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is Synology DS412+ overkill with Airport Extreme?

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boombass

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2008
22
1
The title says it all. I use mainly wireless networking in my house, and I am wondering if the Airport Extreme is fast enough to use the DS412+ at maximum, or near maximum speeds. Does a DS413 make more sense?

The NAS would be connected directly to the Airport Extreme, with gigabit cable.

Can I use the Link Aggregation feature of the DS412+ with the Airport Extreme?

If I don't use Link Aggregation, can I connect one network port to my Airport, and one to my PC directly?

The price difference between the two models is about $150, so I wouldn't mind paying extra for the DS412+ for future-proofing or possible future wired networking or 802.11ac.

Actually a lot of questions there. Thanks!
 
blueroom

blueroom

macrumors 603
Feb 15, 2009
6,381
26
Toronto, Canada
Overkill for home use, IMHO yes. I had one and sold it.

Link aggregation requires a managed switch and is not supported by the built in GigE switch in the AEBS. Nor is the right kind of dual networking adapter supported by anything except a Mac Pro.

Get a DS213+ or DS712 with a pair of 4GB WD Reds.

You can use the dual network adapters for failover, not sure if it's suitable as a switch but since the DS supports DHCP you possibly could.
 
B

boombass

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2008
22
1
Thank you for your advice. I'd be more interested in the 4 drive models than the two 2 drive models you suggested. Thanks also for the link aggregation info.

Let me ask the question differently. Which 4 drive Synology NAS should I get if my primary network is wireless, an Airport Extreme? Which models are faster than the router in normal use?
 
O

outie2k

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2010
209
53
Right now it probably is overkill because you are mainly using wireless.

However, there are few points to consider:

1. The faster cpu / ram on the 412+ will help in a lot, like doing rsync backups (yes it does make a diff because rsync does a lot of processing). If you use other features like photo station, video station, surveillance station, download station etc., the faster the better.

2. If you upgrade to an ac router, or if you are adding a wired computer in the future, at least your 412+ will still be capable. It's not a cheap NAS to begin with, and it's a pain to upgrade to another model if you are also getting new disks. These NAS usually last a few years easily, so the more future proof the better.
 
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arsene

macrumors newbie
Sep 14, 2010
14
0
It is always wise to pay slightly more to get the more powerful NAS if the difference is negligable to you.

If you stream HD movies or need transcoding to be done by your NAS when using PLex go for the +series of NAS. You will not regret it.

I have upgraded from 413J to 1512+ within barely 1 month after I realised that the J series are too slow. You will not regret the speed and power the +series give you.
 
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monsieurpaul

macrumors regular
Oct 8, 2009
230
0
As others said before, the real question is not if your WiFi network is fast enough, but rather what you intend to do with your Synology ?

- If it's only for file sharing, a DS413j will be more than enough.
- If you plan to transcode video on-the-fly, with Plex for instance, you will need one with an Atom Dual Core processor, like the DS412+.
 
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boombass

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 18, 2008
22
1
Thank you all for your opinions. I will probably underutilize it, but I can afford to get a + model, and I'd hate to be disappointed with a lower model.

Thanks for you advice!
 
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