In case it has gone unnoticed, at the beginning of 2023, Synology officially opened its very own (web) Synology Store.
A web front that allows anyone to purchase items and spare parts directly from Synology including PSU, RAM, drive bays, all the way up to routers, expansion units, and NAS devices.
In September 2023, they started offering refurbished NAS units for certain lineups promoting their "green" Love Our Earth campaign.
Depending on the geographical location, we can have more or less options from the store. For example, the US region at the moment has no option to select a refurbished NAS, while some other markets might have a higher price due to currency and VAT.
So what does the 2024 lineup look like presently? Following the menu at the top, the store starts with the Bee series models. Now, these include the new addition from the start of this year, the new BeeStation, as well as several BeeDrive devices, the 10G portable USB-C drive.
Following along we have another well-established category that kicked off in 2015 with Synology's first router. Offering four out of their five ever models, these routers while not being Wi-Fi 6E or 7 ready, still have a lot to offer.
Built on the foundation of Synology SRM OS, these routers are packed with features that are very user-friendly while offering high mesh speeds as well as many security and parental features.
Just as the BeeStation entered the list, so have the new Synology surveillance cameras. About a year ago, Synology presented its first two branded surveillance PoE cameras that can be purchased via the Store. While those models do not require any Surveillance Station licenses, those are optional as part of the inventory as well.
During this year's Synology Solution Exhibition 2024, we had a preview of several more cameras that will be launched in the future, one of which is the new CC400W model. Since it is still not officially released outside Taiwan, it is not present in the Store but that will probably change very soon.
Skipping over the expansion units for the moment, seeing as there are only two older models, we come to a brand new section that occupies the biggest part of the store. Synology branded drives.
The branded drives are Toshiba-made disks for both HAT5300 (enterprise) and HAT3300 (NAS) models that Synology has started to push via their official compatibility list and with some already mentioned devices, like the BeeStation.
While on the topic, the recently announced Data Protection line of devices (powered by ActiveProtect Manager OS) will also come prepopulated with Synology drives.
What is also new in the store inventory, are also refurbished NAS models that now come with two Synology drives of selected capacity (customer can choose). This is another campaign that will over time ensure the Synology NAS market is associated less and less with 3rd party drives and more with Synology-branded ones.
Finally, as it has been since day one, there are various accessories that anyone can buy, such as add-in cards, RAM, rail kits, or spare parts.
Considering the longevity of some of these devices and the fact that some have even up to 5y warranties, it is reassuring to know that there is an option to buy some spare parts for models that are even over 10y old.
As always, there are several reasons to buy directly from the store, and in cases where appliances are in question, there is no better option than to buy from the vendor.
Synology offers free shipping for over €200 with a 30-day moneyback option, and tech support as well as an RMA service. In the past year and a half, we can see that Synology is continuing to expand the inventory of their store, and with being more focused on their own hardware, it does make sense. We can expect more items in the future that will for sure benefit the growing number of their customers.
