Western Digitals USB 3.0 external hard drive is.The worst problem is sharing photos. Package Contents: Portable hard drive USB cable Quick install guide Model : WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN Item : N82E16822232982 Return Policy: Standard Return PolicyLike other models, this external hard drive requires reformatting for Mac, with a few simple steps as. Form Factor: 2.5' Dimensions: 0.82' x 3.23' x 4.35' Weight: 0.52 lb. The standard USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive will do.) I plugged it in and followed the simple instructions for my PS4 to format it, and voila, 4TB of additional storage - thank god I immediately downloaded all the games that were sitting in the queue, and also transferred all of my existing games to the external drive.The WD MyCloud drive is difficult to set up, but extremely useful once doneWD 4TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive HDD, USB 3.0, Compatible with PC, Mac, PS4 & Xbox - WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN, with fast international shipping.WD 4TB Elements USB 3.0 2.5' Portable External Hard Drive WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN Black.It certainly seems like a great option, and I’ll be trying one out soon enough, but it’s relatively expensive, costing as much as a cheap PC.An alternative that I found quite interesting, and more suited to my needs, was the WD MyCloud. This is essentially a tiny little PC that’s attached to your network and handles data. Even something as simple as streaming my iTunes movie library requires setup.One of the most obvious solutions to this problem is to get a NAS (network attached storage) box. Accessing from a Mac and smartphones is possible, but it’s not as straightforward, requiring specific apps and jumping through a few hoops.While this has been a functional solution, it’s still problematic. This isn’t as easy as it sounds because that setup only really works for other Windows PCs. I’ve had to set up network shares that everyone can access and also had to ensure that the PC is running 24/7.
You do not carry this around with you when you go from place to place.The MyCloud device variants offer up to 8 TB of storage.As the name implies, think of the MyCloud as your own little personal cloud storage box. This is not a device that you plug into a PC or a laptop and transfer files to. They willingly obliged — being a tech journalist has its perks!After spending a month with the unit, here are my thoughts.The first thing you need to know about the WD MyCloud is that it’s not a traditional external hard disk. The initial setup process only initialises the unit and sets up a network-connected storage hub that’s invisible to your devices unless you know what you’re doing.As a power user, I knew that I needed to set up network shares, create multiple user accounts, one for every person in the house, and a separate guest account. However, it’s considerably more complicated than that. If setup correctly, all your data will simply be accessible from anywhere in the world and on any device and you’ll never have to think about it again.Hooking the MyCloud unit up to my router was as easy as plugging in the bundled ethernet cable to the device and my router, but this is where the challenge really starts.The setup process as advertised by WD on the box is a 3-step one. If all the above is gibberish, then any instructions I give will also be gibberish.On the rear you will find the gigabit Ethernet port and a USB 3.0 portAfter setup, my home storage environment looked something like this:-All devices that need access to the data on the MyCloud drive can now access it over the home network.-All MacBooks will now automatically backup their data to the MyCloud drive.-Movies and music stored on iTunes are now accessible to everyone.-All iPhones now backup to the MyCloud drive.-All photos are accessible from anywhere to all members of my family.-Guests can access a limited collection of photos, music and movies.-Downloads automatically go to the MyCloud drive.-The Xbox One S can access the media library and can now stream movies to the TV at any time.-I would get email alerts when anything happened to the MyCloud drive, even a power outage.With this one device and a few days of tinkering, I’ve vastly streamlined data use in my house and made it convenient for anyone to use and access data storage with minimal fuss. If you’re competent enough to know what a CAT6 cable is and how to set up network shares, you’ll be competent enough to do the setup yourself. There is no easy way to enable any of this.Or rather, enabling this is very easy, but only if you know what you’re doing.I won’t bore you with the details of the setup process. An average user is not going to know about the dangers of giving everyone admin privileges, securing the account, etc.Moving on, the drive supports several features, including the option to host a DLNA server, your iTunes library, etc. It worked reliably and delivered on demand. There were no random reboots, connection issues or anything else. Once set up, the device worked like a charm. Data transfer speeds easily hit over 90 Mbps on LAN and 50 Mbps over Wi-Fi. Putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak, is never a good thing. The device UI could certainly have been clearer with its messaging.One thing that worries me with the MyCloud is that you’ll still need yet another storage unit to ensure that you have a backup of the data on the MyCloud. I didn't have any file transfer issues myself, however, and it's possible that this was a one-off. He only realised that all was not well when he looked for a particular file and found the folder to be blank. Wd 4Tb Elements External Hard Drive - Usb 3.0 - Portable Hard DiskAs an upgrade from a dumb hard drive, the WD MyCloud shines. It also proved to be eminently reliable, which is important when dealing with our precious data stores. It’s the perfect upgrade from a regular portable hard disk and streamlines data use. I only wish that the MyCloud was a multi-drive unit with inbuilt redundancy to protect against data loss, but at its offered price, I can’t really complain, and it’s already doing so much.As a power user, I’m in love with what the WD MyCloud has to offer. Spotify desktop app for macAnd who’s going to sit and configure all the other devices in the house to connect to the MyCloud? The first time setup was a weekend project for me, and I can't imagine what the process will feel like to someone who isn't a bit geeky.Think of it this way, when you buy an air conditioner, you’re not going to be setting it up yourself. If I give a MyCloud to my dad, he won’t know what to do with it.Not everyone is going to know how to properly set up the device and even fewer people are going to know about “best practices” when it comes to network security. Rs 3,000 for smartening up your home storage is reasonable, methinks.My real issue with the drive, and one that should be easy to fix, is the challenge that the initial setup will present to regular home users. The WD MyCloud, the 4 TB version that I tested, can be had for around Rs 13,000-14,000. A complete NAS setup will cost you around Rs 30,000. A 4 TB hard disk will cost you about Rs 10,000. If it doesn’t do that, you’re not going to like it.This is the kind of experience that should accompany a WD MyCloud purchase, and it’s the only way it’ll ever go mainstream. As an average user, you’re only concerned that it cools your room and that it’s easy to control. You don’t need to know how to install the AC or even how it works. He’ll then give you a run-down of the features and explain how to use the unit. ![]()
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