Synology 213j vs Netgear RN102

[mekanik]

I am trying to figure out if netgear is worth the risk? I have been reading a lot here and on other place and most of them recommend synology.. I even checked the apps on android where the rating of synology apps is better than netgear..
But also I never came across any specific site/threads where it says do not buy netgear..

So does Netgear Readynas not good?

I am in such a dilemma b'coz the Netgear is locally available with warranty and is priced to my budget.. But Synology I will need to source is from USA and if i take the distributors route(for warranty) it will cost me more..

Primary use will be:
1. Music server
2. Download station
3. Movie server
4. ISCSI , if possible for VM..

Not looking to transcode and also from my reading i see that readynas supports plex while ds213j does not, even though both as ARM chips..

So I see a lot of threads that say synology is good but not much to compare with readynas ..
Any thoughts on how Netgear RN102 fair against DS213j..

Highly appreciate if you could guide me to right point to look for before buying..

 

[thiggins]

I'm sure you could find "don't buy" threads on any product if you look hard enough.

NETGEAR ReadyNAS, like any NAS, has it strengths and weaknesses; fans and haters. The RN102 has a bit beefier processor than the DS213j. You'll get 50 MB/s write, 80 MB/s reads from it either RAID0 or RAID 1 with large files. iSCSI will be around 50 MB/s write and read.

Your requirements don't seem that tough. Any NAS today will serve DLNA/UPnP and most also do iTunes. If you have anything more specific, Xbox, Playstation as media players, search specifically for comments about NAS problems with them.

Downloaders vary. So again, check feature sets and online demos to see if they have the features you want.

 

[mekanik]

I just took another look at NAS section "properly" and realized i missed the "Buying advice section" even after reading for a long time..
After some more reading , i think i have found what i need to go for.. Since its my first NAS and looks like all the box check regarding the Netgear Readynas I will take a bite..

Thanks thiggins

 

[mdgm]

Let me know how you find the ReadyNAS.

One of the first things I would suggest you do with it is to update to the latest firmware (currently 6.1.8). As a general rule you will find things work better on newer firmware.

You may also find setup using ReadyCloud is easiest and then after you get comfortable with that start tweaking some settings in the local admin GUI.

We do release betas from time to time (if you are interested - even if you don't want to test them looking at the release notes and discussion in the community can give you an idea on what's coming soon). The current 6.1.9 beta includes some improvements relating to iSCSI: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=154&t=72282

 

[bobsilver]

ReadyNAS RN104 Experience

I am using a ReadyNAS RN104 which is the 4 bay version of what you asked about. The RN104 is a very nice piece of hardware and the updated software V6.18 works quite well. I started using it as a single drive, added a second later and then added a thrird. It takes a long time to rebuild the array converting to Raid 1 and then Raid 5 under Xraid settings but the NAS is usable while this happens.

I use it for streaming media to pc's and rokus. It has 2 gigabit ports on it which is key for maxing out network traffic and multi users.

I want to point out that it cannot be used as a Plex server if you will need transcoding. Roku's require it. The more pwoerful series the ReadyNAS RN302/4 can. But the 104 doesn't have the cpu horsepower as is listed as such on the Plex website.

Compared to the Synology my experience is this. I like the Netgear hardware better. The UI with the V6.18 is similar to the Synology although the Synology is more polished but not by much. The real difference is in the apps. I think the Synology apps are more refined. That said if the apps are your need then I highly recommend the Netgear. The RN102 and RN104 are killer buys and can be had for $100-$250. Amazing.

Bob Silver
NETGEAR Networking Assistant

 

[stevech]

The above is totally unbiased (see the signature line!).

I recommend deciding between Synology and QNAP. I chose the former.

 

[mdgm]

Well, I posted after the user indicated that he would purchase the ReadyNAS. I gave some advice I hoped he would find useful.

Sure if a user is considering between just two models (one from each of two vendors) that does limit things a bit.

thiggins recommends NAS units from a range of vendors to suit different needs and between the two NAS units mekanik mentioned he indicated the RN102 would be a better choice for use with iSCSI.

Of course there are options out there to get better performance again, but they may not have fitted into mekanik's budget.

Furthermore mekanik mentioned that the NETGEAR unit was available for him to purchase locally whereas the Synology was not. Obviously if both were available to purchase locally this would not have been a factor in his decision.

You should examine local prices for a range of models available and factor that into your decision as to what to go with. Obviously price isn't everything. You still want to make sure that the NAS you choose will do what you need and the bigger your budget the more you can get.

Checking performance numbers for iSCSI from reviews etc. is a good idea, to see if performance will meet your needs.

If you don't need continuous protection for your LUN then you may wish to turn that off.

6.1.9 (coming soon) has the option to disable sync writes for iSCSI LUNs which can help performance. This can be particularly important for users using iSCSI LUNs to store their VMs.

On 6.1.9 (or later) after the LUN is created (I recommend creating thick LUNs) you can go to the settings for the LUN in the Dashboard and disable Sync Writes.

There is a trade-off between performance and maximum protection for your data, particularly on lower end models. It's nice to have features such as sync writes and continuous protection that provide better protection for your data available but they may/may not be suitable for you.

Whatever options you choose if your data is important to you you should make regular backups. Don't store important data on just the one device.

 

[TonyH]

The above is totally unbiased (see the signature line!).

I recommend deciding between Synology and QNAP. I chose the former.

+1, My Over bought Synology DS713+/DX213 is more than adequate for my needs.

 

[mervincm]

My first NAS appliance was a RN104. I found it to be a medium on feature set, and very low on price. Hardware quality was good, especially for the price. I don't regret it at all. Even though I have moved on to a Synology 1813+, I still use the RN104 for other purposes. Netgear RN Support is actually not bad, and the forums are fairly active!

The only concern in my mind is that the RN does not use the standard EXT file system. It uses (the less mature but more feature laden) BTRFS. On the positive side, you have more options with snapshots and versioning. On the negative side, the performance (on write mostly) is less, and if things go wrong, you don't have an many recovery options.

 

[stevech]

There's a good reason that most experienced people here recommend only Synology and QNAP.
These companies are NAS specialists.

 

[mdgm]

The only concern in my mind is that the RN does not use the standard EXT file system. It uses (the less mature but more feature laden) BTRFS. On the positive side, you have more options with snapshots and versioning. On the negative side, the performance (on write mostly) is less, and if things go wrong, you don't have an many recovery options.

Thanks for the feedback.

BTRFS is gaining wider adoption and I expect that the range of vendors using BTRFS will increase. Prior to the current ReadyNAS OS line we used EXT for data volumes. The decision was made to switch to using BTRFS for ReadyNAS OS 6.

If you look at the BTRFS website it is considered to be stable and every indication is that it will become much better still over time.

It's now around ~18 months since the launch of the first products running ReadyNAS OS.

Our development and support teams have been working with the filesystem for a long time now.

If you don't need the snapshots then disabling those can help with performance. There is a trade off between the better protection those provide and performance. Taking snapshots, pruning old snapshots etc. does use some io. We let the user decide what is best for the user's particular needs.

Things can go wrong regardless of the filesystem used, so wrong in some cases that all the recovery options in the world won't do you any good. So backups are important.

There are always going to be arguments for/against different filesystems.

There's a good reason that most experienced people here recommend only Synology and QNAP.
These companies are NAS specialists.

The first ReadyNAS was released in 2004 (I think) by Infrant and in 2007 NETGEAR acquired the product line and since then there's been a unit dedicated to developing NETGEAR NAS products. There are some engineers on the team that began working for Infrant long before the first ReadyNAS was released.

There are advantages and disadvantages for different business structures, but in the end what matters is users finding the product that is right for them. Different brands have their strengths and weaknesses, so the brand that is the right choice for one user may be wrong for another based on different needs.

 

[stevech]

I don't believe that people with a conflict of interest borne of receiving some sort of compensation or special consideration from one vendor should comment in this forum.

Their place is in the vendor-sponsored forum.

 

[mervincm]

I have used both Synology and ReadyNAS support, both left me with the sense that they knew what they were talking about, never once did I get that no skill message taker service desk feel

PS I am personally OK with, even appreciate, vendors making the rounds on other forums as long as they identify themselves as such, IN EVERY post.

 

[stevech]

PS I am personally OK with, even appreciate, vendors making the rounds on other forums as long as they identify themselves as such, IN EVERY post.

Maybe so, but they should NOT get in the middle of a forum user debating what band to buy.

 

[thiggins]

I don't believe that people with a conflict of interest borne of receiving some sort of compensation or special consideration from one vendor should comment in this forum.

Their place is in the vendor-sponsored forum.

Vendor representatives are welcome in ANY SNB Forum as long as they identify themselves in each post via their sig. and refrain from blatant promotional posts.

 

[stevech]

Vendor representatives are welcome in ANY SNB Forum as long as they identify themselves in each post via their sig. and refrain from blatant promotional posts.

Agree, if forum user is asking for help with a product. But responding to "is A better than B, for me?" - the vendor rep should, most would say, recuse themselves. It's just common professionalism.

 

[mdgm]

I believe I only started posting in this thread after the user already decided what to purchase with the sole intention of providing some advice that the user may have found useful with configuring the 102.

It is important to stress that the advice that was given earlier in the thread by thiggins was to suit that individual user's specific needs. A different user with different needs deciding between the same two products may not have chosen the same product.