BeeStation

This is a great backup device for simplicity. The instructions are extremely clear into how to set everything up with scanning a QR code. Everyone complaining that they can't get the device to work is likely just impatient from the slightly long initial startup time. This additionally works with Mas OS Sequoia. Everything was seamless during the update. If someone says it doesn't work with an OS update, they likely did something else to cause their issue. The BeePhotos and BeeFiles app are great. BeeFiles is similar to google drive, where it can sync to a folder on your device. BeePhotos is basically a toned down version of google photos. There is unfortunately no dark mode on these apps. It is extremely easy to share files and albums between users. My one complaint is the link will open up the album in the web, versus in the beephotos or beestation app. Hopefully this will get addressed, but it is not a huge issue. Time Machine works great, which is the primary reason I got this machine. While this doesn't work with a Plex Server, you can view the files locally on a device and a tool, such as VLC and such. This is useful for viewing home videos and photos. The one downside to this device is that it only runs off 1 drive, where many NAS drives will have 2-bays. I recently purchased an external drive to act as a backup device so I don't solely rely on the beestation and the one drive. I will try and update my review after I report how my solution works.

I was looking for a simple, reliable, affordable personal cloud storage option. This thing checks all the boxes. Plug and play, you don't have to be an IT geek to get it up and going. To be fair my only hiccup was during the initial setup it kept failing to complete the install, after over an hour of frustration I finally found a page on the Synology website that informed me that the site was temporarily down for maintenance and updating. Tried it again the next morning an voila, easy peasy! Wish they would have made it a little easier to know that little detail. Even with that, it deserves 5 stars, this thing is just what I was looking for. Love it!

To first preface this I should say I am not a certified IT professional. However, I am highly technical in nature and have had a lot of experience with day-to-day dealings with computers and their interface due to the line of our work. Specifically as it relates here I have used WDCloud devices over the years and their setup was easily done. Their problem is that they have been phasing out their NAS product line. I needed something this time to host family photos and videos. I needed something that was just a 2TB to 4TB setup to be used locally here in the home to access family media through the local home network. Synology lists their product as easily setup. I beg to differ what they define as "setup". Upon opening the box you see a tiny setup card which simply guides you on how to physically setup the device with two methods to "Start Using BeeStation". One was Scan QR code and the other through their online portal. I used the online portal. The device easily and quickly connected to their network and all they did at that time is to declare that the device was "ready to use". Went all downhill from there. I could see from the online portal the drive and could transfer files via the Internet. However, I wanted a drive that was mapped to my computer for more of a direct connection rather than relying on the cloud. No mention was made anywhere from this process that other utilities should be used to effect this connection such as "Synology Assistant" and "BeeStation for Desktop". I had to find these via AI searches troubleshooting mapping the drive to my computer network. I get what they are trying to do as an end result but getting to that point is terrible and I was willing to work to see this through and work within their parameters. However getting this to connect to my network proved to be totally unsuccessful. No matter what I did I could not make a connection. I could see the drive in my system but could not see let alone access any of the folders to transfer files. The drive had been setup with credentials for online access and other credentials for local access. No matter what I did I could not gain local access despite 6+ hours of troubleshooting and using the two previously identified utilities from Synology. I rarely have returns to Amazon but this one is being returned today. I total waste of my time this weekend. I cannot imaging what a nontechnical person goes through in this setup unless all they do is rely on access via the cloud. I need local access as the first option. Terrible. P.S. I would give it a 0 star rating if I could but I had to select at least 1 star to submit.

For years, I have been using a cloud based system for backing up my photos. It has worked well but the monthly costs are outrageous and I know they will increase every so often. So I decided to create my own cloud with BeeStation. I wish set up was a bit easier. It took me awhile to get the station up and running properly. Then I had to load a few dozen photos and videos. That took about a week and then it took a couple of days for the station to organize it all properly so I can view them sufficiently. Now that I have everything set up I enjoy it. I wish it was a little faster but all in all I am happy with it.

I love my BeeStation, it works silently plugged into my modem, and no more paying for cloud backup storage

This plug-and-play private cloud storage device was easy to set up. While a bit expensive initially, I thought it was a good long-term investment. I had some initial upload issues the first 48 hours after installing, but a Synology firmware update fixed them quickly. Upload/download speeds are good. I also connected the power cord to UPS for power outage protection and to protect against data loss. It's much easier to setup and navigate than my Synology NAS for simple file storage and remote access. I chose this one over other brands for the brand reputation and it's made in Taiwan. I'll eventually add a backup external hard drive to the second USB port as a backup instead of the external Synology Cloud storage option.

This was chosen for its size, price, and brand reputation. The backup and syncing software is not reliable so I use my own software. I will use the storage for a long time for my personal data backup.

It's easy to set up to replace our Time Capsule. Getting the BeeSation tuned on and updated takes a bit, I used my iPhone. Just wait a while, and the flashing white light will turn orange. Afterwards, the update takes a while, but you will see the progress on the app on your phone. I had to do a couple of searches to find out why the settings for Time Machine settings could not find the BeeStation. Here is the guide to set it up. After you create your BeeStation Portal log in. (I used the Apple Account choice) On your Mac log into your account in the browser. Hover over your BeeStation, click the icon at the upper-right corner, and select System Settings. Advanced Settings > Local Access. Enable Local Account. After you have set up a local account, toggle to enable SMB Service located below the Local Account section. Restart your Mac, and afterward, in the Time Machine settings, you can locate your BeeStation for backup. It backs up much faster on the BeeStation than on the Time Capsule. Attaching an external USB drive to the BeeStation is just plugging the drive into the USB port. Storage is great for two MacBook Airs. Set up is easy once you know how to have your Mac see the BeeStation. The App and the web browser settings are pretty simple. The BeeStation is much smaller than the Time Capsule with a lot more storage.

stoppped working

Not a super fast NAS but it gets the job done with super easy setup. Of course there is limitation when it comes to configuration but for the price it’s worth it

NOT A NETWORK DRIVE This is not at all what I wanted. I wanted a 4TB hard drive I could plug into a switch and map to the computers on our home network. INSTEAD you have to take open an account. Even if you want to use the drive locally you have to set up a password, etc. Overly complicated and misleading. I don't want another cloud backup. I want a simple hard drive I can access through Explorer. I will be factory resetting and returning for a refund.

Access should be more flexible for all users, with the option to apply password protection to selected albums. Additionally, there is no way to track files or photos that fail to upload—having them automatically disappear makes it difficult to manage uploads. An option to review failed uploads and retry them would greatly improve the user experience. The plus points are that setup was pretty simple, and the upload speed is fast when connected to the same WiFi network.

So far I've found it very good, with various connections to cloud services, an external hard drive, the installation was super simple, and access to my files from anywhere. The only observation is that in the 4Tb model, only 3.5Tb of free space came with it. I got a lot of 500GB of internal storage, why? Apart from that, it's excellent.