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+--- Thread: Synology Active Insight (/showthread.php?tid=12513)
Synology Active Insight - Enquiries - 11-24-2025
I just bought and configured a DS1825+ with 3x24TB Seagate Ironwolf Pro in SHR1. I am using it as a 2nd Backup for 3 computer weekly disk images (1st backups are on external usb HDDs), as a 2nd Backup for ~20TB of Plex Media (1st backup is on the Windows 11 Plex PC server), and to replace Google Photo and Google Drive. Should I register to Active Insight? Is is safe? Is it useful? What does it bring more? Is there still a limited free subscription?
RE: Synology Active Insight - ed - 11-24-2025
Thanks for getting in touch. Active Insight is completely optional and your DS1825+ will run perfectly without it. It is a cloud monitoring service from Synology that sends system health data to Synology’s servers and gives you centralised alerts, performance graphs, drive warnings, security flags and long term analytics. It is safe to use, but it does require sending telemetry off your NAS, which some users prefer to avoid for privacy reasons.
For most home users who only need backups, Plex storage and photo management, Active Insight does not add anything essential. DSM already gives you SMART monitoring, drive health checks, storage warnings and email notifications locally. If you like cloud dashboards and want proactive alerts on your phone when something changes, the free tier still exists with limited history and is usually enough.