Expert review: WD My Cloud Home
Note: your WD NAS needs an update
Do you already have a Western Digital NAS? It's probably ready for an update. The support for your current My Cloud OS version ends on 15 January 2022. The full support expires 15 April 2022. In the following advice article, you'll read how to perform this update for your Western Digital NAS.
In short
- Thanks to the improved app, files are better accessible from your smartphone.
- Unlike its predecessor, you can now stream media to your smartphone, tablet, smart TV, and computers via Plex.
- Setting up the WD My Cloud Home is easy and quick thanks to setup help via the app.
- You can back up files without having to connect even a single cable.
- Installing extra apps such as Plex only works on desktops and is a bit of a hassle.
From the box
WD delivers the My Cloud Home a simple cardboard packaging. When opening it, I immediately notice the useful setup card (which you'll really need to set it up). On the side of the box, I find the power cord and a network cable. I've now, conveniently, got everything I need to start using the device. The upper half of the device is beautifully finished. The material looks like, and feels, like smooth white marble. The lower half is made of gray plastic which, although sturdy, feels a little thin. That might be because of the checkered pattern which has been lightly embossed on the surface. This combo does make it a pretty device, which fits wonderfully into my home's interior.
The WD My Cloud Home in use
On the go: opening files from the cloud
I open my MacBook and I immediately see the WD My Cloud Home directory on my desktop. I start by dragging a movie to it right away, so I'll be able to watch that on my tablet tonight. In order to test if I was able to open files on my smartphone away from my house, I went to the grocery store. When in the aisle, I get out my smartphone, open the WD Cloud app, and look for my weekly shopping list. Without any problems, I open the file using my phone's 4G connection. The movie's video file is there too, but the app gives me a notification saying it'll cost me a lot of mobile data if I play the movie. How convenient of it to remind me.
At home on the couch: streaming movies via app and Plex
In the evening, I'm in the mood for a movie on my tablet. There's no app for tablets, but the well-designed website looks exactly the same as the smartphone app. I log in and tap the icon for the video I put on the hard drive earlier. It takes a few seconds to load, and then I'm enjoying the movie on my iPad. Out of curiosity, I download Plex as well. Plex doesn't work on the original WD My Cloud. I thought that was a bummer, because Plex is a useful app. It allows you to watch movies on pretty much any device: smart TVs, computers, and smartphones. On the WD My Cloud Home, this is now possible, thanks to its powerful Quad-Core processor. I install the Plex app on my Mac, smart TV and the WD My Cloud Home itself, using the desktop app. The Plex option is buried in several menus and takes some time to get to, but it's worth it. The app collects my videos, I plop down on the couch and open Plex on my TV. Now, I get to watch my favorite movies on my smart TV's big screen as well.
Conclusion
The WD My Cloud Home is a welcome improvement over the original WD My Cloud. Thanks to the app, the NAS is now a useful and versatile personal cloud that saves your movies, vacation photos, and all your other files in a single central place. I won't need to search for my external hard drive, connect it and disconnect it again when I'm using my files on another computer. I'm able to make backups from my phone and laptop, and I can even open my files outside the home. I can immediately watch movies on my tablet via the user-friendly WD My Cloud Home site, as well as Plex. Setting up the WD My Cloud Home doesn't take long; fortunately WD tells you the exact setup steps to follow to get it ready for use. If you're looking for a personal cloud solution that will also stream your movies, WD offers a convenient, wireless, and complete solution with the WD My Cloud Home.
