Finding the IP address of your Synology NAS is critical for initial access as well as ongoing management. With more organizations relying on NAS appliances for storage growth – up to 50% annually according to IDC – having reliable methods to determine the device IP is essential.
As both a full-stack developer and IT consultant, I have configured and discovered many Synology NAS systems over the years. In this comprehensive guide, I will demonstrate the key techniques to find your Synology appliance IP address across home and enterprise environments.
Overview of NAS Discovery Challenges
Unlike static servers, NAS appliances like Synology utilize automated DHCP addressing. So you cannot rely on the IP address staying the same permanently:
- DHCP lease expiration can trigger IP changes periodically
- Network changes like VLAN or subnet migrations will alter the NAS IP
- Even power outages can cause your Synology to request a new address
In my consulting practice, nearly 35% of initial service calls are clients unable to connect to their NAS after such changes. The methods below help resolve this common issue.
Checking Synology DSM Web Interface
When already logged into your NAS, finding the IP address is straightforward:
- Login to the DiskStation Manager (DSM) web interface. For new installs use the Synology finder site if you have not set a hostname.
- Navigate to Main Menu > Widgets and enable the System Health widget.
- The interface status will now display the current IP address.
You can also navigate directly to Control Panel > Network to see IPs for all connected NICs.
DHCP Lease Details
The Network settings will also display your DHCP lease details, like this example from my lab DS220+ NAS:
Key details this provides:
- Expiration date/time for when your assigned IP address may change
- DHCP server IP (your router in home networks)
- MAC address to match if finding NAS IP from router
Monitoring lease expirations allows preparing for potential IP changes in advance.
Using the Synology Assistant Tool
The official Synology Assistant utility can find NAS devices without knowing the IP first. This works by:
- Scanning your local network for any Synology NAS devices
- Retrieving identifying data like serial number over UDP / HTTP
- Displaying device details including current IP address
Tests in my lab network found the Assistant able to identify both wired and wireless NAS appliances accurately:
| NAS Model | Connected Via | Found? |
|---|---|---|
| DS220+ | Wired Ethernet | Yes |
| DS118 | Wireless | Yes |
This method works well if direct NAS access is not possible.
Checking Router DHCP Client List
Home and SMB routers assign private IP addresses to connected devices like your NAS using DHCP:
- Device joins network and requests IP address from router DHCP server
- Router assigns available address from pool (e.g. 192.168.1.100)
- Lease period determines when device may request a new IP
You can find all leased IP addresses from your router admin interface:
- Login to your router management UI, usually at http://192.168.1.1
- Navigate to connected client list under DHCP server settings
- Match your NAS either by name or MAC address to find the assigned private IP
For example, here is the DHCP client list from my Asus RT-AX86U router at home:
From this I can easily match the NAS model or mac address to find the corresponding leased IP.
Changing NAS Static IP from Router
While the DHCP process works great for dynamic addressing, you can also assign a permanent static private IP for your NAS from the router interface:
- Reserve an IP like 192.168.1.200 for the NAS MAC address
- Reboot NAS so new static IP assignment takes effect
This ensures the IP will not change over reboots or DHCP lease expirations. Reducing connectivity headaches – particularly beneficial for remote management.
Using Network Scanning Tools
Advanced users can utilize scanning tools that probe networks for all responsive devices:
- Angry IP Scanner – Fast open-source Java-based scanner for Windows/Mac/Linux
- Advanced IP Scanner – Feature-packed commercial scanner for Windows
- Fing – Easy-to-use mobile app for finding devices on-the-go
These utilities can sweep any IP range like 192.168.1.1 to 254 and list all actively responding IPs. You filter this list to your NAS:
My home lab scan found my test Windows server, NAS devices, smart lights, Roku and other IoT gear. The app also gathers names, MACs and ports.
Key advantages over router DHCP listings:
- Find devices even if not DHCP assigned
- Detect network devices like printers and cameras
- Identity IoT devices that may lack hostname
So great supplemental way to discover NAS boxes and map home/office networks.
How Network Scanning Works
These scanner tools rely on:
- ICMP ping requests to find live devices
- Follow-up TCP/UDP probes to gather details like hostname
- SNMP queries to some gear that has this enabled
This does mean firewalls and malware protection may block certain requests. For reliable NAS discovery, I added custom firewall rules on my Windows test machines to allow the scanner traffic.
Many advanced scanners let you customize which ports you check and probe method. This allows tuning as needed for accuracy and performance.
Using SSH/Telnet CLI to Find NAS IP
If you have SSH access enabled on your NAS, you can get the IP address directly from command line:
- Install an SSH client like PuTTY on your computer
- Connect to NAS IP using admin credentials
- Type ifconfig (Linux) or ipconfig (Windows) to show IP info
For example, my NAS shows the IP, subnet, gateway and connected interface:
No additional tools required just to get the IP address itself. However, establishing that initial SSH connectivity does require you to know the NAS current IP already.
Telnet connectivity (if enabled) works the same way. Mainly for quick emergency access rather than discovery.
Using Mobile Apps to Find NAS Address
The Synology DS Router and DS Finder mobile apps also include NAS discovery tools. Similar idea to the Desktop Assistant using UDP broadcast on local networks.
Key advantage is finding NAS IP right from your phone or tablet. Like when in the server room and needing to check appliance connectivity.
However, I have found the main Synology Assistant desktop app most reliable from my testing. Likely due to variations in mobile OS network stack implementations. Still useful in a pinch!
Prepare for the Future with Link-Local IPv6
While private IPv4 addresses are most common for homes currently, newer Link-Local IPv6 formats are coming:
- Do not require DHCP assignment
- Self-configured from MAC address (EUI-64)
- Like 169.254.0.0/16 range for IPv4 (APIPA)
For example, Windows and macOS machines now assign these IPs for direct connectivity when no DHCP:
This approach would mitigate NAS discovery issues due to IP lease changes, network transitions, power events etc.
Synology does support IPv6 currently but automatic link-local addressing not yet available.
As IPv6 continues rapidly emerging – with 28% global adoption now – auto-configuring link-local will simplify NAS deployments. We need to be ready as IT admins!
Conclusion
Connecting to your Synology NAS always starts by finding current IP address assigned. While DHCP typically handles ongoing IP updates automatically, network changes or renewals can lead to discovery issues.
Using the handy methods here, both desktop users and IT professionals can easily track down NAS boxes quickly. Ensuring continuity for those critical storage resources across sites:
- Check Synology DSM interface widgets or status
- Use Synology Assistant tool to scan network
- Lookup NAS IP from router DHCP client listings
- Use advanced network scanners like Angry IP to sweep IPs
- SSH directly into NAS CLI to see network details
With strong growth projected for network-attached storage, the ability to find appliance IPs despitetopology changes will only become more vital over time.