I do an honest job backing up knowledge on all of the units in my home. Photos and movies taken on my telephone and my spouse’s telephone are uploaded to Google Photos (within the storage saver tier), and the originals are saved to a DiskStation DS1522+. All the information that’s on my work machine and my spouse’s gaming rig can also be backed as much as the identical NAS, and all that is carried out routinely.This knowledge is then backed as much as one other NAS — a DiskStation DS3622xs+ — and from there, a piece of it’s saved on-line to a Google Drive occasion. I’ve been doing this for some time now, and I’m already utilizing over 150TB of information domestically and about 40TB in Drive (which I’ll be migrating to a different cloud supplier quickly). A NAS offers one of the best ways to retailer and entry your knowledge, but it surely wants a hands-on strategy, and also you’ll should issue within the prices of the NAS server itself and the related onerous drives.What should you don’t need to do all that? Say you simply want a dependable strategy to again up your images, movies, and paperwork, and have that knowledge accessible anyplace you go.That’s the premise of the BeeDrive. At its core, it’s mainly an exterior SSD that may be related to your Windows machine, and again up the information on that system. But you are able to do that with any of the most effective exterior SSDs already accessible available in the market as we speak. Where the BeeDrive differentiates itself is the software program. It comes with {custom} software program options that allow you to again up images and movies out of your telephones and different units, and the most effective half is that you just simply have to configure it as soon as — after that, knowledge is backed up automaticallySo should you do not need to spend money on a NAS and onerous drives however need a straightforward strategy to safeguard your knowledge, the BeeDrive may be the product you want.Synology BeeDrive: Specs, pricing, and availability(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)BeeDrive launched earlier this yr, and it’s now accessible direct on its web site and at Amazon. There are two variants on provide: a 1TB mannequin that retails for $119 within the U.S. and £130 within the U.Ok., and there is a 2TB model that’s accessible for $199 Stateside and £215 within the U.Ok.Now, SSD costs have nosedived during the last 12 months, and the retail value of the BeeDrive is greater than what you’d pay for a conventional moveable SSD. What you are paying right here is not for the {hardware}, however the software program options. As with the model’s NAS servers, you get a normal three-year guarantee for the BeeDrive.Swipe to scroll horizontallyCategorySynology BeeDriveStorage1TB/2TBConnectorUSB-CInterfaceUSB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps)Dimensions65 x 65 x 15mmWeight43gPrice1TB: $119, 2TB:$199Today’s greatest Synology BeeDrive 1TB offersSynology BeeDrive: Design(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)At a primary look, the BeeDrive seems to be like some other moveable SSD available in the market as we speak. It’s a diminutive puck-sized system that simply suits in your palm, and coming in at simply 43g, it is designed for use anyplace. The drive has a USB-C port that makes use of a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface, and it goes as much as 10Gbps.The design itself is unassuming, and aside from the BeeDrive brand, you do not get any markings on the chassis. There’s a white standing LED tucked right into a nook, and it lights up when the drive is in use. You get a USB-C to USB-C cable within the field in addition to a USB-C to USB-A dongle that permits you to plug within the BeeDrive to a full-size USB-A socket.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)I used the BeeDrive for over a month now, and more often than not, it has been plugged into my gaming rig. While I did not see any points with the design or construct high quality, the largest draw back to the BeeDrive is that the chassis is not rugged. Most moveable SSDs have aluminum casings that present a layer of safety to the SSD housed inside, however that is not the case right here.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)The BeeDrive is made out of plastic, and whereas it has respectable construct high quality, I’m undecided of its capacity to face up to tumbles of any type. It additionally lacks ingress safety of any type, so that you’re higher off taking care whereas utilizing the SSD.Synology BeeDrive: Software options(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Just like Synology’s greatest house NAS servers, the largest cause for choosing up the BeeDrive is the software program options. Just plug the drive right into a Windows machine and run the installer (the .exe is pre-installed), and as soon as it is carried out, you will get to the house display screen. BeeDrive has three core options when plugged right into a Windows machine: Computer Backup permits you to again up folders in your pc with ease, File Sync permits you to sync recordsdata between your pc and the BeeDrive, and Mobile Backup permits you to routinely switch images and movies out of your telephones to the drive.Mobile Backup is especially nice as a result of it permits you to switch images and movies out of your telephone over Wi-Fi. Setting it up is simple; obtain the BeeDrive app — it is accessible for Android and iOS — and scan the QR code that exhibits up on the Mobile Backup web page of the desktop shopper.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Doing so will pair the app with the desktop shopper, after which you may seamlessly switch images and movies over your own home Wi-Fi community. You do not even want to make use of Wi-Fi; I plugged within the BeeDrive to my gaming rig that is related to the router over Ethernet, and it had no points transferring knowledge from my telephone.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)This is all carried out routinely, and the truth that you need not join the BeeDrive to your telephone is a large differentiator. You can set it as much as switch knowledge from all of the telephones in your family — as much as 5 — and configuring to take action is about as simple because it will get. The better part about all that is that at any time when I take a photograph or video on my telephone, it is routinely backed as much as BeeDrive.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Of course, the machine it’s related to must be powered on on the time, however aside from that, the feature-set is similar to what you get with Photo Backup in Synology’s NAS servers. I talked about how a Synology NAS server is the perfect different to Google Photos, and I’ll now embrace the BeeDrive in that record — the drive provides a seamless strategy to retailer your images and video of their authentic high quality.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Another function I like lots is the power to ship images and movies to your Windows machine by way of a function often called BeeDrop. I used Pushbullet for this previously; these days, I switch images to a folder on my NAS after which pull them up on my machine, and it tends to be a bit tedious. BeeDrop is a way more elegant system, and I’m persevering with to make use of the drive each day only for this function alone.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Computer Backup can also be a standout function, and it comes with versioning and the power to delete archived recordsdata. You can even set it up in order that recordsdata that exceed a sure dimension aren’t included, and you’ll exclude recordsdata by their extension. File Sync is equally useful in its personal proper, and it provides two-way sync — in order that any modifications made in your machine will probably be mirrored within the BeeDrive — or commonplace one-way add. You’ll discover the identical choices to restrict recordsdata based mostly on extensions or dimension, and the function routinely syncs chosen recordsdata between the 2 units.While there’s clearly lots to love, the BeeDrive misses out on {hardware} encryption. Most merchandise on this class provide AES 256-bit encryption as commonplace, and that is lacking — there is not any strategy to encrypt the recordsdata saved on the drive. Synology must do higher on this entrance, and it ought to think about rolling out the identical degree of safety as its NAS servers.And lastly, there is not any means to make use of the BeeDrive with a macOS shopper in the intervening time; a local app is at the moment within the works, and it is mentioned to be accessible earlier than the tip of the yr. For now, should you’re thinking about utilizing the BeeDrive, you will want to attach it to a Windows machine.Synology BeeDrive: Performance(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)I arrange the BeeDrive with my gaming rig, and configured it to again up images and movies from my telephone and my spouse’s telephone. I’m additionally backing up two folders on my machine to the drive, and in simply over a month of use, I’ve already used up 150GB of information. I used to be despatched the 1TB mannequin for testing, and should you’re thinking about selecting up the BeeDrive, I extremely advocate going the 2TB route — you get a bit extra headroom that means.As for the {hardware}, the BeeDrive makes use of a custom-built SSD paired with a USB controller, and it is touted to go as much as 1,050MB/s for transfers. In my testing, I discovered the drive to hit 972MB/s for sequential reads and 707MB/s for sequential writes, and these are broadly according to different moveable SSDs I’ve used.(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)There are completely zero points in each day use, and the BeeDrive persistently uploaded images, movies, and synced paperwork routinely. It took simply over 30 minutes to again up all the information on my Galaxy S23 Ultra (round 60GB), and the drive took much less time than that to again up an identical quantity of storage that is on my Windows machine.Now, whereas quite a lot of the options outlined listed below are much like what you will discover on a full-fledged NAS, the largest limitation for the BeeDrive is that it wants a bunch system. The defining function of a NAS is that it runs 24/7, and that enables for knowledge to be backed up immediately. With the BeeDrive, nonetheless, you may solely achieve this when the machine it’s related to is powered on.Synology BeeDrive: The competitors(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)Samsung is the largest participant in the case of moveable storage drives, and the T5 continues to be a stellar selection. The drive has a rugged design, confirmed reliability, is simple to make use of, and inexpensive. The draw back is that you just miss out on all of the software program options on provide with the BeeDrive.If you want an identical feature-set, Amber X is a drive that has a software program suite that permits you to simply again up knowledge from a number of units. It has extra ports and would not must be related to a bunch system, however the draw back is that it is far more pricey — the 500GB choice is accessible for $249.Synology BeeDrive: Should you purchase it?(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)You can buy this if:You want a straightforward strategy to again up knowledge out of your Windows machinesYou need to again up images and movies out of your telephones routinelyYou need an exterior SSD with helpful software program optionsYou desire a moveable drive that is simple to arrange and useYou shouldn’t purchase this if:You want greater than 2TBYou want a rugged moveable driveYou need to use the BeeDrive with a MacBookWhile I don’t actually use exterior SSDs that a lot, I’ve a half-dozen mendacity round in the home. The largest challenge with most of those drives is that it’s a must to manually switch knowledge from the goal system. That isn’t the case with the BeeDrive, and the benefit of use mixed with the portability makes it a stellar selection for backing up knowledge.Synology deserves quite a lot of credit score for the software program options on provide right here; it managed to convey the most effective options from its NAS servers to a way more moveable kind issue, and that’s the BeeDrive’s largest promoting level. The {hardware} you are getting with the drive is immaterial — you are shopping for this factor for the software program, and there’s a lot to love in that space.If you want a hassle-free strategy to again up your images and vital paperwork routinely, I can not consider a greater choice than the BeeDrive. Sure, it is lacking out on encryption and solely goes as much as 2TB, however these shortcomings are simply offset by the stellar feature-set.
Today’s greatest Synology BeeDrive 1TB offers
Thanks to its sturdy feature-set and moveable design, the BeeDrive is one of the best ways to again up images, movies, and different knowledge out of your telephones and different units in your house.