>>will definitely make other router vendors rethink the interface for their offerings
Let's hope not. The Synology/QNAP "desktop" metaphor is a pain in the butt to use compared to a simple menu-driven UI, especially over slower connections. If anything, let's hope that Synology and QNAP reconsider their UIs from their forays into routing and learn from best practice elsewhere.
I think people who object to the desktop-style interface will be better off with the router app for interacting with the device.
The desktop-style interface, IMO, is perfect for power users. Additionally, the index into all the feature pages is right in the top panel all the time.
Obviously, this is a subjective aspect and your opinion is welcome too for our readers to get a balanced perspective.
>>The desktop-style interface, IMO, is perfect for power users.
With respect, that's simply not true. The entire concept of the desktop is for less advanced users - so that they feel there is little difference between the desktop or laptop they're using and the NAS: "apps on desktop? apps on NAS! control panel on desktop? control panel on NAS!", etc. For any sort of power user, the desktop UI is a pain - it assumes you're not smart enough to handle the concept of a different kind of UI, it hides complexity behind multiple clicks so that it's harder to get in far enough to break something, and it eats compute and RAM for no reason. Even if you assume that the driving reason is a fake sense of multitasking which is a "power user" feature, it might have made sense on a NAS; it certainly doesn't make sense on a router. And if you've ever used Excel or STATLAB or Photoshop or even Handbrake, you know there's an easy way to show simultaneous task execution without having another "window" - status bars and thread lists.
Finally, by adding this needless complexity, you've got more code that can have bugs. It might be OK for a NAS behind a firewall to have bugs because the firewall serves as the first line of defense, but it's not OK for a router to have more complexity.
I'm sorry, but unless you can specifically point out how this UI benefits a hypothetical power user, I'm going to assume this is lifted from a marketing bullet.
The main power of the desktop UI lies in the fact that DSM / SRM allows for multiple open windows within the view at the same time.
So, for example, you could have a graphical view of the resource usage while simultaneously looking into / altering some options in another 'sub-window' for the router configuration.
I challenge you to find anywhere else that shows this as a 'marketing bullet'. The opinion that a desktop UI is better for power users is completely mine, and based on aspects such as the one I just cited. No accusations without proof, please.
And, as I said earlier, if you want a 'menu' driven configuration - you can always use the mobile app. I would use both depending on what I want to do at a particular moment.
Very interesting device. Might very well give the other router companies a run for their money. The feature set is definitely very nice, very close to being on par with what you'd find in third-party router firmwares such as TomatoUSB.
I myself am still running a Linksys E3000 with TomatoUSB loaded on it and it's amazing that such a little router can be packed with so many features. Bandwidth monitoring and limiting, QoS, advanced firewall rules thanks to iptables, etc. Perfect for those unlucky people who have Comcast so they can say "Hey Comcast, your meters are dead wrong!"
If an when this router that's talked about in this article comes down in price I might have to take a look at it. Granted, TomatoUSB and my E3000 is showing no signs of slouching but still, this router is a solution for those people who need advanced router functions without having to learn all of the geek stuff.
They released the 1900ac router in Asia a while ago and I have been using it for the last 2 months. It is utterly reliable unlike the R7000 which was my previous router. It also has unsurpassed range on the 2.4GHz bands compared to anything else I have tried. The web interface is also far better than any other router interface I have used, although I have the advantage in being a Synology NAS user so it is very familiar indeed. The fact that it is a reasonable price and quite compact for its capabilities are additional major plus points.
But that budget 4 bay NAS design really is terrible...
Was not aware of this though apparently it has been out in Europe since November.
The software is impressive, not only is the GUI fancy but it seems feature packed as well. Haven't seen as advanced traffic control in any router I've looked at.
Here's hoping it does well for them so the do more routers. I'd love to have that software but I really don't need that powerful WiFi in my apartment so a bit hard to justify the price. An AC750 or thereabout would be great.
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vnangia - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
>>will definitely make other router vendors rethink the interface for their offeringsLet's hope not. The Synology/QNAP "desktop" metaphor is a pain in the butt to use compared to a simple menu-driven UI, especially over slower connections. If anything, let's hope that Synology and QNAP reconsider their UIs from their forays into routing and learn from best practice elsewhere.
ganeshts - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
I think people who object to the desktop-style interface will be better off with the router app for interacting with the device.The desktop-style interface, IMO, is perfect for power users. Additionally, the index into all the feature pages is right in the top panel all the time.
Obviously, this is a subjective aspect and your opinion is welcome too for our readers to get a balanced perspective.
vnangia - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
>>The desktop-style interface, IMO, is perfect for power users.With respect, that's simply not true. The entire concept of the desktop is for less advanced users - so that they feel there is little difference between the desktop or laptop they're using and the NAS: "apps on desktop? apps on NAS! control panel on desktop? control panel on NAS!", etc. For any sort of power user, the desktop UI is a pain - it assumes you're not smart enough to handle the concept of a different kind of UI, it hides complexity behind multiple clicks so that it's harder to get in far enough to break something, and it eats compute and RAM for no reason. Even if you assume that the driving reason is a fake sense of multitasking which is a "power user" feature, it might have made sense on a NAS; it certainly doesn't make sense on a router. And if you've ever used Excel or STATLAB or Photoshop or even Handbrake, you know there's an easy way to show simultaneous task execution without having another "window" - status bars and thread lists.
Finally, by adding this needless complexity, you've got more code that can have bugs. It might be OK for a NAS behind a firewall to have bugs because the firewall serves as the first line of defense, but it's not OK for a router to have more complexity.
I'm sorry, but unless you can specifically point out how this UI benefits a hypothetical power user, I'm going to assume this is lifted from a marketing bullet.
ganeshts - Sunday, January 17, 2016 - link
The main power of the desktop UI lies in the fact that DSM / SRM allows for multiple open windows within the view at the same time.So, for example, you could have a graphical view of the resource usage while simultaneously looking into / altering some options in another 'sub-window' for the router configuration.
I challenge you to find anywhere else that shows this as a 'marketing bullet'. The opinion that a desktop UI is better for power users is completely mine, and based on aspects such as the one I just cited. No accusations without proof, please.
And, as I said earlier, if you want a 'menu' driven configuration - you can always use the mobile app. I would use both depending on what I want to do at a particular moment.
BugblatterIII - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
My DS410 is getting a bit long-in-the-tooth so I'm interested in a possible DS416+; I was hoping to hear something at CES but it's not looking good.iwod - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
They 4 Bay design still sucks.ganeshts - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
It is a budget NAS, and has always followed that ID. The 4-bay designs with hot-swap capabilities have a decent ID.trparky - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
Very interesting device. Might very well give the other router companies a run for their money. The feature set is definitely very nice, very close to being on par with what you'd find in third-party router firmwares such as TomatoUSB.I myself am still running a Linksys E3000 with TomatoUSB loaded on it and it's amazing that such a little router can be packed with so many features. Bandwidth monitoring and limiting, QoS, advanced firewall rules thanks to iptables, etc. Perfect for those unlucky people who have Comcast so they can say "Hey Comcast, your meters are dead wrong!"
If an when this router that's talked about in this article comes down in price I might have to take a look at it. Granted, TomatoUSB and my E3000 is showing no signs of slouching but still, this router is a solution for those people who need advanced router functions without having to learn all of the geek stuff.
syxbit - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
What am I missing? Synology decided to take on the router market with a nearly 2 year old design.It should be $100.
ganeshts - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
The Nighthawk R7000 is still $200 - Same specifications, but $50 cheaper could be a good bet, IMO.Obviously, MU-MIMO is not there. Hopefully, Synology is using it to perfect their router platform before moving on to the high end.
Makaveli - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
You can find the Netgear R7000 on sale.I paid $175 for mine like 3 months ago.
And the fact that you can run ASUS merlin firmware on the nighthawk gives it the edge.
Dunkurs1987 - Monday, February 15, 2016 - link
£120 pounds for functionality is not too bad: http://www.span.com/product/Synology-Wireless-Rout...JonHK - Sunday, January 10, 2016 - link
They released the 1900ac router in Asia a while ago and I have been using it for the last 2 months. It is utterly reliable unlike the R7000 which was my previous router. It also has unsurpassed range on the 2.4GHz bands compared to anything else I have tried. The web interface is also far better than any other router interface I have used, although I have the advantage in being a Synology NAS user so it is very familiar indeed. The fact that it is a reasonable price and quite compact for its capabilities are additional major plus points.But that budget 4 bay NAS design really is terrible...
Leonick - Monday, January 11, 2016 - link
Was not aware of this though apparently it has been out in Europe since November.The software is impressive, not only is the GUI fancy but it seems feature packed as well. Haven't seen as advanced traffic control in any router I've looked at.
Here's hoping it does well for them so the do more routers. I'd love to have that software but I really don't need that powerful WiFi in my apartment so a bit hard to justify the price. An AC750 or thereabout would be great.
mitr - Friday, May 20, 2016 - link
How come Anandtech dropped/missed sinology ds 916+?mitr - Friday, May 20, 2016 - link
How come Anandtech dropped/missed synology ds 916+?