Synology DiskStation DS1517+

It’s pretty hard to get someone excited over a box (unlike what Action Jack Barker from Silicon Valley will have you think); but Synology managed to do so with the DS1517+.

- Robby Vaflor

DESIGN

Like I said, it’s a box; but it’s a really nice box. It’s made with a mix of brushed metal and matte, hard plastic all coated in a nice black. The front has two large bevels that taper to the sides, and each of the five bays are easily accessible. The light indicators are actually bigger than usual (which I appreciate) and are easy to understand. All the ports are easy to find at the back. What the issue is with a lot of NAS devices out there is that they’re so intimidating to use, and the folks at Synology remedy that by giving people a straightforward product that can be used by anyone from freelance photographers to medium business owners and startups. Everything you need is there, purposely marked for your convenience. And the fact that it allows modular extensions like extra racks (up to 10 more bays) and a PCIe slot for M.2 SSD cache support just speaks highly of this product’s minimalism in design and utility in function.

HARDWARE