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WD My Cloud Home review

Backing up your data can be a pain and it’s one of those tasks that many of us put off until it’s too late. These days it’s not uncommon for households to have multiple devices to backup including PCs, laptops, tablets and mobile phones. This makes backing up even more of a chore and you can end up not really knowing where exactly your data is being held.

The My Cloud Home from Western Digital is designed as a central storage device that you can backup all your devices to. Out of the box I was surprised by it’s small size (approx. 175x140x53mm) and light weight of just 1kg. I was also impressed by its stylish looks with a split design case made of smooth white plastic at the top and a textured metallic effect at the bottom.

The device is available in a variety of capacities starting at 2TB and going up to 8TB. There’s also a Duo model that features two drives capable of storing 4TB to 20TB. I reviewed the 6TB single drive model. When buying storage it makes sense to buy as much as you can afford as you’re highly likely to need more in the future. It also works out cheaper, per TB, to go for the higher capacity devices.

Watch the My Cloud Home official product overview video below:

In addition to the My Cloud Home unit, you also get an Ethernet cable, an AC adapter and a quick install guide. Getting the device up and running is incredibly simple, even if you’re not much of a techie. You plug in the power adapter, connect it to the My Cloud Home and then use the Ethernet cable to connect it to your home router.

If you’ve done that correctly the power light around the middle of the device will light up. Then you simply go to the My Cloud website and register an account and the key for your device. Once that’s all done the device is ready for you to start backing up your data. If you have multiple users who want to use it then you can each create an account to store your data in your own private space. Files or directories can also be shared to friends and family with a few clicks.

PC and Mac users need to install the WD Discovery app to use the My Cloud Home device. Once installed and logged in with your account, you can then copy and retrieve files. It’s also possible to use the device with Windows Backup and Time Machine to backup your machines.

Mobile users on iOS and Android devices can install the My Cloud Home app. This lets you access or backup your files from anywhere. It’s also possible to have your photos and videos backed up automatically. Another neat option is the ability to link your online accounts for services such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Facebook to have them sync with the device.

WD My Cloud Home
© Western Digital

The My Cloud Home features Plex support to allow you to stream your media to DLNA compatible apps as long as you have an active Plex subscription. This means you can watch your videos or listen to your music from anywhere. On the back of the device is a USB port allowing you to connect a USB flash drive or hard drive to import your existing media libraries.

My biggest gripe with the My Cloud Home is that file transfers seem to be rather slow. I doubt this would be a massive issue for the target market though. I could nitpick about a range of features that I’d like to have that aren’t present, such as advanced NAS (Network-Attached Storage) features, but I don’t think that would be fair.

The WD My Cloud Home does what it promises, providing a simple to setup, easy to use device that you can access everywhere at an attractive price. Having all your data from your various devices backed up to a single device in your home gives you peace of mind and removes the worry some users have with various cloud services. Certain features are a bit clunky but they get the job done and it’s perfect for more casual users. Tech savvy users would probably be better served with a high-end NAS device.

The WD My Cloud Home was reviewed using a review unit supplied by Western Digital.

Manufacturer: WD (Western Digital) Official Website: www.wdc.com/en-gb/products/personal-cloud-storage/my-cloud-home.html

Greg Ellwood
Greg Ellwoodhttps://8ce250469d.nxcli.io
Greg is the Deputy Editor of Entertainment Focus. He writes about Games, Tech and TV. You can find him on Xbox/PSN/Steam as Tahllian.

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