How do I set up a Synology NAS so it can be accessed by URL/name instead of by IP address

Question

Example

On Windows, I open Run with Win+R and enter \\192.168.1.30.

The trouble is, every time the NAS reboots, that IP address may change.

Question

So that's why I'd prefer to access the NAS' data folder by name, for example http://mynas, instead.

What do I need to do to make that work?

Research

• Set up a website on my internal network and access it with a domain name instead of IP -- this explains how to configure the host file, but that won't work because the NAS' IP address changes after reboot
• Google: how to access synology by name instead of ip -- wasn't helpful either because those search results explain how to access the NAS from the Internet

Version

• Hardware: Synology DS212j
• Software: Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM) 5.0

Answer 1

Just enter \\diskstation in the Run dialog.

It works by default because Windows File Service is enabled on the Synology NAS.

Answer 2

The easiest way is to configure a Quick Connect Id. Go to your Synology configuration panel, then select the icon Control Panel and then Quick Connect, and finally tick Enable QuickConnect

You will be able to access your DSM through the URL http://QuickConnect.to/<Your ID>.

This URL maps to the Synology IP on the LAN, so it means that you may use for example DHCP on your Synology. It means that if you change home router or router network configurations, as long as your preserve DHCP enabled, reconnection of Synology should run smoothly.

Answer 3

Within your router, you can reserve an IP address on your LAN for your NAS. Ensuring that it is a same IP address each time is preferable over relying on DNS hostname to resolve to a dynamic IP address.