Synology DS118 vs DS116 vs DS115J NAS Comparison

Which Synology 1-Bay NAS  is Best – DS118, DS116 or DS115J?

Synology DS118 scale

A 1 Bay NAS is often overlooked as a sensible backup option. The main reason being that even though you’ve got network access to a whole hard drive’s worth of data, the issue lies in the subject of RAID. RAID, or redundant array of independent disks, is the ability to have at least one hard drive or SSD worth of data safety in the event of your storage Media failing (this is also commonly known as redundancy). In order to take advantage of RAID you will need at least two hard drive bays of storage, however you cannot use this in a one bay NAS as you only have one hard drive Media slot available. Classically this has meant that one bay NAS storage is overlooked for that very lack of security and safety. However with the growing rise of third party cloud options (such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Amazon S3) and the ability to backup a NAS to a USB external drive everyday now means that 1-Bay devices are no longer the unsafe option that many think they will be. Additionally a one bay NAS can work out very cost-effective indeed and modern single NAS drive devices now has arrived with fairly impressive hardware. But what is the best NAS? What is the cheapest 1-Bay NAS? Which has the best hardware? And ultimately, which one should I buy for my media and backups?

Synology DS118 NAS Review

High-performance 1-bay NAS for small office and home users

FEATURES For such a compact and cost effective device, it is possibly one of the best cost v hardware NAS that Synology have ever produced. Supporting many common NAS applications and functionality such as transcoding, 4K Playback, surveillance recording from IP Cameras, Apple Time Machine and more Don’t let the size fool you
PERFORMANCE Performing better and with more efficiency than the older DS116, the DS118 quad core Realtek CPU and DDR memory mean that you have a good balance of power underneath the bonnet. However it is designed more with efficiency than power in mind and therefore you should factor that in when buying,
VALUE Hard to argue with so much ability and output at this price range. You need to overcome the lack of RAID protection and intel CPU, but after that you will not be disappointed. Easily one of the top 10 NAS devices we have seen so far
DESIGN Using the same chassis as the DS116 NAS, the DS118 NAS is a compact, low power use, low noise and discreet size. If you are looking for a NAS you cancelled in a cupboard or draw somewhere, this may well be the perfect NAS for you.
FEATURES The only downside, despite the high performance, is that this is based on the fact it is an ARM processor and therefore will always pale in comparison to a solid x86 based Intel or AMD CPU. Disappointing that PLEX has not yet released supported plex app.
PERFORMANCE Once you start looking at tasks that factor higher amounts of rendering, transcoding or much broader multimedia tasks across multiple streams at once, you will start to struggle
VALUE If you have used NAS in they past, especially a device released this year) then the DS118 will not exactly blow your socks off. For it’s size and price tag, it is an excellent NAS, but more designed with first time NAS users, micro users or those on a tight budget in mind.
DESIGN A Single HDD NAS, as many already know, lacks RAID protection. This should certainly be a factor to take into consideration when considering a NAS to store all your data.

Synology DS116 NAS Review

Discover the power of anywhere access, streamline your workflow

PERFORMANCE CPU and RAM can easily run many apps at the same time and stream several videos at the the same time
VALUE It costs more than WD Cloud but brings much more functionality.
DESIGN Good looking and quite box.
FEATURES CPU and RAM spec allows it to run all most popular apps like Plex (no transcoding), Video Station, DLNA server and Download station as well as others.
DESIGN Need to open the box to install the HDD
FEATURES Could be offline transcoding enabled

Synology DS115J NAS Review

The perfect blend of versatility and affordability

PERFORMANCE Can perform basic NAS tasks for 1 to 2 users
VALUE EASILY the lowest price Synology NAS you can buy!
DESIGN Very small and quiet chassis – usefuly as a network backup to your bigger NAS setup
FEATURES Supports minor DLNA use and backups for home devices and adding a USB drive
DESIGN Plastic chassis looks a little cheap
FEATURES Does not support popular Apps like Plex, Apple Time Machine, Container station and more. You will hit a glass ceiling VERY early on!

How do the Synology DS118, DS116 and DS115J NAS Specs Compare?

Below is the Specifications of the Synology DS118, DS116 and DS115J NAS Compare:

Hardware Specifications of DS115 vs DS116 vs DS118 NAS
CPU
Synology DS115J NAS Synology DS116 NAS Synology DS118 NAS
CPU Model Marvell Armada 370 88F6707 Marvell Armada 385 88F6820 Realtek RTD1296
CPU Architecture 32-bit 32-bit 64-bit
CPU Frequency 800 MHz Dual Core 1.8 GHz Quad Core 1.4 GHz
Hardware Encryption Engine
Hardware Transcoding Engine 10-bit H.265 (HEVC), MPEG-4 Part 2, MPEG-2, VC-1; maximum resolution: 4K (4096 x 2160); maximum frame rate per second (FPS): 60
Memory
System Memory 256 MB DDR3 1 GB DDR3 1 GB DDR4
Storage
Drive Bays 1 1 1
Compatible Drive Type* (See all supported drives)
  • 3.5″ SATA HDD
  • 2.5″ SATA HDD (with optional 2.5″ Disk Holder)
  • 2.5″ SATA SSD (with optional 2.5″ Disk Holder)
  • 3.5″ SATA HDD
  • 2.5″ SATA HDD (with optional 2.5″ Disk Holder)
  • 2.5″ SATA SSD (with optional 2.5″ Disk Holder)
  • 3.5″ SATA HDD
  • 2.5″ SATA HDD (with optional 2.5″ Disk Holder)
  • 2.5″ SATA SSD (with optional 2.5″ Disk Holder)
Maximum Internal Raw Capacity 12 TB (12 TB drive x 1) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) 12 TB (12 TB drive x 1) (Capacity may vary by RAID types) 12 TB (12 TB drive x 1) (Capacity may vary by RAID types)
Maximum Single Volume Size
  • 16 TB
  • 16 TB
  • 108 TB
External Ports
RJ-45 1GbE LAN Port 1 1 1
USB 2.0 Port 2
USB 3.0 Port 2 2
File System
Internal Drives
  • EXT4
  • EXT4
  • EXT4
External Drives
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+*
  • exFAT*
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+*
  • exFAT*
  • EXT4
  • EXT3
  • FAT
  • NTFS
  • HFS+
  • exFAT*
Notes
  • HFS+ is read only, max 2TB volume size.
  • exFAT Access is purchased separately in Package Center.
  • HFS+ is read only, max 2TB volume size.
  • exFAT Access is purchased separately in Package Center.
  • exFAT Access is purchased separately in Package Center.
Appearance
Size (Height x Width x Depth) 166 mm x 71 mm x 224 mm 166 mm x 71 mm x 224 mm 166 mm x 71 mm x 224 mm
Weight 0.71 kg 0.7 kg 0.7 kg
Others
System Fan 60 mm x 60 mm x 1 pcs 60 mm x 60 mm x 1 pcs 60 mm x 60 mm x 1 pcs
Fan Speed Mode
  • Cool Mode
  • Quiet Mode
  • Low-power Mode
  • Cool Mode
  • Quiet Mode
  • Low-power Mode
  • Full-Speed Mode
  • Cool Mode
  • Quiet Mode
  • Low-power Mode
Brightness adjustable front LED indicators
Power Recovery
Noise Level* 18.1 dB(A) 16.4 dB(A) 16.7 dB(A)
Scheduled Power On/Off
Wake on LAN/WAN
Power Supply Unit / Adapter 36W 36W 36W
AC Input Power Voltage 100V to 240V AC 100V to 240V AC 100V to 240V AC
Power Frequency 50/60 Hz, Single Phase 50/60 Hz, Single Phase 50/60 Hz, Single Phase
Power Consumption* 10.52 W (Access)
4.97 W (HDD Hibernation)
10.68 W (Access)
6.28 W (HDD Hibernation)
9.4 W (Access)
4.22 W (HDD Hibernation)
British Thermal Unit 35.90 BTU/hr (Access)
16.96 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)
36.44 BTU/hr (Access)
21.43 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)
32.1 BTU/hr (Access)
14.41 BTU/hr (HDD Hibernation)
Environment Temperature
Operating Temperature 5°C to 35°C (40°F to 95°F) 5°C to 40°C (40°F to 104°F) 5°C to 40°C (40°F to 104°F)
Storage Temperature -20°C to 60°C (-5°F to 140°F) -20°C to 60°C (-5°F to 140°F) -20°C to 60°C (-5°F to 140°F)
Relative Humidity 5% to 95% RH 5% to 95% RH 5% to 95% RH
Certification
  • EAC
  • CCC
  • KC
  • FCC
  • CE
  • BSMI
  • FCC
  • CE
  • BSMI
  • EAC
  • CCC
  • RCM
  • KC
  • FCC
  • CE
  • BSMI
Warranty 2 Years 2 Years 2 Years
DSM Specifications
Storage Management
Maximum Internal Volume Number 1 1 1
Maximum iSCSI Target Number 10 10 10
Maximum iSCSI LUN 10 10 10
SSD TRIM
Supported RAID Type
  • Basic
  • Basic
  • Basic
File Sharing Capacity
Maximum Local User Accounts 512 2048 2048
Maximum Local Groups 128 256 256
Maximum Shared Folder 256 256 256
Maximum Shared Folder Sync Tasks 2 2 2
Maximum Concurrent CIFS/AFP/FTP Connections 64 128 200
Windows Access Control List (ACL) Integration
NFS Kerberos Authentication
Log Center
Syslog Events per Second 50 100 100
 
Chat
Maximum Users 300 500
Notes
  • The number of concurrent HTTP connections for Chat was configured to the maximum.
  • CPU and RAM usage were both under 80% when the number of maximum users was reached.
  • For tested models with expandable memory, the maximum amount of RAM was installed.
  • The number of concurrent HTTP connections for Chat was configured to the maximum.
  • CPU and RAM usage were both under 80% when the number of maximum users was reached.
Cloud Station Server
Maximum Number of Concurrently Connected Devices 64 128 200
Maximum Number of Synced Files (ext4) 10,000 / single file reaction time 1990 ms 100,000 / single file reaction time 1038 ms 100,000 / single file reaction time 617 ms
Notes
  • The maximum number of concurrently connected devices refers to the maximum number of devices that can remain connected at the same time. For more information on file processing capability, please refer to the reaction time for file processing.
  • File reaction time refers to the preparation time required for other devices to start downloading a 10KByte file from a Synology NAS after the file has been added to the NAS. RAM expansion was not used during testing.
  • Non-encrypted shared folders were used during the aforementioned testing.
  • The maximum number of concurrently connected devices refers to the maximum number of devices that can remain connected at the same time. For more information on file processing capability, please refer to the reaction time for file processing.
  • File reaction time refers to the preparation time required for other devices to start downloading a 10KByte file from a Synology NAS after the file has been added to the NAS. RAM expansion was not used during testing.
  • Non-encrypted shared folders were used during the aforementioned testing.
  • The maximum number of concurrently connected devices refers to the maximum number of devices that can remain connected at the same time. For more information on file processing capability, please refer to the reaction time for file processing.
  • File reaction time refers to the preparation time required for other devices to start downloading a 10KByte file from a Synology NAS after the file has been added to the NAS. RAM expansion was not used during testing.
  • Non-encrypted shared folders were used during the aforementioned testing.
Download Station
Maximum Concurrent Download Tasks 20 30 30
Drive
Maximum Number of Synced Files 10,000 / single file reaction time 2,099 ms 100,000 / single file reaction time 941 ms 100,000 / single file reaction time 941 ms
Maximum Number of Concurrent Connections for PC Clients 5 200 200
Notes
  • The EXT4 file system was used for the purpose of testing.
  • The maximum number of concurrent connections refers to the maximum number of connections that could be maintained when the maximum number of synced files was reached.
  • File reaction time refers to the preparation time required for other devices to start downloading a 10KByte file from a Synology NAS after the file has been added to the NAS.
  • Non-encrypted shared folders were used during the aforementioned testing.
  • The EXT4 file system was used for the purpose of testing.
  • The maximum number of concurrent connections refers to the maximum number of connections that could be maintained when the maximum number of synced files was reached.
  • File reaction time refers to the preparation time required for other devices to start downloading a 10KByte file from a Synology NAS after the file has been added to the NAS.
  • Non-encrypted shared folders were used during the aforementioned testing.
  • The EXT4 file system was used for the purpose of testing.
  • The maximum number of concurrent connections refers to the maximum number of connections that could be maintained when the maximum number of synced files was reached.
  • File reaction time refers to the preparation time required for other devices to start downloading a 10KByte file from a Synology NAS after the file has been added to the NAS.
  • Non-encrypted shared folders were used during the aforementioned testing.
exFAT Access (optional)
Media Server
DLNA Certification
DLNA Compliance
Moments
Facial recognition
Subject recognition
Office
Maximum Users 3 400 200
Notes
  • Multiple files were opened for testing and each file was edited by 30 users simultaneously.
  • CPU and RAM usage were both under 80% when the number of maximum users was reached.
  • Client performance may affect maximum simultaneous editing users. Client PCs used for testing: Intel Core i3-3220 / 8GB RAM
  • Multiple files were opened for testing and each file was edited by 30 users simultaneously.
  • CPU and RAM usage were both under 80% when the number of maximum users was reached.
  • Client performance may affect maximum simultaneous editing users. Client PCs used for testing: Intel Core i3-3220 / 8GB RAM
  • Multiple files were opened for testing and each file was edited by 30 users simultaneously.
  • CPU and RAM usage were both under 80% when the number of maximum users was reached.
  • Client performance may affect maximum simultaneous editing users. Client PCs used for testing: Intel Core i3-3220 / 8GB RAM
Surveillance Station
Maximum IP cam (Licenses required) 5 (including 2 Free License) (See All Supported IP Cameras) 16 (including 2 Free License) (See All Supported IP Cameras) 15 (including 2 Free License) (See All Supported IP Cameras)
Total FPS (H.264)* 50 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
20 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
10 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
10 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
480 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
400 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
160 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
80 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
450 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
180 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
110 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
80 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
40 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Total FPS (H.265)* 450 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
450 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
210 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
120 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
60 FPS @ 4K (3840×2160)
Total FPS (MJPEG)* 20 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
10 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
10 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
6 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
320 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
120 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
90 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
54 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
210 FPS @ 720p (1280×720)
70 FPS @ 1080p (1920×1080)
50 FPS @ 3M (2048×1536)
30 FPS @ 5M (2591×1944)
Video Station
Video Transcoding Group 2 (See more) Group 2 (See more) 4K Group 3 (See more)
Maximum Transcoding Channel Number
  • 1 channel, 60 FPS @ 4K (4096 x 2160), H.265 (HEVC), 10-bit or
    1 channel, 30 FPS @ 1080p (1920 × 1080), H.264 (AVC)/MPEG-4 Part 2 (XVID, DIVX5)/MPEG-2/VC-1
VPN Server
Maximum Connections 5 5 5
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      Summary
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      DS118 vs DS116 vs DS115J
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