Synology DS214Play replacement

[Enquiries]

Hi,
My disk station and hard disks are aging and I am looking for a replacement. Main use is file storage and sharing for family, mainly fotos and video. I am looking for a 2-bay NAS/disk combination with high reliability, easy setup and use, low noise and low energy consumption, preferably from EU or Taiwan.
Many thanks for your recommendations.
Stefan

[ed]

Thanks for getting in touch. The DS214Play was a very capable little unit in its time, and it sounds like it has served your family well. Given your priorities — reliable file and photo storage, quiet operation, low power draw, and easy use — there are some great modern alternatives that will feel like a solid upgrade without overcomplicating things.

If you’d like to stay within the Synology ecosystem (which offers one of the most user-friendly NAS interfaces available), the Synology DS224+ is a strong 2-bay successor. It features a newer Intel processor, supports Btrfs for improved data integrity and snapshots, and has enough performance for smooth photo/video sharing and basic indexing. DSM 7.2 is very polished and simple to manage, especially if you’re backing up family phones and devices, or want to use Synology Photos to replace cloud services like Google Photos.

If you prefer to avoid Synology’s newer drive restrictions (only certain models in their higher-end lineup enforce this), then the DS224+ is a safe choice — it still supports third-party drives like WD Red Plus and Seagate IronWolf without issue.

Alternatively, if you’re open to another Taiwan-based brand, QNAP’s TS-262 is worth considering. It offers similar specs, also runs quietly, and has support for features like snapshots, multimedia indexing, and mobile photo backup. QNAP’s software (QTS) is a bit more flexible but slightly more complex than Synology DSM. Still, it’s absolutely capable for the kind of use you’re after, and it’s well-supported in the EU market.

For the drives themselves, I’d suggest pairing the NAS with 2 x 10TB WD Red Plus or Seagate IronWolf drives in RAID 1. That will give you 10TB of usable capacity with one-drive redundancy, low vibration, and optimized power usage for 24/7 operation. Both models are widely available in Europe, designed for NAS use, and offer long-term reliability.

In terms of noise and power, both the DS224+ and TS-262 are low-wattage units with smart fan control and very quiet operation — they’re ideal for a living space or home office and won’t drive up your electricity bill.