WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra vs. Synology DS216J: NAS Cloud Comparison
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In the market for a managed NAS device? Confused between the WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra vs. Synology DS216J? Today we are going to discuss two of the best NAS storage solutions available out there on the market:
WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra Diskless
Synology DS216J Diskless
NAS or Network Attached Storage is a dedicated file storage system. It is mainly used to provide LAN based storage nodes for a local area network. LAN nodes are merely file-based shared storage that works on the base of a standard Ethernet connection. Generally, NAS devices do not have standard input-output peripherals such as monitors and displays. Thus, to manage such NAS devices, a browser-based utility program is used. Each NAS has an independent network node and an assigned IP address. Storage drives used for NAS are different compared to traditional storage drives. They differ by models and that might create confusion to potential buyers. Now let’s move to the main discussion.
Before we start comparing WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra and Synology DS216J NAS storage solutions, let us have a quick look at their technical specifications. Here are detailed specs and technical aspects related to both WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra and Synology DS216J NAS Storage:
1. WD My Cloud EX2 (10TB):
General
Total Storage Capacity
up to 32 TB
Manufacturer
Western Digital Corp.
Storage Controller
RAID Level
JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1
Interface Type
Serial ATA-600
Power Device
Nominal Voltage
AC 120/230 V
Frequency Required
50/60 Hz
Processor / Memory
Processors Installed
1.2 GHz
RAM Installed
512 MB DDR3
Storage
Total Storage Capacity
10 TB
Network Storage Type
NAS server
ISCSI support
iSCSI
Chassis
Installed Devices / Modules Qty
2
Supported Devices / Modules Qty
2
Built-in Device:
LED panel
Processor
Clock Speed
1.2 GHz
Power
Voltage Required
AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)
Interface Provided
Qty
1, 2
Interface
Ethernet 1000Base-T, USB 3.0
Connector Type
RJ-45
Networking
Remote Management Protocol
SNMP
Network / Transport Protocol
FTP, SMB, iSCSI
Features
DFS support, FTP server, roaming function, wake on LAN (WOL), IPv6 support, Jumbo Frames support, SNMP support, UPnP Media Server, VLAN support, WebDAV server, backup server, iTunes server
Data Link Protocol
Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet
Compliant Standards
DLNA CERTIFIED, IEEE 802.1Q
Host Connectivity (for SD)
Gigabit Ethernet
Network Services Compatibility
Apple File Protocol (AFP), DFS, Internet Storage Name Service (DNS), Microsoft CIFS, Network File System (NFS), Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)
Miscellaneous
Encryption Algorithm
AES
Features
Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately), built-in cooling fan, UPS support, Full Volume Encryption
Color
charcoal gray
Color Category
gray
Features
Full Volume Encryption, UPS support, built-in cooling fan, security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Hard Drive
Form Factor
3.5″
Installed Qty
2
Capacity
2 x 5 TB
Hot-Swap
hot-swap
Form Factor (metric)
8.9 cm
RAM
Technology
DDR3 SDRAM
Software / System Requirements
OS Required
Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista, Apple MacOS X 10.6, Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Apple MacOS X 10.7 Lion, Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Windows 8.1, Apple OS X 10.9 Mavericks
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support
Limited warranty – 2 years
System Requirements
OS Required
Apple MacOS X 10.6, Apple OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Windows 8.1
Access Control List (ACL) support, Advanced Data Streaming (ADS), BitTorrent Client, DLNA Media Server, DNS server, E-mail alert, FTP server, IP address filtering, IPv6 support, LDAP support, MySQL server, PXE support, RADIUS support, SMS alert, SSH support, Samba support, Syslog support, UPnP Media Server, VPN Server, VPN support, backup server, bandwidth control, cloud backup, download client, e-mail notification, e-mail server, eMule client, file sharing, firewall protection, iTunes server, mobile users support, print server, reset button, surveillance station, wake on LAN (WOL), web server
Data Link Protocol
Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet
Compliant Standards
DLNA CERTIFIED, UPnP
Host Connectivity (for SD)
Gigabit Ethernet
Network Services Compatibility
Apple File Protocol (AFP), Calendaring Extensions to WebDAV (CalDAV), FTP, File Level Security (ACLs), Microsoft Active Directory (AD), Microsoft CIFS, Network File System (NFS), Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV)
Miscellaneous
Encryption Algorithm
SSL, TLS
Cables Included
1 x network cable
Color Category
gray, white
Features
built-in cooling fan, hardware encryption, security lock slot (cable lock sold separately), wake on LAN
RAM
Technology
DDR3 SDRAM
Software / System Requirements
OS Required
Microsoft Windows XP or later, Apple MacOS X 10.7 or later, Ubuntu 12 or later
Storage Operating System
Synology DiskStation Manager
System Requirements
OS Required
Apple MacOS X 10.7 or later, Microsoft Windows XP or later, Ubuntu 12 or later
So that now you had a look at all the important technical aspects of both the NAS storage solutions. Let us put over the perspective of which is better in what aspect and which is not. Since they are from a same price range and category of products, most of the features are pretty same on both devices, however, here is a quick comparison:
Both devices were launched about two years ago for small-scale use
WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra has compact and small design compared to Synology DS216J, and it also weighs less. EX2 weighs 800 g where Synology weighs 880 g.
They both provide double 3.5” SATA II bays; however, WD My Cloud EX2 supports SSDs, where Synology DS216J doesn’t.
Moreover, WD comes with JBOD, RAID 0 and RAID 1 support. Synology supports Synology Hybrid RAID as well along with these RAID supports
Talking about the connectivity, both of these NAS comes with Gigabit Ethernet LAN port. However, only Synology supports wireless connectivity using a USB dongle
Synology offers more cloud backup options compared to WD. WD offers Amazon S3, Dropbox and Elephant drive where Synology provides Amazon S3, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft One Drive.
Both NAS have Marvell Armada 385 CPU, but WD works at 1.3 GHz where Synology works at 1 GHz. WD has 1 GB RAM where Synology has 512 MB only and naturally, they both operate on their respective OS from manufacturer
WD has a fanless design, so it is silent but a little hot most of the times. Synology comes with a cooling fan, so it gets a bit noisy on peak moments, but it keeps the system cool most of the times
Conclusion:
We hope this post helps you to understand how WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra and Synology DS216J differ from each other. We just pointed out significant differences here. However, you can also find all the technical details in the tables above. If you have any question, query or suggestion, feel free to use the comment box below.
