Keeping with the same styling from previous years, Synology present the DS214 in a rugged plastic enclosure that has a matt finish and glossy plastic front fascia. Both sides feature the Synology emblem engraved this also gives some additional ventilation for the internal hard drives/components. Overall were pleased with how DS214 looks and feels, and we see no problem with the company continuing to use a reliable design.
Sleek and professional aesthetics
Synology logo on either side
Casting our eyes onto the front of DS214, our NAS has a glossy plastic front fascia which is removable. Running along the right edge of the unit are various LED indicators, ports and buttons. From top to bottom there are the following:
Status LED
LAN LED
Disk 1 LED
Disk 2 LED
USB 2.0 port
Reset button
Power button
Note: Although there are markings for the SD card slot, the DS214 does not come with this feature unlike its predecessor. We are led to believe the markings are there because the same outer body has been used for this new version.
Glossy plastic front with LEDs, ports and buttons
Spinning the DS214 round to the back we see the unit still has a 92mm exhaust fan for extracting heat from the PCB and HDDs. Beneath this fan are 2x USB 3.0 ports and a RJ45 Gigabit LAN port. Also on the back panel is the AC connector and a label with the mac address and serial number should you need these details for technical requirements. As is common with most network devices Synology have kindly included a bracket on the back for use with a Kensington lock.
The back of DS214 with dual USB 3.0 ports
