Noisy Synology DS220+

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dafman

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#279931 17-Nov-2020 18:41

Ok, so I have just replaced an old DS 212j with 2 x 3TB W Red with a DS220+ with 2 X 8TB WD Red.

The new NAS is great ... apart from the WD Red 8TB drives, which are very noisy when read/writing. My old 3TB drives were whisper quiet - I didn't anticipate the new drives being noisy but I guess it's a consequence of the larger capacity.

And the NAS is always busy, which surprises me as I have limited apps running at the moment.

The location of the NAS is in our main lounge behind the TV and I have no option to move it as extending cables or moving the router is not an option.

So, as a last resort, short of selling the NAS, is to build a sound-insulated box to pop the NAS inside. I am thinking a wooden box with sound deadening foam on the inside. I intend to keep both ends open to maintain cooling, but will extend the length of the box beyond NAS length to try and get best noise suppression.

So, my questions:

- is this a feasible thing to do?

- if yes, where can I buy sound-proofing insulation to use on the inside. I'm thinking about 1 inch thick

cshwone

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#2605640 17-Nov-2020 18:57

Exactly the same with my new DS 220+ with Seagate drives. In fact SWMBO has just commented on the loudness as I was writing to the drives. In comparison my old DS 210j was very quiet and just seemed to power up when required instead of constantly working even when not accessing.

Doesn't help you but it just confirms the DS220+ behaviour (and different drives). I hadn't used DSM 6 before so perhaps the constant access is to do with that rather than DSM 5 which was the maximum the DS210j could accept.

Edit: As an aside I am not too impressed with Plex. I had never had it installed before and get a lot of no video but audio OK instances when playing even 720p. Will probably revert to the native Synology media server with a Kodi front end.

jonathan18

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#2605655 17-Nov-2020 19:38

Disappointing to read this the very day after I've ordered one of the same model! I'm planning on using my existing drives (also WD Reds), which are quiet as in my current (cruddy) NAS. Our NAS currently sits behind a television so have my fingers crossed we won't experience the same noise issue.

Unlike the OP, if I have to I can move it to another room where the router is, but my problem there is I've run out of ports so will have to buy a switch, damn it.

In terms of insulation, what about using the 'egg shell' insulation used in recording studios etc? This kind of thing (though, clearly, you wouldn't need as much) https://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instruments/pa-pro-audio-dj-equipment/other/listing-2866232530.htm.

How confident are you that this wouldn't lead to overheating, even if leaving the ends open? Can you possibly replicate the kind of arrangement you're thinking of (say with blankets and a box) to see what happens?

allan

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#2605767 17-Nov-2020 21:51

cshwone:

Edit: As an aside I am not too impressed with Plex. I had never had it installed before and get a lot of no video but audio OK instances when playing even 720p. Will probably revert to the native Synology media server with a Kodi front end.

Not seeing those sorts of issues with Plex on Synology for me. Are you running the latest version of Plex, which should be 1.20.4.3517 I believe? Note that you will need to download releases from plex.tv and manually install them to your Synology NAS, rather than auto-updating from the Synology Package Center like other Synology software.

Edited to add that latest version is actually 1.20.5.3600

cshwone

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#2605798 18-Nov-2020 06:12

allan:

cshwone:

Edit: As an aside I am not too impressed with Plex. I had never had it installed before and get a lot of no video but audio OK instances when playing even 720p. Will probably revert to the native Synology media server with a Kodi front end.

Not seeing those sorts of issues with Plex on Synology for me. Are you running the latest version of Plex, which should be 1.20.4.3517 I believe? Note that you will need to download releases from plex.tv and manually install them to your Synology NAS, rather than auto-updating from the Synology Package Center like other Synology software.

Edited to add that latest version is actually 1.20.5.3600

Yes, running the latest and greatest, probably the client in my PS3 is responsible.

dafman

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#2605820 18-Nov-2020 08:24

I've seen online that some people have had success with velcro strips on the bottom of the drive bays. I might give this a try first, but am not hopeful as I don't think it is vibration issue ... but maybe worth an initial try.

Link here

mecow

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#2605851 18-Nov-2020 09:26

I also have a DS220j that I found noisy at the start and was almost considering returning - running two 8TB Seagate Ironwolf drives. However since the initial file copying it seems much quieter.

NAS is currently sitting on two cheap foam/rubber mouse pads to deaden the vibration/echo in my entertainment unit.

Plex will be your source of constant noise - it constantly reads the drive. I made a change to the plex scanner and turned it off automatic/timed in the server settings and just have it set to run as a windows task every hour between the hours of 8am and 8pm and not to run at all outside of those hours which keeps the drive dead silent all night.

mecow

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#2605853 18-Nov-2020 09:28

mecow:

I also have a DS220j that I found noisy at the start and was almost considering returning - running two 8TB Seagate Ironwolf drives. However since the initial file copying it seems much quieter.

NAS is currently sitting on two cheap foam/rubber mouse pads to deaden the vibration/echo in my entertainment unit.

Plex will be your source of constant noise - it constantly reads the drive. I made a change to the plex scanner and turned it off automatic/timed in the server settings and just have it set to run as a windows task every hour between the hours of 8am and 8pm and not to run at all outside of those hours which keeps the drive dead silent all night.

To confirm I run plex on a NUC and only use the NAS for file storage

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outdoorsnz

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#2605868 18-Nov-2020 10:03

I have a noisy raspberry pi case with fan running inside of a closed cabinet. Fan vibration, noise and variation of pitch drove me insane.

So I took a low tech approach. Folded tea towel. Small round car shine sponge on top of this. Case on top.

Has really taken that vibration hum away!

afe66

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#2606494 18-Nov-2020 20:39

mecow:

mecow:

I also have a DS220j that I found noisy at the start and was almost considering returning - running two 8TB Seagate Ironwolf drives. However since the initial file copying it seems much quieter.

NAS is currently sitting on two cheap foam/rubber mouse pads to deaden the vibration/echo in my entertainment unit.

Plex will be your source of constant noise - it constantly reads the drive. I made a change to the plex scanner and turned it off automatic/timed in the server settings and just have it set to run as a windows task every hour between the hours of 8am and 8pm and not to run at all outside of those hours which keeps the drive dead silent all night

To confirm I run plex on a NUC and only use the NAS for file storage

But if the plex server on nuc setup is keeping track of contents it will keep looking at and accessing the drive on the synology. ??

mecow

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#2606499 18-Nov-2020 20:48

Yeah so I have set the plex server to not index the drive/metadata during the hours of 8pm and 8am so that stops any seeking noises during the night.

Can’t say I notice the noise while accessing data as TV is usually making a sound.

afe66

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#2606630 19-Nov-2020 09:30

When i manually added stuff to plex such as video audio photos I used to update then just turn the indexing off and nothing had changed.

dafman

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#2606791 19-Nov-2020 10:43

I don't use Plex or Video Station - basically file storage, yet the DS220+ is constantly writing to the drives.