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Hi, i'm helping a family member setup their new manufacturing warehouse. They have 2 users that need access to the files (cad files) and connections to 2 laptops that run the machines (that will be on a seperate vlan with no internet access that can only read the files.) I was going down the route of suggesting a synology ds225+ with 2x2TB WD Red SSD's in raid 1 and just saw on your video that they are locking third party drives out. So i was wondering what you'd suggest as i'm going to be getting a UniFi UCG Ultra to create the vlans but mainly need to be able to remote access the system to configure and maintain as i live in Spain but the system will be in the UK. Thank you
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Good call catching that drive lock issue — the DS225+ and other 2025 Synology models now require Synology-branded drives for full compatibility, which makes them less flexible for setups like this.
For your use case (2 users, CAD file storage, remote access, VLAN-separated machines), I’d recommend looking at either:
• QNAP TS-262 or TS-464 – both allow third-party drives, have excellent SMB and NFS performance, and can easily handle CAD workflows. The TS-262 fits your budget if you stick with 2×2TB WD Red SSDs in RAID 1.
• UGREEN DH4300 Plus – a cheaper but solid alternative if you want something simpler and don’t mind a newer ecosystem. Still supports VPN access and remote management.
For remote maintenance, set up Tailscale or WireGuard on the NAS so you can securely access it across VLANs from Spain.
