics but youtube/whatsapp/etc keep compressing them resulting in loss of image quality? Why does this 3rd party file transfer app requires phone, call logs, location, sms, etc permissions?
I expect a NAS to be a solution for these problems.

*5. Your own unique use case*
I take regular full TWRP backups of my phone, especially when trying out different roms. Then there are gameplay recording from Rocket League which I'd like to edit directly from the NAS before starting my youtube channel someday hopefully XD. Might try hosting own VPS and move over to bitwarden from Keepass.


----------



## Vyom (Apr 7, 2021)

Thanks digit for bringing out this contest! I am digging it! 

*CONTEST #1*

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

I have huge collection of pictures and videos from me and my family that I want to sync to a central location so that I can go through and make sense of the memories that we have built over a decade! And I don't trust my data with big tech corporates that have huge privacy issues.

I am also a content creator and want to be able to keep backups of all my videos and be able to pull up archives and edit them.

Also I have a collection of so many movies that I want to be able to stream them to my TV. I want to do this since my parents to move from archaic "cable" to digital era, where they can watch shows and moves without ads.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
        Back up PC and Mac automatically
        Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
        NAS as the ultimate media streamer
        Your own unique use case: I want to review all of them and also the built quality and the power consumption. Also the noise it makes and how easy is the user interface etc. I would also want to be able to host my own password service using service like Bitwarden, since again, I don't trust big corporations for privacy.


----------



## Dragonoid (Apr 7, 2021)

First of all, thanks Synology and digit.in for bringing out this contest! It's one of a kind contest that I have seen and is really appreciated. 


CONTEST #1

1. What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)

With the increase in usage of technology in our daily lives, the data requirements have gone up and subsequently the storage requirements also have increased. After graduating from high school, I became interested in films and anime. Slowly started to downloading more and more videos and now I have more than 400GB of videos, which I store into an external HDD. Copying files between HDD and laptop or mobile is a hassle which can be avoided using a NAS.
Also, my father has a huge collection of VCDs and DVDs which I want to digitise, so that can be streamed from a single storage device to mobile.
I am also a photographer and keeping those photos organized will be a real lifesaver.


2. What application(s) you’d like to review?
Back up PC and Mac automatically
Photo and video backup for iOS and Android
NAS as the ultimate media streamer
Your own unique use case: With Google changing its app policy for storing data, it has become necessary to store your own data yourselves. I want to use the NAS as a Cloud Storage with complete control rather than entrusting my data to big corps and being uncertain if the data is safe or not.


CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?

I like the Synology software the most. A clutter free experience which can be used by an amateur also. Building your own NAS is time consuming and Unraid can be quite tricky for new users to get accustomed to.

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Ideally, I want to buy the Synology DS1621+. It has the perfect mix of storage flexibility, 2 M.2 slots for caching and an optional 10Gbe port for future-proofing.


----------



## omega44-xt (Apr 7, 2021)

CONTEST #2

1. What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
The convenience provided by its software. Being a relatively old school guy who backs up the pics from phone to my laptop, then to my ext HDD (setup using File History of Win10), this will make my task a lot simpler. 

2. Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
For my personal NAS, DS220j would be more than sufficient without costing a lot for features that I don't necessarily need.


----------



## Abiraman (Apr 8, 2021)

1. Using NAS at my accessible location gives me belief of secure that my data is safe and been on Public network, the long run cost of using a NAS is lesser than paid cloud services. No worries on sharing the NAS with families unless if it is cloud drive.

2. It will be useful for many movie buffs who wants to revisit their memories about a particular movie. NAS helps them to access at any location and provide the comfort of using it.


----------



## imcj (Apr 8, 2021)

First things first, I'd like to thank DIGIT for presenting this opportunity.

Moving on to the questions posted above, here is my entry for both the contests: 

For Contest No. 1: 


What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve?
Answer: As a freelancer that shoots and edits a lot of 4k footage, I need a reliable storage solution with redundancy for my endeavors. I also make videos on youtube which are also shot, edited and uploaded in 4k. So I have two issues with my work. First, I need ample storage to shoot and edit my videos and other projects that I freelance. Second, the ample storage for my footage needs to be reliable as well. Right now I am using external drives for my storage solution for storing all the 4k clips I shoot and edit and as with all external hard disks, one of my disk failed on me recently resulting in loss of footage. I went to service center of western digital as well but the drive could not be restored. It was very embarrassing for me to communicate the same to a paying client. After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems revealed earlier. It is the easiest route to a dependable solution.

What application(s) you’d like to review?
If chosen to review the NAS, I'd like to review it from the point of view of a creator/freelancer that will include: 
Back up of PC and Mac automatically using NAS.
Photo and video backup for my work files using NAS.
NAS as the ultimate media streamer.


For Contest No.2 

What feature of Synology NAS do you like this most?
 Answer: Synology Moments is the feature that I like most of Synology Nas. Its great that all my photos and videos taken by mobile phones can be backed up automatically to one personal place on your NAS with Moments. This is great because ideally my NAS will have better protection, reach and reliability than any other external hard disk used as a stop gap storage solution. What's even better is that all photos are automatically grouped together according to similar faces, places, and subjects with the power of AI technology. Life sounds quite easy with one of these Synology NAS storage solutions.

Which Synology NAS would you ideally buy?
Answer: After researching on the issue and its possible solutions, one of the best one that I have come around is Synology NAS. I NAS like DS220+ can help me with both my problems of storing huge data and that too reliably.DS220+ has seamless integration with mobile devices to make accessing data from mobile devices easier than ever for a quick edit or peek. On top of it, snapshot replication provides schedulable and storage capacity-saving data protection with 1,024 shared folder backups and 65,000 system-wide snapshots. Lastly it has the newer 2-core processor that boosts photo indexing, database response times, and web PHP response efficiency making it future proof for demanding applications.


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## ashkingansh (Apr 8, 2021)

Anorion said:


> *WIN SYNOLOGY NAS + Hard Drives*
> 
> Are you plagued by low storage problems? Do you like taking a lot of photos but have no space to store them? Are you contemplating buying some cloud storage?
> 
> ...


CONTEST #1

What is your current storage problem that Synology could help you solve? (Please be as descriptive as possible.)
I have a laptop with 1TB SSD, its fast but game files being above 90GB like COD:Warzone, Valorant, GTA V, RDR 2 fills it in no time, I already have a WD My Passport 2TB but it is slow and i want to store more new titles like FH4, and insane MS Flight Sim, i want to see if NAS could help me storing my big game titles and want to know if it is faster than my external HDD, i am planning on buying an 8TB External HDD on my birthday too

What application(s) you’d like to review?
Share and collect files in a breeze


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