Synology · 2-bay
DS224+
A 2-bay that will serve a mostly Direct Play library. Still a mirror.
Not for: Households that may need hardware transcoding, or a target at 8 TB and above.
Class: Plus-class 2-bay
- Plus-class 2-bay versus the value model
- Direct Play library, not a transcode lab pick
Merchant search — price lives on Amazon or Scan. Commission tracking is not live yet. Disclosure
Who this is for
A 2-bay that will serve a mostly Direct Play library. Still a mirror.
Who this is not for
Households that may need hardware transcoding, or a target at 8 TB and above.
Public spec
Provenance V — Synology public product page, as of 2026-08-24. Bay count and the existence of this product page are treated as verified external facts. We do not copy a transcode table we have not checked.
Our class assignment
Plus-series 2-bay. Public pages describe stronger hardware than value models. Assigned plus_2bay as our editorial classification.
R · 2026-08-24
Goes with this box
NAS-rated CMR drives
A 2-bay mirror wants two NAS-rated CMR drives of the same capacity. Usable space is roughly one drive. Run the planner for a size band.
Merchant search — price lives on Amazon or Scan. Commission tracking is not live yet. Disclosure
UPS
A NAS should shut down cleanly on a power cut. Companion purchase, not part of the enclosure decision.
Merchant search — price lives on Amazon or Scan. Commission tracking is not live yet. Disclosure
Same bay count
2-bay · Synology
DS223
A first NAS for photos, documents and phone backup. No media server.
Check Amazon UK price (opens in a new tab)
2-bay · UGREEN
DXP2800
A 2-bay alternative in the plus class, if you prefer UGREEN to Synology.
Check Amazon UK price (opens in a new tab)