The concept of storing files at home on a device that is not your primary computer is foreign to most people. And that’s something that needs to change as we have a heavy reliance on digital data. Files, Photos, Videos, we’re sharing and watching them on more devices than ever before.
A Network Attached Storage (NAS) device is the solution to these needs, and the Western Digital (WD) “MyCloud Mirror” appears to be a simple to use device that should give everyone the chance to embrace their own “home cloud”.
At its heart, a NAS or personal cloud is a device that sits on your network and holds your files and makes them available on any device connected to that network, and even via remote access.
Setting up the WD MyCloud Mirror was simple – I plugged it in, visited the setup website as directed in the instructions and installed the “WD MyCloud” application.
The new device shows up as being on your network, and after a few minutes later, I’m good to go.
WD MyCloud has a drag and drop interface so you can simply drag files and folders over to your drive. These files are then available to view via an app on your smartphone or tablet, or via DLNA streaming.
This is simple, and allows your data to be shared with ease.
It’s perfect for family photos and videos – when you download photos from your phone, store them on your NAS device – this means they are backed up, and also available on any other device.
Real benefits come in when you change computers, or a computer fails. A new computer comes onto your network and immediately is able to view those shared files.
With audio and video files you can stream them across devices – so put your family movies onto your personal cloud device and watch them on any device.
All of this is possible with a NAS, and the WD MyCloud Mirror is a great option for those wanting to get started.
I’ve used many different NAS technologies, and in just 4 years the simplicity of setup and ease of use has come from something I would never recommend, to something I would encourage.
At around $500 with 4TB of storage on board, this device will outlast many of your mobile devices and home PC’s.
[schema type=”review” rev_name=”WD MyCloud Mirror personal cloud storage” rev_body=”A simple to setup and easy to use personal cloud device for your home” author=”Trevor Long” pubdate=”2014-05-20″ user_review=”4.5″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”5″ ]
