WD My Cloud Home, analysis. Review with features, price and specifications.
In recent years, physical storage systems may have taken a back seat to making way for the cloud. It is usually more convenient to upload data and share it from Dropbox or similar than to move it to a hard disk and share this disk with other users. There is however a middle ground, and that is NAS and network connected disks .
If you’re looking to back up your devices, share files or access them from the cloud and have all your data unshared with a third-party service… you need a disk connected to the network. There are many options on the market, from the most basic NAS for the home sector to the most professional NAS that can perform flawlessly in a business. In this case, let’s focus on WD My Cloud Home, a disk in the network perfect for the user who is looking for the balance between performance, entertainment and price .
WD My Cloud Home, technical specifications
Western Digital has a long history of manufacturing storage products, and the My Cloud Home is now the culmination of that experience . A product created for the home that takes advantage of WD disk technology and adds good design to both the end device and its apps for different platforms. Before going into detail, these are its technical specifications:
Synology DS418
CHARACTERISTICS
PROCESSOR
Realtek RTD1296PBCG A53(Quad Core)
RAM MEMORY
1 GB
Storage
From 2TB to 8TB in My Cloud Home and from 8TB to 16TB in My Cloud Home Duo
PORTS
1x USB 3.0 in My Cloud Home and 2x USB 3.0 in My Cloud Home Duo
CONNECTION
1 GbE LAN port
SPEED
Up to 1000 Mbps
DIMENSIONS
175 x 53 x 140 mm in My Cloud Home and 179 x 102 x 160 mm in My Cloud Home Duo
WEIGHT
—
PRICE
171.75
Of all the models available, in the last few days I have been testing the single-bay model, with 6 TB of storage. The product does exactly what it promises , offering you an easy option to store and share your data. RAM is limited to 1GB, but the truth is that no more capacity is missing, the system simply works as you expect it to.
The ports on the WD My Cloud Home are limited to one USB 3.0, one LAN port and power.
Please note, the port connection is somewhat limited , but it has what it takes. The only thing on the back is the power port, the Gigabit Ethernet port for connecting to the router and a USB 3.0 port. Unlike other systems, the My Cloud Home focuses on carrying out its activities wirelessly and without having to connect several cables. Point in favor or not, it is surely to preserve the final appearance of the product, where aesthetics are the main concern.
Installation and configuration of WD My Cloud Home
For the installation and use of WD My Cloud Home, by the nature of Apple, we have focused on the Apple ecosystem. However, WD My Cloud is fully compatible with Windows, Android and all other major systems on the market. However, after testing several (many) NAS and similar systems in the last years, few have such a good integration as this one in macOS and iOS.
WD My Cloud Home can be set up very quickly thanks to its automation and the My Cloud web.
The installation itself is very simple : you open the box, connect the power cable, connect the network cable and when the LED stops blinking you access from your iPhone to My Cloud Hello. This is where your My Cloud Home will be configured with its own account and an interface similar to that of an operating system. The steps are so basic that in fact it’s the only thing the installation guide in the box indicates.
Once installed you can access the disk from any browser by logging into My Cloud . What you’ll find is a sort of Finder with various folders and files, as well as the ability to create folders and upload files. This is the actual content of your disk. Besides this you will have a Photos section, a notification section, the activity done on the disk, extra settings for the disk or My Cloud account settings for example.
The look of the website is reminiscent of a classic operating system with its file browser.
My recommendation at this point? Install the WD Discovery app for macOS as well as the My Cloud Home app for iOS. With WD Discovery you can access your disk directly by simply starting the app on your computer, and will appear in the Finder as a shared storage drive on the network . So you can just forget about the web interface if you’re not interested, and focus on managing everything in the Finder as if it were on your computer.
The WD Discovery app is integrated into the menu bar and allows us to manage the disk more easily from macOS.
The My Cloud Home app for iOS allows us to manage the system equally from the iPhone or iPad . By logging in with our My Cloud account we can access the disk, configure it or upload/download files. It also offers us a filtered view of only the images, music or videos for example. The good thing? It allows us to create an automatic copy of the videos and images on the device.
One last detail, take a look at the third party services offered by My Cloud . Plex, IFTTT or social network support are some of these services that will allow you to automate and vitaminate your disk. If you use Plex for example, it is very easy to enable the disk and create a new library that will always be connected and available thanks to WD My Cloud Home.
Design and performance in the Apple ecosystem, your two plus points
There are two key factors in betting on WD My Cloud Home as a storage system. The first one is the design, in WD they have managed to create a product much superior to the rest of the manufacturers in design, by far. Other NAS may have sought to hide them behind the TV, or make them go unnoticed, as they are just another device in the house. The WD My Cloud Home can go unnoticed as just another decoration element in the house, no problem. Perhaps a black tone in addition to white would please more users, but in any case it is a point in favor of its finish.
The design of the WD My Cloud Home makes it possible for it to go unnoticed as another element of decoration in the house.
On the other hand, it is incredible how comfortable WD is with its My Cloud ecosystem for Apple users . Apps for iOS focus on providing everything the user needs to access data and upload new files at the same time. And WD has a number of macOS apps that focus on various functions. WD Discovery may be the most necessary and general, but there are many others you can use that integrate completely with your Mac. If you don’t want the hassle and learning curve of using a personal cloud, WD My Cloud Home scores big against other vendors.
An interesting aspect of which WD does not offer much information either is the upload and download speed of files . The only thing the manufacturer indicates is that if the LED next to the Ethernet port is in amber it means it reaches 100 Mbps, while if it is in green it can reach 1000 Mbps. Here you have to take into account more things, like your Internet connection speed, the device from which you send the files, the size of the files…
The LED that divides the white and grey part of the front is the only indication that the disc is working.
In various tests, the small files are copied almost instantly. Slightly larger files of several GBs may take a few minutes. All in all, is not the speed at which your SSD Finder works , but it is not hopeless. To access the files from other devices or to broadcast in streaming via Plex: no problem, as if they were on local. Finally, remember that you can always copy large files directly via the USB 3.0 port provided.
Is WD My Cloud Home worth it?
It’s not all flattery, there’s a particularly annoying aspect to WD My Cloud, though otherwise obvious. This is that like any other hard disk, makes minimal (but noticeable) noise when running. If you’re used to the silence of iOS devices or Macs with SSD, you’ll hear a noise from the disk working while the NAS is on. It’s the price you pay for these systems, but not for everyone it’s annoying.
Inside this WD My Cloud Home we have a hard drive, which like any other hard drive, makes noise when spinning.
My Cloud Home
Western Digital My Cloud Home – Nube personal de 2 TB (almacenamiento en red NAS, 1 bahía)
Hoy en amazon por 149,99
Western Digital My Cloud Home Duo – Nube personal de 8 TB (almacenamiento en red NAS, 2 bahías)
Hoy en amazon por 384,10
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Temas de interés For about 170 euros (the most basic model) there are few options on the market that offer better solutions. Remember that unlike other manufacturers, WD systems already come with integrated hard drives.
The WD My Cloud Home has been loaned for testing by Western Digital. You can check out our corporate relations policy.
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