Synology is the pinnacle of NAS devices, offering notable models with excellent features across price ranges. If you are new to the world of NAS devices, there is an overwhelming set of settings to figure out. But our Synology BeeStation Review will discuss an ideal option for those who want to avoid all these.
The BeeStation from Synology is an easy-to-use product like Google Drive and Photos. It is perfect for anyone who wants to start with their first NAS. With its features, specifications, and design, we think it checks the right boxes for the basics required in a NAS.
Synology BeeStation Packaging
Our NAS shipped at the right time for our Synology BeeStation Review. It came in a minimalist, familiar-looking, eco-friendly box durable enough to protect the BeeStation during transit.
The box is well-made, which is a plus for us. So, we suggest saving it when transporting the NAS or keeping the unit when not in use.
In the package, you will find the following:
- BeeStation
- RJ-45 Ethernet Cable
- AC Adapter
- Quick Start guide
Synology BeeStation Review – Design and Functionality
Its finish is a standard aspect of Synology products. So, if you owned something from them, you know what to expect from the BeeStation. We can describe its overall design as clean, compact, and professional.
Like the other products from Synology, the BeeStation sports a hard black plastic for its body. Its top and bottom feature widely-spaced grills displaying several internal elements.
The base of this NAS is supported by two semi-circle rubber feet, providing adequate elevation from any surface. These also prevent any vibrations from entering the unit.
Observing the product for this Synology BeeStation Review gave us insights about its capacity. It has a single 4TB HDD for passive ventilation without active cooling.
This feature allows the NAS to stay well-ventilated using the grid secured with a mesh frame. You can find the latter inside the NAS, which works by decreasing dust collecting.
Additionally, the BeeStation does not have a replaceable hard drive since it does not have exposed screws. Synology intended this layout for a sleek look, but it means you cannot upgrade the system yourself.
Buttons and Connectivity Ports
Other noticeable external features in this Synology BeeStation Review are its reset and power buttons. You can find them on its rear, while the single activity LED is in front.
Its connection is one gigabit Ethernet port, and next to it are two USB ports on its rear. One is a USB-C port, while the other is USB-A; both are USB 3.2 Gen1 specs.
We think a USB 3.2 Gen2 would be better for a conventional NAS, but it does not matter. Why? Because its 4TB hard drive is only a 2.5-inch drive with 5400 RPM.
Key Features of the Synology BeeStation
To know more about this product, continue reading our Synology BeeStation Review for its features. We listed all the elements that make the product worth considering, especially when you want a convenient, easy-to-use NAS.
Store Everything and Access Anywhere
When keeping your files in this NAS, you can access them whenever necessary, no matter where you are.
Cloud-like Storage That Offers More
Synology equipped the BeeStation with an integrated hard drive. It also has pre-configured settings ready for immediate use out of the box.
What makes it an excellent Google Drive replacement is its 100% data ownership. Only you can control it so it does not compromise your privacy. Plus, it cuts the costs since you do not need to pay monthly subscription fees.
Memories Within Reach
Back up your saved images and free up your phone space to relive treasured moments no matter where you are.
Quality Photo Organisation
Find your pets, people, and more by letting the integrated AI and keyword search help find your photos. Other than these, you can also do the following:
Rediscover areas you have visited by navigating the world map to revisit areas via your travel photos.
Explore points in time by exploring the timeline to recall life milestones and memories.
You can share your photo collection with friends and family and let them add more via a single link.
Privacy with Integrated AI
The integrated AI of the BeeStation performs photo recognition without sending anything to the cloud. Its NPU or integrated neutral processing enhances AI process speeds, allowing other applications to run smoothly.
Files on Every Device
With BeeStation, you can upload, organise and access your files via phone, desktop browser or tablet.
Start Where You Left Off
You can open and edit files from any desktop if you work as a designer or photographer. Using BeeStation will help expand your PC space while you continue work, allowing access to files from anywhere.
Personal Family Spaces
Let your family enjoy their customised storage space with unique personalised data storage. These spaces are separate to guarantee control and privacy for everyone.
Organise and Put Together Messy Files
Protect the BeeDrive, cloud service, and external drive data against data loss situations. Back up your files against cloud account termination/suspension or misplacement of external drives.
These features let you easily backup files, videos, and photos while sharing them with the family. Moreover, you can access these whenever you need to, no matter where you are.
Layered Data Protection with Synology BeeStation
While writing this Synology BeeStation Review, we learned about its layered data protection feature. It is another element that makes it easier to backup files like videos, photos, etc.
With it, you do not have to worry about device theft or natural disasters. You can do this by scheduling regular backups of the BeeStation data to your external drive or Synology C2 Storage.
Overall Design with its Users in Mind
For years, Synology has been known as the company that shipped 11 million systems around the globe. It optimised and improved its products to provide the best data management solutions.
The latest offering, BeeStation, provides everyone with a fresh experience for storage. It is an ideal solution for newbies to the world of NAS since the product has everything pre-configured.
Specifications
- CPU: Realtek RTD1619B
- Memory: 1GB DDR4
- Drive Bays: 1x (not accessible)
- Storage: 4TB
- Ports: USB-A, USB-C, 1GbE LAN,
- Operating System: BeeStation Manager (BSM)
- Dimensions: 148.0 x 62.6 x 196.3mm
- Weight: 820g
- Warranty: Three years
Hands-on with the Synology BeeStation
What makes the BSM, the operating system of BeeStation, different from the DSM used by Synology NAS? Our Synology BeeStation Review will discuss everything you need about BSM and the available applications. But before that, let us focus on setting up the BeeStation.
Setting up the Synology BeeStation
Unlike the usual comprehensive NAS solutions we previously reviewed, BeeStation is more straightforward. It eliminates the complex setup process since it starts running from the first boot.
The hardware installation only takes a few simple steps:
- Connect the BeeStation to your network by plugging an Ethernet cable into the RJ-45 port.
- Plug the BeeStation into a power source with the external power adapter.
- Press the power button to switch on the BeeStation.
You can immediately begin software installation since the BeeStation already has a pre-installed hard drive when switched on. To start, scan the included QR code with your phone and follow the instructions on your screen.
BeeStation handles all the setup work since you cannot control the disk layout. Also, it will not require installing packages. You only need access to your BeeStation from different devices and apps using your Synology account.
What makes it highly intuitive is you can create a local account. It allows you to use and access BeeStation even when your internet connection is down.
We discussed Synology Drive and Photos, including their advantages over Google Drive and Photos. These Synology apps offer unlimited virtual space, and what makes them better is they do not require a monthly fee. The company brought these apps into BeeStation as BeeFiles and BeePhotos.
BeeStation Applications
In conventional NAS, you can set configurations for services like Docker containers, Plex, and more. Synology designed BeeStation as a simple storage solution that provides functionality through the two primary apps: BeePhotos and BeeFiles.
These apps make the BeeStation an excellent replacement for Google Drive since they make backing up files convenient.
BeePhotos
BeePhotos has a user-friendly interface and works like Google Photos. It allows automatic backup of photos and videos on your phone to your local cloud storage. You can choose from remote or WiFi-only backup.
BeePhotos works for multiple users who can have individual media storage spaces. It has an efficient search tool that finds things based on various picture elements. Also, it can tag media by people in images and videos for your convenience.
With BeePhotos, you can free storage space on your devices while keeping your media safe in the BeeStation. It has all the intuitive functions of Google Photos combined with the privacy and security of a private storage solution. Also, the app is fast, user-friendly, accessible, and has all the necessary features for more intuitive media storage and management.
BeeFiles
BeeFiles is an easy-to-use folder and file management system that syncs Cloud storage to the BeeStation. Then, it will back up to your external USB storage.
Like BeePhotos resembling Google Photos, BeeFiles works like Google Drive. It has an app on Windows and Mac, but it also has a web interface. Plus, you will find handy organisation and search tools for finding files by type.
Aside from storing, organising, and managing data, BeeFiles lets you generate shareable links to share files with other users.
With BeeFiles, you can backup folders in your computer to sync these with BeeStation. It is a handy feature that keeps your files safe if your device fails.
In addition, BeeFiles allows sharing and versioning like the Drive application on DSM. Clicking the upper right button on the interface lets you share files with other people. Versioning or searching for a file version history is accessible by accessing the context menu.
BeeFiles presents file versioning with a clean menu, making it easy to navigate. You will find several options like copy to, restore, and download.
Search Functionality
The search functionality of BeeFiles works differently from the search tools in Synology packages that act like filters. Instead, when you access the search bar, it will display a drop-down menu with several file-type options. You can choose from these as your search parameters.
Typing the file name or a part of it to search for something will also list all the relevant results. However, the BeeFiles search function does not support the (*) character.
When searching numerous files using specific criteria, you can use advanced search. Although it offers six parameters, you can only use two simultaneously.
The best thing about BeeStation is it does not automatically download the files you access. It works like read-only files, so you can watch videos that play or view PDFs presented in web form. For images, these overlay inside a viewer where you can browse other photos.
Cloud Services
Synology implemented cloud services into BSM since it is handy for many DSM users. It syncs with three commercial cloud providers: Google Drive, One Drive, and Dropbox. The company also makes setting up your cloud straightforward to avoid breaking your existing workflow if you use these services.
Starting a link wizard with one of these platforms will display a familiar window (cloud sync login popup). It will ask for authentication to sync files with the chosen provider.
After establishing a connection, you can choose how BeeStation will sync your files. Syncing runs continuously, but you also have the option to pause it via the BSM interface.
Backup and Sync
Aside from standard web file management, BeeFiles simplifies backing up photos, videos, documents, and other files. It can perform data backup and sync operations like we do with Synology Drive on DSM (DiskStation Manager).
BeeFiles also allows streaming data from BeeStation to your computer. It only downloads the file when requested or downloaded.
Backing up your files will register your computer inside the BeeFiles computer section. You can see the folder structure and view or recover any content. To restore files, you can do this via the BeeStation desktop app.
Aside from easy backup, BeeFiles makes locating the restored file convenient. It copies data from the BeeStation to your specified destination or the original file location.
The sync process is identical to DSM, aside from being a bidirectional task when making modifications, additions, and deletions.
USB Backup and External Drives
BeeStation is a multi-platform solution that also allows USB backup. It saves all content in your chosen folder when you plug in an external drive, either automatically or on demand. You can connect your device to the USB-A or USB-C port on the rear of the BeeStation.
The backup starts and ends with a dual beep sound, which indicates unplugging the device is safe. It makes things more convenient since you are notified without UI interaction when doing automatic backups.
Use the eject option in the external drives section to safely remove a connected device. After, right-click on the item to access the eject function from a shortlist.
You can restore backups from an external drive through the backup and restore section in system settings. Another option is the Synology Hyper Backup Explorer app, available in DSM and desktop versions.
The BeeStation restore wizard provides an all-or-nothing option, similar to the backup method. However, if individual files need restoration and BeeStation is offline, you can connect the backup external device to a computer. You can also link it to another Synology NAS to access the HBK archive.
This method allows accessing all backed-up content in BeeStation in circumstances like BeeStation or HDD failure.
Synology BeeStation Review Summary
BeeStation is an intuitive, beginner-friendly NAS with simplified features. It is excellent for home users who want a budget-friendly storage solution that keeps files secure.
Unlike a conventional NAS with complex features and functions, BeeStation makes backup, syncing, and accessing files easy and convenient. Also, it is a plug-and-play NAS that does not require complicated setup and configuration processes. With its built-in storage, the BeeStation can start running within minutes.
This NAS offers excellent value for money, considering its three-year warranty coverage. It can efficiently perform backups and keep files synced across devices while keeping everything safe and secure. It is ideal for home users and freelancers who want a streamlined multi-device workflow without spending a fortune.
Visit the official product page of Synology for more details and information about BeeStation.
