We may earn a commission if you click a deal and buy an item. These support file downloads, edits and media streaming. Read honest and unbiased product reviews … Unfortunately, unlike the Seagate Media app, which can organize digital content into categories (Documents, Videos, Photos, Music), the My Cloud App only supports browsing by folders and subfolders. Download and installation was a breeze on my Windows 7 laptop. Except for the WD SmartWare backup program, which is only available for Windows (since Macs already have Time Machine), the rest of the software is available for both platforms. At this speed, the server can easily handle multiple data-intensive tasks at a time, such as backing up multiple computers while streaming HD video to multiple network players. Dealing with the first of these is fairly straightforward. This private share folder is only available to that user and nobody else. But because of the unusual way drives are mounted (with bearing-head screws that fit in slots at the top of the bays), installing 2.5-i… For example, if you want to view a photo that resides on the My Cloud NAS server using an iPad, the mobile app would first buffer the entire photo onto the mobile device before displaying it. The power to create restore points helps the My Cloud overcome the data safety shortcomings of a single-volume NAS server. This is a single-volume storage device that houses one 3.5-inch hard drive, which, like the WD My Book Live's, is not user-serviceable. This makes viewing even a small photo take quite a bit of time and makes it virtually impossible to stream video over a cellular connection. In the My Cloud, WD has combined data sharing, media streaming, backups, and a powerful personal cloud feature in a single compact box that everybody … This isn’t a problem for Windows or Android, but is a significant drawback for iOS. To make up for this, you can easily back up its contents using the Safepoints feature. WD's My Cloud Home provides storage you can access with a smart TV, secures personal cloud data, and it looks good too. The device's only shortcoming is its mobile app, which could use some improvement, and I have no doubt that will happen via updates. This is fine for videos but for music and photos, it's such a pain, especially when there's no built-in search functionality. The restriction is the apps have no integrated media player so playback is limited to formats your device supports. As the names suggest, the Public folder is for storing public data, and the other two are for backups of Windows and Mac machines, respectively. For a multi-function device My Cloud is also very compact. As soon as the device is plugged in, all of these public folders are available to all connected devices in the home network. This lack of redundancy means extra expense for those with critical data, but My Cloud does address this with an elegant ‘Safepoints’ system that can automatically back itself up to USB or network storage as required.Â. In my testing, over a Gigabit Ethernet connection, the server offered a sustained speed of 67MBps for writing and 87MBps for reading, both being significantly faster than any of its peers. The installer places a WD My Cloud … The name of WD's new Network Attached Storage (NAS) unit is an attempt to tap into the new-found consumer enthusiasm about cloud computing or, in other words, storing stuff online. The set up of this Western Digital My Cloud Network Attached Storage was easy. Some of new feature are nice but making the usb a backup a separate app in a browser was dumb that should stay integrated, the needing double the resources to perform the tasks is ridiculous , the media server twonky app does give more usability again the doubled resources is not worth it.Between this and what wd pulled with the Red drives I am done with westerndigital … On top of that, for the first time, home users can really expect from an affordable device the data speeds of a much more expensive NAS server. The My Cloud range is a line of external 2TB, 3TB and 4TB hard drives determined to pick a fight with both traditional NAS and Cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive. And that's not all: if you download the My Cloud mobile app (available for iOS and Android), the app will see the My Cloud and connect to it as long as the mobile device and the My Cloud belong to the same local network. The most interesting tab is Cloud Access, which allows you to sign up for a WDMyCloud.com online account for each user account of the NAS server, and to create an access code for the mobile device app. If we do have an issue with the My Cloud design it is that its chassis isn’t particularly rigid, but since this is a device unlikely to move, let alone be carried with you, it isn’t a major issue.Â. In other word, there's no extra setup or log-in needed to make the app work with the server remotely. The WD My Cloud is Western Digital's answer to the Seagate Central, which came out five months ago. Currently I manually backup various files to the MyCloud. Once each account is created there will be a new private share folder named after the account holder. This means you have a much bigger storage allowance than standard Cloud services, your data isn’t shared with another company and you only have to upload what you need with no monthly subscriptions. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. But, as with any multifunctional device, there are limitations. Moving beyond backup services, the My Cloud has an onboard DLNA server and iTunes support, so it can stream media to … Now he or she can use the My Cloud without ever having to be anywhere near the server, physically. The most obvious is being a single drive system means the My Cloud can back up your data, but not itself. Meanwhile it gains its Cloud storage (and more advanced NAS) credentials thanks to remote file access via Android (above), iOS, PC and Mac apps. Is this a breakthrough product or too good to be true? The WD My Cloud (for desktop) app is available from WD's Learning Center site. Now, if you want to further customize the NAS server, that's also quite easy to do. The latter is left to Gigabit Ethernet. Top-of-class performance The most impressive thing about the WD My Cloud is its performance. The My Cloud Home Duo now features WD's Red drives, pictured here with two 8TB drives. Compare Item My Cloud EX2 Ultra 2-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage (NAS)> Compare. Rebecca This is particularly useful for any essential content you might want access offline since all My Cloud data is accessed on demand. The Synology DS120j is a recent addition to the … Read honest and unbiased product reviews … The good The WD My Cloud is fast, affordable, and easy to use, and has a well-implemented, powerful personal cloud feature. After that, the software will create desktop shortcuts to the server's public share and for its Dashboard Web interface. You won't need much help with the setup process, however. In this review I will talk only about the Setup desktop software and the My Cloud mobile app. Western Digital My Cloud reviews are only one part of your decision-making process. Returning to hardware, WD claims an unspecified ‘dual core’ processor provides it with the grunt to turn the tables on premium NAS. You can do more than one of these tasks at the same time, making it an excellent backup server for those who love taking photos and video with their phones. WD could probably sell even more My Clouds if the company gave you a price break on the actual storage; populated versions of the EX2 Ultra retail for the same price as buying one empty and populating it yourself with the same WD Red hard drives. Advanced, yet not overwhelming personal cloud features The WD My Cloud comes with a handful of desktop software and mobile apps to enhance the user experience. WD has done a solid job with its My Cloud lineup. For a low-cost entry-level network storage device, the WD My Cloud is very impressive both in performance and features, making it one of the best deals for home users. By default, the server comes with three public share folders called Public, SmartWare, and Time Machine Backup. For example, when you're traveling away from home, even in a different country, then from a computer connected to the Internet you can point the browser to WDMyCloud.com and log in with the WDMyCloud account, and with a click you can quickly create a network drive linked to a share folder on the My Cloud NAS server at home. On the back are a Gigabit Ethernet port, a USB 3.0 port, and the power connection port. The server also worked very well in my testing and remained quiet and cool even during heavy loads. The interface is well-organized, with six tabs on top for Home, Users, Shares, Cloud Access, Safepoints, and Settings that take you to more customizations. WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra 2-Bay Diskless Network Attached Storage (NAS) 5 / 5 (21 reviews) SKU: 977876. If you're looking for a fast, easy-to-use NAS server for your home, at the suggested cost of just $150 for 2TB ($180 for 3TB, and $250 for 4TB), the WD My Cloud is an excellent choice among single-volume network storage devices. Macs will immediately see the My Cloud as an available destination for Time Machine backup and the My Cloud will also appear on Finder. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The WD My Cloud Pro Series 4100 is a neat looking device that’s well designed with a minimal look.. With an account with WDMyCloud.com, you can quickly create a mapped network drive to share folders from the My Cloud on a computer as though the two belonged to the same local network. It doesn't support a lot of digital formats for streaming, either. This is how we make money. When something happens, you can restore the server. For more NAS server options, including those with multiple volumes, check out this list. 9.10 / 10. The 'WD My Cloud' app is just ancient and not consistent with the modern Mac user experience. The My Cloud comes with some desktop software and mobile apps. With this app, you can access the public share folders as well as the private share folder of the current user. The My Cloud's Dashboard Web interface is very well-organized and should be easy to figure out even for a novice user. #mergeRow-gdpr fieldset label {font-weight: normal;} Synology DS120j 1 Bay NAS DiskStation. We tested the 8TB, two-drive My Cloud Home Duo, whic… Excellent app for mobile backup, but limited for streaming WD's My Cloud mobile app is very similar to Seagate's Media mobile app for the Seagate Central. #mergeRow-gdpr {margin-top: 20px;} As the names suggest, the WD My Cloud Home is a single-drive version, while the My Cloud Home Duo is a dual-drive version that’s configured in RAID 1 (Mirror Mode). It also has a USB 3.0 port for storage extension or backing up data. © 2021 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Setup is a breeze The My Cloud is by far the easiest NAS server to set up that I've encountered; you literally just need to connect it to the power, hook its network port to a router (or a switch), and you're done. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for WD 4TB My Cloud Home Personal Cloud - WDBVXC0040HWT-NESN at Amazon.com. The WD My Cloud Home features the company’s new two-tone, half-sculpted design motif that we first saw in the My Passport series earlier this year. Find out more in our My Cloud Home Personal Cloud review. On top of that, while you can easily dig deeper into subfolders, there's no "back button" way to go back to the previous level of folder browsing, making it quite awkward for viewing content. This is no bad thing. WD also claims the My Cloud performs faster than most NAS drives for a fraction of the price. Over the years I have used a number of these units both for review and in my personal storage lineup. (More on this app below.) On the upside, the mobile apps bring support for Google Drive, Dropbox and SkyDrive letting users transfer and sync content between your ‘personal Cloud’ and any existing Cloud storage services you already use. So WD has nailed the looks, but just how good of an external HDD/NAS/Cloud storage wannabe is it? On the front the device has one blue LED status light that stays solid when it's powered up and flashing when there is data activity. With 2TB, 3TB and (soon) 4TB versions My Cloud is as capacious as any single drive backup solution currently available. And only music can really be streamed; other content needs to be first buffered (temporarily downloaded) onto the mobile device before it can be played back. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for WD 3TB My Cloud Personal Network Attached Storage - NAS - WDBCTL0030HWT-NESN at Amazon.com. */ The WD My Cloud is an extension of WD's portfolio of personal cloud hard. WD My Cloud review: Best budget home NAS server to date - CNET After spending a month with the unit, here are my … The device is very compact, just slightly larger than a standard desktop internal hard drive. In all, this is by far the easiest system I've seen for remote access among all the NAS servers I've reviewed. I have to figure out how to automatically backup my desktop computer's hard drive to the MyCloud. Note that I tested the My Cloud and its apps prior to their launch, and things can be better in the final version of a product. The WD My Cloud EX4100 is intended for multimedia enthusiasts who want to store up to 24 terabytes of files and then stream to a range of devices, including tablets and phones. That’s a good thing, especially considering the keep-it-simple audience it’s playing to. The online account with WDMyCloud.com basically allows a VPN-like connection over the Internet for computer users. The WD My Cloud is a compact, powerful NAS server for home users. This is similar to VPN access though there's no VPN connection. This account will have admin privileges and you can use it to log in to create more accounts. Looks so 1990's, at best. In short, a clever hybrid device we didn’t see coming. From a Windows computer, you can browse for these share folders and copy data (such as digital content) over. I look forward to having my … There is also a USB 3.0 port for connecting additional storage or initiating direct downloads from cameras but, perhaps surprisingly, this doesn’t support printers or network connectivity. WD says that in the near future, it will also release a new version of the My Cloud that comes with more than one internal hard drive on the inside to support RAID configurations.