Blog · Comparison
RocketZero vs Tailscale for Synology remote access
Tailscale is the go-to for reaching a Synology NAS without port forwarding — and it's genuinely great. But it gives you a whole mesh VPN to manage, when a lot of people just want their NAS to show up as a drive. Here's the honest comparison — from a team that builds on the same WireGuard core.
TL;DR
- Tailscale connects all your devices into one private network. Powerful and general — any device, any port, exit nodes, subnet routes. You install it everywhere, sign in to a tailnet, and then you map the NAS drive yourself.
- RocketZero uses the same WireGuard mesh for one job: it mounts your NAS as a drive (and opens DSM at
home-nas.roze.to) automatically, with no account and nothing to configure. - Want a VPN across everything and don't mind managing it? Tailscale. Just want your NAS as a drive in two clicks? RocketZero.
With Tailscale
- 1Install Tailscale from Package Center on the NAS
- 2Create / sign in to a tailnet (Google, GitHub or Microsoft)
- 3On DSM 7, enable Tailscale's outbound connections
- 4Install Tailscale on every computer and sign in
- 5Enable SMB, find the NAS's 100.x IP or MagicDNS name
- 6Map the network drive to \100.x.y.z\share by hand
…plus re-authenticate when the node key expires.
With RocketZero
- 1Install the RocketZero package on the NAS
- 2Install the app — it mounts your drives for you
The drive appears automatically. No IP to find, nothing to map.
First, credit where it's due
We're not here to dunk on Tailscale — RocketZero is built on the same technology. Both ride on WireGuard, the modern encryption used by the tailnet mesh; both connect your devices directly, peer-to-peer when the network allows it and fall back to an encrypted relay when it doesn't; both need no open ports and work behind CGNAT. If you want a hackable, general-purpose private network, Tailscale is excellent and you should use it.
A mesh VPN vs a mounted drive
Tailscale's job is to build a tailnet — a private network that every one of your devices joins. Your laptop can then reach your NAS, your Raspberry Pi, your desktop, a Docker service, or route its internet through an exit node. It's a Swiss-army network. The flip side of that generality: once the tailnet is up, reaching your NAS as a drive is still on you — you find its Tailscale IP or MagicDNS name and map the SMB share yourself.
RocketZero doesn't try to be your whole network. It uses the same mesh to do one thing thoroughly: bring your NAS onto your computer as a drive, automatically, and let you open DSM and its web apps at a clean home-nas.roze.to address. Nothing to map, no IP to look up, no tailnet to reason about.
The SMB-mount gap
This is the single most common Tailscale-and-Synology question on forums: how do I actually mount the share? After Tailscale is connected you still: enable SMB on the NAS, enable Tailscale's outbound connections on DSM 7, find the NAS's 100.x address (or set up MagicDNS), and map a network drive to it. Each step is doable; together they're where non-technical users get stuck — and where "it's slow" or "the drive keeps dropping" threads come from.
RocketZero treats the mounted drive as the product, not an afterthought. It maps the drive for you, keeps the connection warm, remembers your credentials in the OS keychain, and reconnects on reboot. You never type a 100.x address.
Setup, accounts and what you manage
With Tailscale you create a tailnet and sign in with a Google, GitHub or Microsoft account, then — as your setup grows — you may manage ACLs, device approvals, node-key expiry, and MagicDNS. That control is a feature for admins and a chore for everyone else.
RocketZero has no separate account and nothing to administer. You sign in with your existing NAS username and password; the control plane is preconfigured and self-hosted. For handing a NAS to a family member — or a customer — that "nothing to manage" is the whole point.
Side by side
| What you care about | Tailscale | RocketZero |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | ✓ A full mesh VPN across all your devices | ✓ Your NAS mounted as a drive |
| Mount NAS as a drive | ✕ Manual — map \\100.x IP or MagicDNS | ✓ Automatic after install |
| Open DSM in a browser | ✕ By IP/MagicDNS, cert setup for HTTPS | ✓ Yes — home-nas.roze.to, HTTPS ready |
| Install footprint | ✓ On the NAS and every device | ✓ On the NAS and every device |
| Account required | ✕ Yes — tailnet via Google/GitHub/MS | ✓ No separate account |
| Things to manage | ✕ Tailnet, ACLs, key expiry, MagicDNS | ✓ Nothing — it's preconfigured |
| Works behind CGNAT | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Encryption / path | ✓ WireGuard, direct P2P + DERP relay | ✓ WireGuard, direct P2P + relay |
| Reaches other devices & services | ✓ Yes — any device, any port, exit nodes | ✕ No — scoped to your NAS |
| Best for | ✓ A general-purpose VPN you'll manage | ✓ A ready-to-use NAS drive, zero config |
Notice Tailscale wins the rows about reach — it connects everything, not just your NAS. That breadth is exactly why it's more to set up. RocketZero trades breadth for a drive that just appears.
Privacy and who runs the control plane
All the WireGuard-based options carry your files end-to-end: on a direct peer-to-peer path your data never touches a middle server, and when it can't punch through, the relay only ever sees ciphertext. The real difference is who coordinates the mesh. Tailscale runs that coordination server for you (hence the third-party sign-in). headscale is the open-source, self-hosted coordination server if you'd rather run it yourself — powerful, but now you're operating infrastructure. RocketZero self-hosts the control plane on your behalf, so you get the "no third-party account" property without running anything.
So which should you use?
Choose Tailscale if…
- You want a general-purpose VPN across all your machines, not just the NAS.
- You'll use exit nodes, subnet routes, SSH or reach many services and ports.
- You're comfortable managing a tailnet — and you like that control.
Choose RocketZero if…
- You specifically want your NAS as a drive — open, edit, save like a local disk.
- You want zero networking setup — no account, no ACLs, no mapping IPs.
- You're setting it up for someone non-technical (or a customer) and it must just work.
FAQ
Can I map a Synology network drive over Tailscale?
Yes, but you do it by hand. Once Tailscale is running on the NAS and on your computer, you map the drive to the NAS's Tailscale IP (like \\100.x.y.z\share) or its MagicDNS name. On DSM 7 you also have to enable Tailscale's outbound connections. It works well once set up — it's just manual. RocketZero mounts the drive for you automatically after two installs, no IP to find.
Is Tailscale free for a Synology NAS?
Tailscale's Personal plan is free and generous — plenty for a home NAS and a handful of devices. RocketZero is also free to get started. Cost usually isn't the deciding factor here; setup effort and what you get (a full mesh VPN vs a ready-to-use drive) is.
Is RocketZero just Tailscale with a skin?
No, but it shares DNA. RocketZero is built on the same WireGuard mesh technology (the tailnet stack) with a self-hosted control plane. The difference is scope: Tailscale connects all your devices to each other on every port and hands you a network; RocketZero uses that mesh for one job — mounting your NAS as a drive and opening DSM at a friendly address — with no account, no ACLs and nothing to configure.
Tailscale, headscale, or RocketZero — which is most private?
All three carry your data over WireGuard end-to-end, going direct peer-to-peer when possible and falling back to an encrypted relay otherwise. The difference is the coordination server: Tailscale runs it for you (you sign in with Google/GitHub/Microsoft); headscale is the self-hosted, DIY version for advanced users; RocketZero self-hosts the control plane so there's no third-party account, without you having to run anything. None of them can read your files.
Why is my Tailscale connection to Synology slow?
Usually because traffic is going over a relay instead of a direct peer-to-peer path — some networks (strict NATs, certain CGNAT setups) block hole-punching, so Tailscale routes through a DERP relay, which adds latency. RocketZero uses the same direct-first, relay-fallback model, so the same network conditions apply; on a LAN or a punchable network both are fast.
Want the drive, not the network admin?
RocketZero mounts your Synology as a drive in minutes — free to get started.
Download RocketZero Read the setup guide