WD has just released their latest personal cloud storage; the My Cloud EX2. Does this new storage gives you the best convenience for data storage?

Before we give our impressions about the My Cloud EX2, let’s take a look at the specifications:

• Model Number: WDBVKW0040JCH
• Interface: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 x2
• Capacity: 4 TB
• Operating System: Windows/ Mac

Package Includes

• Personal cloud storage
• Ethernet cable
• AC adapter
• Quick install guide

WD still retained the original design from the previous My Cloud unit; simple and neat. Though with the EX2, it’s loaded with two hard disk drives that can be replaceable of any WD HDD variants.

The EX2 has several variants to suit a consumer’s needs, it ranges from 4TB to the whopping 8TB capacity. It also has an Ethernet and USB 3.0 port for data transfer directly from the network or as a standard external drive. A slight concern on the package is that the EX2 does not include a USB 3.0 cable, though any male to male USB cable can be used for this device, having its own cable from the package would have been nice.

Accessing the WDMyCloud dashboard can be done either from the .exe file or through your web browser (depending on how you configure your network, the URL may vary) which can perform P2P, FTP and HTML access. This made the EX2 easier to access either it’s connected directly from your computer or from your network, and not to mention the installation is also just a cake walk; install the driver and software and you are good to go.

Thanks to the dashboard, you can organize your files and managing accounts that can access your files. You can even do remote access to the storage with your smart phones and tablets. You can use this function to stream videos, photos and music on your mobile devices, it is even possible to use the EX2 as a media server for your gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 3 at your living room

The major concern with the EX2 is that the reading and writing is on the so-so level compared to other latest models of HDDs. Transferring single large files (around 5-8 GB), the reading and writing speed would be around 50-60 mbps and the speed gets lower when reading and writing files totaling at around 5GB and above (speeds at around 20-25 mbps).

To sum everything up, WD made the MyCloud EX2 easier to use and maintain but at a price of having an almost below average reading/writing speed. It may not be perfect but it can still provide the needs of consumers for file storage that varies from photos to videos. So if you need a storage that has a wide range of accessibility and convenience and does not need a very fast storage performance, you can opt for the My Cloud EX2.