Removing the DS216 from its packaging, we are met by a rather sleek looking NAS unit. Both sides utilise a stencil cut-out of the Synology logo which also doubles up to offer some minor ventilation for the internal components and storage drives.

At the front we have a large detachable glossy panel which allows access to the storage trays and along the right-edge there are LEDs for STATUS, LAN, DISK 1 and DISK 2. Synology also include a single USB 2.0 port, fast copy button and the power button.

To take advantage of the copy button, this feature firstly needs to be enabled in the DSM software. Once enabled, backups can be easily processed by simply inserting a USB drive and pressing the button.


Around the back there is a grill for the 90mm rear exhaust fan – this fan is the only cooling solution within DS216 and is responsible for flushing out unwanted heat. and below this we have a factory reset button, two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit LAN port, Kensington lock allocation and the AC power port to work in conjunction with the supplied power pack.


Flipping the DS216 over, onto its side, we have a group of four rubber pads to keep the unit stable when placed on smooth surfaces and there are some extra sections for ventilation.