Yesterday, 11:59 AM
Thanks for your message. For your needs, a simple and reliable 2-bay NAS in RAID 1 is a great choice, especially if your main goal is to automatically back up photos and videos from your phone and have an easy viewing setup without paying for cloud storage.
Right now, your shortlist is on point. The Synology DS223j and QNAP TS-233 are the best entry-level options in this price range. Between the two, the DS223j is the more beginner-friendly choice. Synology’s software (DSM) is easier to set up, and their mobile apps for photo and video backup are very polished, especially Synology Photos, which feels quite close to Google Photos in day-to-day use.
If you don’t mind a bit more configuration, the QNAP TS-233 gives you more flexibility, faster hardware, and better support for 2.5GbE networks, which helps with futureproofing. However, its software requires more user management and is a little less intuitive than Synology’s.
If you can stretch your budget slightly, the TerraMaster F2-212 is another good value choice with 2.5GbE and decent long-term support. It’s not quite as refined as Synology but much faster at transferring large photo and video collections.
On long-term updates, both Synology and QNAP tend to support their NAS units for at least 5 to 7 years after release, so even buying a model that’s a year or two old is safe. TerraMaster usually provides 3 to 5 years of OS updates.
Your plan for protection is solid. Using RAID 1 with scheduled snapshots and a USB backup gives you strong resilience against ransomware and accidental deletion. Just make sure the external backup is disconnected between backups so it’s not accessible during an attack.
As for timing, Black Friday often brings 10–15% discounts on entry models and drives, so it’s worth waiting a few weeks if you can.
Right now, your shortlist is on point. The Synology DS223j and QNAP TS-233 are the best entry-level options in this price range. Between the two, the DS223j is the more beginner-friendly choice. Synology’s software (DSM) is easier to set up, and their mobile apps for photo and video backup are very polished, especially Synology Photos, which feels quite close to Google Photos in day-to-day use.
If you don’t mind a bit more configuration, the QNAP TS-233 gives you more flexibility, faster hardware, and better support for 2.5GbE networks, which helps with futureproofing. However, its software requires more user management and is a little less intuitive than Synology’s.
If you can stretch your budget slightly, the TerraMaster F2-212 is another good value choice with 2.5GbE and decent long-term support. It’s not quite as refined as Synology but much faster at transferring large photo and video collections.
On long-term updates, both Synology and QNAP tend to support their NAS units for at least 5 to 7 years after release, so even buying a model that’s a year or two old is safe. TerraMaster usually provides 3 to 5 years of OS updates.
Your plan for protection is solid. Using RAID 1 with scheduled snapshots and a USB backup gives you strong resilience against ransomware and accidental deletion. Just make sure the external backup is disconnected between backups so it’s not accessible during an attack.
As for timing, Black Friday often brings 10–15% discounts on entry models and drives, so it’s worth waiting a few weeks if you can.