Synology is understood for making the greatest house 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 mainly an exterior SSD that you simply hook up with a Home windows or macOS machine, and it then backs up knowledge from that system in addition to any telephones.
The concept is that as a substitute of shopping for a full-fledged NAS, you should utilize the BeeDrive to again up necessary knowledge. Whereas I wasn’t initially satisfied, I used the backup resolution for over a month earlier than writing the BeeDrive evaluation, and in that point, I got here to comprehend its utility. It does a terrific job backing up knowledge, however one of the best half is that you simply needn’t do something after setting it up — after it is configured, it continues to again up knowledge routinely, 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 needed a 4TB mannequin as that will be better-suited to my knowledge wants, and Synology clearly paid consideration, as there’s now a 4TB model of the BeeDrive, obtainable for $299.
I switched out the 1TB BeeDrive — which was already 70% full — and slotted within the 4TB mannequin a couple of weeks in the past, and it has been terrific. The launch of the 4TB BeeDrive is attention-grabbing as a result of it goes up towards the most recent BeeStation, which is aimed toward an identical viewers however is an all-in-one resolution that has Ethernet out and would not should be plugged in to a Home windows machine.
In my BeeStation evaluation, I famous that it’s the very best alternative if you’d like a centralized resolution to again up your knowledge, and it does a terrific job in that space. It comes with a 4TB mechanical exhausting drive, makes use of the identical nice utility because the BeeDrive — and one of the best Synology NAS servers — to again up images and movies out of your telephones, and there is a native Home windows consumer that permits you to again up your laptop.
The BeeStation hasn’t launched globally simply but, however it should retail for $199 when it does, and gross sales are slated to begin beginning March 6. It is extra inexpensive 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 way in which I see it, each of those merchandise are a fantastic resolution when you simply want a hassle-free strategy to retailer your knowledge. The BeeStation has an inherent benefit in that you simply needn’t plug it into one other system 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 resolution, and it’s a good selection when you do not need to put money into a full-fledged NAS.
That mentioned, nothing beats the portability of the BeeDrive. It’s the measurement of an SSD, and that makes it simple 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 images and movies. If you happen to do not need to purchase a full-fledged NAS and wish an easy-to-use storage resolution, that is the only option.
