I’m thinking of buying a WD My Cloud Home 8TB I’d be connecting it to my router to store Pictures and Videos from mine and my wife’s iPhones. I’m not sure if this is the right thing for me though and it’s been difficult to find all the answers I needs so I hope folks here would be good enough to help me out.
Can I access the drive with the My Cloud Home App remotely over cellular or from another wifi connection?
Does it create thumbnails for all the pictures and videos? Mind you this will be a variety of file types including .jpg, .MOV and .HEIC with live photos and the videos are HEVC.
Am I able to stream those video types to the iPhone app to be able to see if it’s a video I’m trying to download without having to download it?
Can I create user restrictions so my wife can upload and download files but not delete them? She likes to delete things she thinks she looks bad in. lol
Can I access it from my PC on the same network easily? I know the PC app no longer exists but can I direct access it without having to go through the internet somehow?
If any of this is sounding wrong, is there another device that’d work for everything I need? Again this will only hold videos and pictures so I don’t need a bunch of fancy NAS stuff on it.
Thank you for anyone that helps answer these questions.
The WD My Cloud Home is a solid choice for storing photos and videos from your iPhones. Here’s how it meets your needs:
Remote Access
Yes, you can access the My Cloud Home remotely through the My Cloud Home app over cellular data or another Wi-Fi connection. This feature allows you to view and manage your files from anywhere.
Thumbnails and File Types
The My Cloud Home does generate thumbnails for various file types, including .jpg, .MOV, HEIC, and HEVC. This means you’ll be able to see previews of your photos and videos, making it easier to browse through them.
Video Streaming
You can stream supported video types directly from the app. This allows you to check the content of videos without needing to download them first, which is convenient for identifying files.
User Restrictions
Unfortunately, the My Cloud Home does not offer granular permission settings like restricting deletion while allowing uploads. It typically allows users to have read/write access without fine-tuning specific permissions. For more control over user permissions, you might need to look into a more advanced NAS system like those from Synology or QNAP.
PC Access
You can access the My Cloud Home from a PC on the same network. While the desktop app is discontinued, you can access it directly via the web interface (using its IP address) or through File Explorer by mapping it as a network drive.
Alternatives
If user permissions are a significant concern for you, consider a basic NAS (Network Attached Storage) like the Synology DS220j or a QNAP device. These options provide more robust features, including better user management, file syncing, and streaming capabilities.
What a ChatGPT summary won’t tell you is that The My Cloud Home (MCH) is near its End of Life (EOL) term and WD now has a record of terminating support and cloud/remote access for EOL personal storage devices. I am now looking at two WD devices that are recently made inaccessible from the webapp or mobileapp and that any configuration changes can now brick the devices without recourse or support from WDC.
What happens if my local access is not working even after enabling it?
You will not be able to enable local access to your device after August 31st, 2024. Please make sure you have enabled it and tried accessing the device via local network on your computer at least once before August 31st, 2024.
Can I lose my Local Access even after enabling it?
You will be able to access the content on your ibi device via Local Access if it is enabled before August 31st, 2024. However, after this date, if you perform a hard factory reset (physically on the device) or update your home’s Wi-Fi configuration (e.g., password change, network change), there is a possibility that your local access will be lost. Since the mobile and web apps will no longer be accessible, you will not be able to turn on the access again.
**IMPORTANT:**Western Digital Support will not be able to assist you in such cases, please ensure you have a backup of your ibi data.
Thank you very much, you answered everything and I appreciate it but it seems based on NoPlex’s response that My Cloud Home may not be around much longer. Do either of you know if there is a planned successor? The other options you gave are outside my budget. I was checking out the Synology BeeStation too but not sure it’s right for me either.
