FINALLY – Plex for Synology DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j NAS

Good news for anyone who wants to purchase, or has already purchased the Synology, DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j NAS in the hopes of using it as a Plex Media Server. Up until recently, Plex was not available on these platforms, as the Plex Media Server application did not support the new series of Realtek ARMv8 processors. This cost-effective, yet powerful range of efficient CPU has become very popular in modern NAS yet Plex had not had time to adapt their world recognised media server application for use on this hardware… till NOW. I’m pleased to confirm that Plex is now available for the Realtek RTD1295 and RTD1296 ARMv8 hardware NAS devices. This is a huge deal and I’m sure will come as great news too many of you. However, it is still in ‘Alpha’ and therefore there are some caveats you should know before getting too excited about Plex on your Synology DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j NAS.

How to install Plex on your DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j Synology NAS

As the Plex media server application for this Realtek enabled range of NAS is currently as is in Alpha stage of development, it is still not complete and therefore may be a fraction less stable than full releases for other Synology NAS servers. Additionally, you will not be able to download the Plex Media Server application from the Synology App Center. If you want to download the Plex media server application you will need to head over to the official Plex forums and access the alpha and beta download area.

Be warned, however, this area is only available to ‘Plex Pass‘ subscription holders. if you have a free Plex subscription, then you will not be able to access the download area and get the Realtek ARMv8 Plex Media Server package for your NAS. It is worth mentioning that the Plex pass only costs around 8 to 10 £, $ and €, and also enables Live TV, DVR Recording, Hardware Transcoding on certain NAS devices and other software advantages that are not available with a free Plex subscription. So, if you already own your Synology DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j NAS, then this would be a solid investment anyway.

Installation Instructions for Plex on DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j Synology NAS

Once you reach the Plex Media Server alpha and beta area, you will need to navigate the drop-down menu and select the correct package for armv8 devices. The drop-down menus on the Plex page are updated pretty frequently so don’t be surprised if you can find the name of your NAS instead of the CPU architecture type.

Once you have downloaded the Plex Media Server application for ARMv8 NAS devices to your local computer, head over to the Synology DSM user interface and enter the application centre.

Once there, look at the top right-hand corner to see an option to upload installation packages to the NAS. Click this option and then click browse, which will open up a window showing your local PC directories. From where you simply need to find your Plex download from earlier and click open, then click ok.

This will install the Plex Media Server application on your Synology DS118, DS218, DS218play, DS418 and DS418j NAS, and you will be able to find it on the desktop easily. Have fun using your brand new Synology Plex Media Server NAS!

NOTE – Always remember that you are using an Alpha version of the plex media server application, not a full release. So this may have the occasional glitch or bump in performance. If you have any further questions, contact us below and don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date on all things Plex, NAS and Synology!

Below are individual guides to each Synology NAS with a Realtek CPU and how to install the Plex Media Server Application:

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