Performance and Summary
Performance, at first glance, doesn't appear to be a strong point. We would expect most NAS devices to saturate the Gigabit Ethernet interface, but My Cloud Home Duo managed modest sequential read and write speeds of 98MB/s and 38MB/s, respectively, using our standard CrystalDiskMark test.
We can only imagine the software configuration is hampering synthetic benchmark performance as the drive fared better during real-world use. When writing a 22GB folder comprised of 221 files from an SSD-based PC to the My Cloud Home we managed an average speed of 68MB/s. Copying the same data back resulted in an average read speed of 109MB/s.
Real-world transfer speeds are adequate, but do be aware that My Cloud Home Duo isn't a particularly quiet device. Our PCs are mostly SSD-based, and the mechanical noise of the hard-disk heads can be off-putting when the WD server is located nearby.
Summary
Considering the identified limitations, My Cloud Home Duo ultimately struggles to match established competitors at comparable price points. The concept has potential, and we like the idea of a personal Dropbox for all of your devices with no monthly fees, but WD needs to work fast to add key features such as external backup and shared folders for My Cloud Home Duo to be worthy of consideration.
The Good |
The Bad |
|
Pretty, for a storage server Includes WD Red hard disks Simple setup |
No external backup options Doesn't allow for shared folders Access requires WD app |
HEXUS.where2buy*
The WD My Cloud Home Duo is available to purchase from Amazon and Currys PC World.
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