Synology is understood for making the greatest dwelling NAS servers, however the Taiwanese model is branching out its portfolio with the introduction of the BeeDrive and BeeStation. The BeeDrive was unveiled again in June 2023, and it’s principally an exterior SSD that you simply connect with a Home windows or macOS machine, and it then backs up information from that gadget in addition to any telephones.
The thought is that as an alternative of shopping for a full-fledged NAS, you should use the BeeDrive to again up necessary information. Whereas I wasn’t initially satisfied, I used the backup answer for over a month earlier than writing the BeeDrive evaluate, and in that point, I got here to understand its utility. It does a terrific job backing up information, however one of the best half is that you simply need not do something after setting it up — after it is configured, it continues to again up information mechanically, and that is an enormous differentiator over a normal SSD.
The one quibble I had with the BeeDrive was that it got here with restricted storage. The bottom model has 1TB of storage and retails for $119, and there is a 2TB mannequin that prices $199. I wished a 4TB mannequin as that may be better-suited to my information wants, and Synology clearly paid consideration, as there’s now a 4TB model of the BeeDrive, out there for $299.
I switched out the 1TB BeeDrive — which was already 70% full — and slotted within the 4TB mannequin a number of weeks in the past, and it has been terrific. The launch of the 4TB BeeDrive is fascinating as a result of it goes up towards the most recent BeeStation, which is aimed toward an analogous viewers however is an all-in-one answer that has Ethernet out and would not have to be plugged in to a Home windows machine.
In my BeeStation evaluate, I famous that it’s the splendid alternative in order for you a centralized answer to again up your information, and it does a terrific job in that space. It comes with a 4TB mechanical laborious drive, makes use of the identical nice utility because the BeeDrive — and one of the best Synology NAS servers — to again up pictures and movies out of your telephones, and there is a native Home windows shopper that allows you to again up your laptop.
The BeeStation hasn’t launched globally simply but, however it is going to retail for $199 when it does, and gross sales are slated to start beginning March 6. It is extra reasonably priced than the BeeDrive whereas that includes an all-in-one design as a result of it makes use of a tough drive; the BeeStation has an SSD inside.
The best way I see it, each of those merchandise are a fantastic answer should you simply want a hassle-free method to retailer your information. The BeeStation has an inherent benefit in that you simply need not plug it into one other gadget for it to work, and you’ll even again up the information in your cloud storage — similar to Google Drive and OneDrive — to the system with ease. It’s being marketed as a personal cloud answer, and it’s a sensible choice should you do not need to spend money on a full-fledged NAS.
That stated, nothing beats the portability of the BeeDrive. It’s the measurement of an SSD, and that makes it straightforward to take round wherever. Whereas it would not have as many options, the comfort and the truth that you get SSD storage make it a terrific alternative in its personal proper, and now you get a 4TB model.
The BeeDrive now goes as much as 4TB, offering greater than sufficient storage to again up all your pictures and movies. In case you do not need to purchase a full-fledged NAS and need an easy-to-use storage answer, that is the only option.Â
