Synology BeeStation

Affordable network storage with Time Machine support

- Rob Mead-Green

£208.79 FROM synology.com FEATURES Realtek RTD1619B processor, 1GB DDR memory, 4TB storage, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 port, 1x Gb Ethernet port, 148x63x196mm, 820g NEEDS macOS 12.3 or later, iOS 15 or later

It sits happily on your home network, so you can also access its files when away from home faced with a dilemma. You can either sync all your devices using iCloud and team it with Time Machine backups made locally; or you can invest in Network Attached Storage NAS) – a mass storage device that sits on your network and acts as a personal cloud, of sorts, and can be accessed by all your devices on that network and/or remotely via the internet. While traditional NAS can be complicated to set up and tricky to use, more user-friendly alternatives like WD’s My Cloud exist. And now there’s the Synology BeeStation too.

The BeeStation takes Synology’s networked drive know-how and puts it in a much more home-friendly format than its more business-oriented NAS. It strips away many of the things you’re unlikely to need as a home user and focuses on those that you do. The question is, has Synology taken too much away, or has it got the balance just right?

The BeeStation itself comprises a textured black plastic box inside which you’ll find a 4TB hard drive, powered by a Realtek RTD1619B processor running Synology’s own BeeStation OS. Around the back there’s a selection of ports: 1x USB-A, 1x USB-C and 1x Gigabit Ethernet. On the front is an LED status light, which glows, pulses or changes colour depending on what the BeeStation's currently doing.