Synology Routers

px_eliezer_

Seems to be some recent controversy about them.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/04/synology-confirms-need-for-synology-branded-drives-in-newer-plus-series-nas/

Article also has some details about their suppliers etc.

planet

Appreciate anyone’s experience with Synology Routers, especially functionality and firmware updates. Looking for a router that can provide consistent long term security.

JanJ

Think you mean NAS’s..

I have Synology NASs and Routers. I will not use or suggest their new NAS + gear. I will decide which drives to purchase, not them!

For now (rumors persist that V8 may not!!😳)
I can use whatever drives I want in my older + NAS, and I will!
Seagate has made drives for over 40 Years! Synology rebrands drives for 40 Months!
Who will I trust?

Regarding Synology Routers….. I have 2× 2600’s. Overall I am quite happy with them! I do use their Firewall (I/O rules) and TP Packet Sniffer, (added a couple hundred of custom rules to TP)
Don’t use their VLAN, VPN, or Guest WiFi.
Some have reported problems with Synology Mesh. For years I’ve used an old Linksys WiFi router as wired access point in garage, as a ‘homemade’ Mesh, and it has worked flawlessly. They have released firmware updates more frequently that my prior router mfg did, and get updates for the 5 different system databases they have at times daily, got one today! So it’s still receiving updates!
At the time (8 years ago) this router was head and shoulders in feature set better than my prior router had. The later model 6600 runs same featured code as 2600, so I saw no benefit in upgrading. They are a bit long in lifetime. Recent Synology events have not mentioned anything new router-wise, I’m hearing. Time will tell what the future holds!

Dustyn

px_eliezer_ https://kb.synology.com/en-us/DSM/tutorial/Drive_compatibility_policies

Dks01

I have a Synology D220+ NAS with 2x WD Red 12 TB drives. It just works. Older NAS devices like mine are not affected by this policy change. This is no different from any manufacturer saying that you can only use certain processors, hard drives and memory with their motherboard. Choice is not always available for everything. And choice can get expensive. I have an Asus laptop with a 1TB SSD. I wanted to upgrade to a 2TB. Nope. Would not boot. When I asked Asus about the no boot, they said “Not tested with 2TB drive.” I found another use for the SSD.

JanJ

Dks01

I’ve seen a couple posts indicating that V8 from Synology may spring this on older units….
Damn I hope they are Wrong!

My 3x NAS’s:
718+ has a 3rd Party eSATA enclosure with 3rd Party SSD in it… and Ironworl HDD’s in SHR.

One of my 720+'s has same 3rd Party eSATA enclosure & 3rd Party SSD, 3rd party 4GB RAM Expansion, Ironwolf HDD’s in SHR, and Samsung NVME R/W Cache’s…..

Other 720+ is stuffed with 3rd Party hardware:
Same 3Rd Party eSATA enclosure & 3rd Party SSD, 3rd Party 8GB Ram Expansion, 3rd Party SSD’s in SHR, Seagate NVME R/W Cache’s, and 3rd Party Power Supply! The only thing this NAS has that is Synology is the NAS itself!!!

All 3x NAS’s work flawlessly, and have for many years!

Dks01

JanJ In the Q & A linked above, Synology says clearly.

Do the new drive compatibility policies apply retroactively to systems that have already been launched?
The new drive compatibility policies apply only to new models starting in 2025 and do not apply retroactively to previously launched systems.

Emphasis added.

JanJ

Dks01
Have heard that, too, and hope for V8 in NAS and WHatever Router goes to - if it goes anywhere…. Still, Rumors Persist!
follows that info. ( only 25+ and later)

planet

JanJ
Thanks for posting about your 2600s. My objective is to purchase a router that will continue receiving firmware updates on an extended consistent basis. I’m considering Synology’s WRX560 as a stand alone router. I think it’s their newest released router albeit 2 ½ yrs ago. As you mentioned, your 2600’s continue receiving firmware updates. I’d love to see them release a new router but as you mentioned there hasn’t been anything new in their product pipeline for routers.