Help Me Understand: My Cloud is on Internet not just home network?

My Cloud Home - Personal Cloud Storage My Cloud Home
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I’ve installed a My Cloud Home device and besides not being happy with some previously advertised features no longer existing, it’s not clear to me whether the Home.MyCloud.com web interface is going direct to the device or if it’s going to WD then to the device.

If the latter, then I think I’m getting rid of it.

So can people clarify: Does the My Cloud Home device have to be on the internet and not just the home network to work?

Why?

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there is two folders on your device; the offline folder called Public folder and the online folder. the first is accessible only in your local network and the second everywhere you are.
the files is directly copied on your Public folder without authentification of MyCloud server. For your online folder, authentification is needed for adding files. files are directly added on your device after user’s authentification.

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@Ken51 Have you visited the Learning Center and looked at all the information provided there and the User Manual?

You can search the Knowledge Base for answers too.

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Thanks for trying. Not really what I’m asking about. But while you mention it, I believe those folders were eliminated in WD’s most recent changes to the product. There were no pre-existing folders on the device when I set it up.

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Thanks for the suggestion. The user manual I’ve downloaded doesn’t address what I’m asking about, which is not really a how-to-use-it question but more of a how-does-this-work question. That is, I’m trying to determine wether going to Home.MyCloud.com in a browswer is connecting me directly to the My Cloud device or whether my connection is going across the Internet to WD and then back to my home and the My Cloud device.

I suspect it’s the latter, because I’ve seen discussions on the forum of people losing connection to their My Cloud devices as a result of outages at WD.

I guess when I attempt my first large backup or transfer of files, I’ll see immediately whether I’m getting local network speeds or Internet speeds.

Also, the manual is somewhat out of date, in that it describes use of the Desktop Application that in fact no longer exists.

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when i said folders, it isn’t like you understood.
Assume that the page you have when you loggin to the web or the drive you have when you loggin with WD discovery is the online part of your device that I called “Online folder”.
there is another way to use your device without internet. you can access this part only in your local network. this part of your device is what I called “offline folder” known as “Public folder”.

Now, when you used your device, your data (files, movies and else) isn’t conserved on WD server. it’s in your device.
for the online Folder, your need to confirm that it’s your drive for access it; your loggin’s informations is stored in WD server to confirm your identity and connect you to your device not the device of another user. Data you copy in that folder is conserved on your drive not in WD server.

If you just want to use it in local network, no need internet or to create Mycloud loggin or else. you just have to know IP’s address of your device given by your router and attach it at all your local device. You also have to know that anybody on your local network could access this drive.

Hoping that it’s clear now, happy sunday

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I believe I understood. I was not questioning where my files reside but rather what path is followed by communication with my files from my computer. I understand I’m communicating over the web and back to the WD device. One of these days, I’ll unplug my router from the internet, turn my network into a LAN disconnected from the outside world, and confirm what still works and what doesn’t.

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Ok, I have already done that experiment. If you access your disk via your computer for exemple through WD discovery then disconnect your modem, this folder will remain available, locally, for your devices that were connected and online on this folder as long as they are connected to the router without interruption.
this experience helped me to realise that WD works like the diagram or pin code of your phone; communication takes place between the disk and your device after you entered your code. This is only true for Online folder.
for The offline or Public folder, you have fully access anytime on local.

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