Exterior

The DS212j features a glossy white plastic case, which looks nice, despite the material it is made of. We would highly prefer the use of aluminum or at least steel, but these two materials would make the small NAS either more expensive or much heavier, so Synology preferred to go the plastic way. On the front there are four LEDs for the status of the NAS, LAN and activity of the two disks. The On/Off switch is located a little lower while there is no front USB port. That's a shame since it would greatly enhance usability.


On the side the Synology logo is engraved, while on the rear side we meet the 92mm fan and all I/O ports (two USB 2.0 and an Ethernet) along with the power input socket and a K-lock. Unfortunately there is no USB 3.0 support neither an eSATA port.


To install the disks you have to crack open the NAS. Thankfully the only thing you have to do to gain access into its internals is to remove two screws on the rear. To make your life easier, these screws are not installed out of the box. Also the corresponding bag of the bundle includes a spare screw so in total there are three in it, something very thoughtful. With the optional adapters you can even install 2.5" disks into these bays.