Bringing the Synology DS218play Back to Life – Setup & Smart Uses for Home Backup

Where’s that old NAS you bought years ago? Many of us have a Synology NAS collecting dust somewhere, forgotten over time. That was my case, too. I purchased the DS218play about six years ago, used it for a while, then tucked it away in storage. But recently, with increasing needs for data backup and home media access, I decided to bring it back out. To my surprise, the DS218play still works like a charm. It has more than enough power to serve as a home backup device and media hub. In this post, I’ll show you how to bring your DS218play back online—without formatting the hard drive—and how to turn it into an efficient home server once again.       1. Getting Started – Check the DS218play Ensure the power adapter and LAN cable are ready and working. Connect the NAS to your router via Ethernet (wired connection is strongly recommended). Power on the device and listen for the hard drive spinning up. The DS218play is a media-friendly NAS wit...