As it was announced back in January in the "NEW x23 Synology model lineup" article, the new Synology DS223 has arrived! The new 2-bay "value" grade NAS is here as a long overdue successor of the DS218.
With an already familiar look, this model without checking the label on the front could be mistaken for the DS220+. The smooth, and very professional design has followed over to this model as well as the fact that the drives are hot-swappable as they are on the plus lineup.
This NAS with its price of about €245 (plus tax) and 2y warranty (extendable to 4 via the Extended Warranty Plus program), is a real compact gem in Synology's long list of devices.
Equipped with a quad-core 1.7GHz ARM v8 Realtek RTD1619B CPU and 2GB of DDR4 (non-ECC) the DS223 is a very capable model offering enough performance for very little power consumption. With an external PSU, Synology is stating around 17W of usage under load and as low as 4W in hibernation or standby.
The beforementioned RAM is fixed and can't be upgraded or extended unlike on the DS220+, but 2GB will be more than enough for the list of possibilities and apps that this device is targeted for.
The back of the unit, again unlike the DS220+, has only a single 1Gbit ethernet port as well as additional two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (5Gb), for a total of three (one on the front as well). The lack of a 2.5 or 5G ethernet port might not come as a shock on this particular device but considering its bigger brothers didn't get those as well (DS723+ or DS923+), no surprise here.
It is clear that DS223 was not intended for uptime or redundancy in terms of network or performance for that matter (no optional 10G either), but running with an RTD1619B CPU and a total of 2GB or RAM it might be considered pushing the envelope a bit.
Advertised as the "home and small office" device, the DS223 supports almost all of the DSM official packages apart from Active Backup for example. The good news is that it does support Snapshot Replication so users can benefit from great on-device or off-device replications of NAS data.
On top of this the latest (upcoming) DSM 7.2 version along with a new Docker version (Container Manager app), will be supported on this model.
Along with HB and SR packages, DS223 supports a very popular Synology Drive and Synology Photos, allowing any user to access files, images, and videos on the go using any compatible desktop, or mobile device.
Finally, it also supports a popular video surveillance solution by Synology, Surveillance Station 9. With two included licenses for any of over 8000 cameras supported models, the DS223 can be just the NVR solution you were looking for.
Designed with both leisure and work in mind, the entry-level 2-bay DS223 has all the tools you need to create an intuitive and secure platform to centralize, organize, and share your data. Leverage the license-free, built-in solutions available in Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) to create your own private cloud, access files from any device, and work efficiently on business projects with clients and collaborators.
In terms of HDD/SSD support, the DS223 will, unlike some bigger and stronger models, support a decent amount of brands and models from Synology, Toshiba, Seagate, and WD. It is always good to check the current list before getting any drives from any vendor just to be on the safe side that the drives will have no compatibility issue with the NAS or the DSM version.
It is also nice to see that the value series continues with its support of the BTRFS file systems as well as EXT4 in multiple supported RAID types (SHR, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1).
One final note, for all the PLEX users out there. Since the release of this model there were issue when it comes to running the PLEX server component on this NAS, but as of PLEX server version 1.32.3.7089, this is no longer an issue:
All in all a nice upgrade to the previous generation that will be versatile enough to allow for almost any use case scenarios while leaving room for more than the J lineup of models can offer. Value models like the new DS223 are great starting models for anyone looking to get a bit more power and features without spending too much on a device they are not familiar with. DSM 7 will work great with 2GB of RAM providing a smooth and seamless experience in a multi-user setup. Like with most models, DS223 will pay off in the long run as a capable NAS capable of performing more than just your basic backup tasks.
