(2015-06-07 update: after using this device for awhile, I'm not excited about the default settings. I would recommend turning off all power savings; and although DHCP is fine, I would reserve an IP address for this with your firewall, as the desktop software that integrates with Windows hard-codes an IP address, which is lame, and hand-modify that IP address to be correct; and finally, don't forget to export settings from both the Cloud device and your firewall when done. I always keep at least the last few exports for each device, just in case of all the bad things that can happen.)
I used to know this guy that would ask for advice, and then tell you that your advice was "stupid," no matter the answer. As an example, he needed a new HDTV, and asked me what he should buy. I had just seen that a new 4K TV had come out, which was priced at almost the exact same price as 1080P sets in its class, and told him that he should at least take a peek at it. I didn't know if it was great or even good, but why not get a 4K -- all other things being equal -- if the price was right? He said, "I don't need a 4K. I just need an HD." Well, naturally, that wasn't the point -- why not try to future-proof your hardware? Watch 1080P now and then enjoy 2160P for "free" later, when more content is available? (Plus, you get up scaling now, by the way. Duh.)
Another time, he needed to buy an external hard drive, and asked me for advice: should he get a USB or a network solution? Naturally, I responded that, all things being equal, a network solution would be better, since then you can access the data from any computer, and maybe even remotely. (Sure, you can always share out a drive on a PC, but there are many issues, too numerous to discuss here. OK, one: Windows sucks. You know it does. OK, two: you have to leave your shared PC running. OK, three: Windows and Macs don't always play nice together. Yada, Yada, Yada.) Once again, his response: "Oh, I don't need a network drive. The USB will do." Ugh.
Well, why the hell ask me then in the first place?
Until recently, I've actually never needed an external hard drive, because my Toshiba laptop has a 750G drive; plenty big enough usually for my data. But that just changed. I just received an HP Spectre 360 as a gift, which is much better in many ways than the old Toshiba -- the HP supports touch, while the Toshiba does not; the HP is much faster since it has a SSD, while the Toshiba does not; etc. -- but the HP has one issue: since it has that screaming fast SSD, the drive is not very big due to the cost per byte of the newer technology. Hey, you can't have everything. The HP was a gift, after all, and the drive is only 128G, which in my opinion isn't quite big enough for a Windows machine. But I'll deal with it.
I'm going to wipe the Toshiba and give it away. It's five or six years old, and that's really old for any computer nowadays, as you should know. So now, I actually need an external hard drive. Well, I took my own advice, and decided to get a network data solution. After peeking at reviews, I decided that the WD My Cloud EX2 with 6 TB looked "good enough." I considered another model with four bays, but the reviews for it weren't very good. "Too slow on transfer rates," seemed to be the major complaint.
I have a Gigabit network throughout my house, with an Ethernet port in almost every room, and gigabit switches. I installed CAT6 throughout, although I will admit I initially considered CAT7. When I saw that a spool of 10G (CAT7) is around 600 bucks, I passed, and went with the cheaper CAT6. So I figured that this Cloud Drive would be nice; eventually, it will go in my computer room, but for now, I just plugged it in in another room for testing and configuration. Then I'll move it.
Taking it out of the box is a breeze. Hey, sometimes that's a pain, as you know. Plugging it in is a breeze, but I used a better Ethernet patch cable that I had laying around. Downloading the software and setting up credentials is a breeze, although there was an update, which is fine by me -- I actually like updates. And then I started copying files across the network -- I have around 500G right now, so while transfer rates are decent, it will take a little time. Actually, it did, but I noticed that the data transfers at similar rates to a local USB thumb drive that I tested against. I even installed the WD Cloud app on my iPad -- doesn't Apple do nice work, unlike Microsoft? -- and seamlessly accessed data created on Windows but located on this machine. Nice.
Well, don't buy a USB external hard drive; get a network solution like this instead. However, supposedly, if I need to add more space, I could break my own rule, by a USB drive, and plug it into this thing and bingo! This device should recognize it. That's nice to know. And if I give you some advice, well, at least think about taking it. Unlike that guy that I used to know.
| Hard Drive | Diskless |
|---|---|
| Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 1 |
