Top 5 Hard Drives for Personal Cloud Storage

Are you always running out of storage space with those tons of cute family pictures, funny pet videos, lengthy assignments or official documents? Or are you tired of paying monthly fee for public cloud accounts? Well fret no more.
Today we’ll enlighten you with top five hard drives that can be your once in for all investment to create a personal cloud and be done with those monthly bills forever.
As you know for decades hard drives have been used for storage purposes but with the advancement of IT, CLOUD storage or simply the web has become a notable alternative to external hard disks, as they are cheaper, allow tremendous amount of storage space and by being physically non-existent they have zero risk of misplacing or mishandling. However, in this article we are specifically focusing on NAS (network attached storage) devices that are basically external hard drives that connect directly to your network rather than PC and provide additional cloud storage and backup options. Meaning you could save your data not only on a hard disk but can further expand and secure it by saving it on a personal Cloud created exclusively for you.

1. My Cloud
   https://harddiskdirect.com/wdbctl0060hwt-nesn-wd-network-storage-device.html
   My Cloud is a hybrid NAS that makes a perfect candidate for your DIY cloud storage. Available in 2TB, 3TB, 4TB, 6TB and 8 TB capacities it an excellent centralized storage solution for all your digital content. Not only it automatically backup photos and videos from your smartphone but it can also sync PC and Mac computers simultaneously. Having the most flexible connectivity options like direct connection to Wifi router and USB port for importing data from external hard drive and USB flash drives it keeps all your content up to date across all your devices. Its cloud storage app gives it an edge over many alternative external hard drives by establishing storage services over a wide range of devices such as iOS, Android, PC and Mac.
   This NAS device also provides customer friendly DLNA support and incorporates a browser dashboard, along with having compatibility with both the Windows and Mac OS platforms.

2. NETGEAR ReadyNAS RN212
   https://harddiskdirect.com/rn212d22-100nes-netgear-nas-server.html

The ReadyNAS 210 delivers high performance with its superior quad core 1.4GHz processor with 2GB RAM and up to 200MB/s read and 160MB/s write speeds. It is integrated with BTRFS file system that delivers 5 levels of complete data protection such as, automatic RAID against disk failures, snapshot technology to restore data losses, free real-time antivirus against malware and bitrot protection. Keep your data up to date with advanced Backup via NAS without an extra software from PC/mobile or simply backup all Macs at home with Time-Machine integration. Its Dual Gigabit Ethernet can support up to 2x throughput in Link Aggregation mode. Manage your private cloud with VPN-based ReadyCLOUD or store additional data on externally supported 2.5” or 3.5” SATA/SSD drives (Maximum storage of 16TB)

1. Seagate Personal Cloud
   https://harddiskdirect.com/stcs4000100-seagate-nas-servers.html

The Seagate Personal Cloud is a noteworthy alternative to the WD – My Cloud. This network-attached storage device stretches your access to remote files and syncs them to the established cloud services. Marketed in five alternative models with 3 TB, 4 TB, 5 TB, 6 TB, and 8 TB HDD storage option it is fully compatible with Windows and Mac OS X. It’s 2-bay model automatically stores files twice, once on each drive thus multiplying the protection over your data. After setting up your personal cloud you can easily access it with Seagate Media app for Android, iOS and Windows mobiles or tablets. Additionally, users can also sync Seagate Personal Cloud folders with Baidu, Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive storage accounts.
Personal Cloud is the first and only smart storage device that works with IFTTT (IF This Then That) enabling powerful connections with hundreds of apps and smart devices that you routinely use such as Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, and SoundCloud. It archives your digital life automatically with smart storage solution designed exclusively for your smart home.

1. Transcend 2-Bay Store Jet Cloud 210
   https://harddiskdirect.com/ts8tsjc210k-transcend-nas-servers.html
   Transcend store Jet cloud relieves you from relaying on fee based public storage cloud with its massive to 8TB of personal storage space. It features lightning fast transfer speed of up to 110 MB/s and centralized data management permitting efficient storage and rapid access to all your data from any part of the globe. Enjoy total peace of mind with having complete control over your data with Windows and Time-Machine backups, secure sharing with friends and family, one touch instant backup to USB drives and RAID data mirroring technology providing you an extra layer of redundancy. Transcend store Jet cloud is accompanied by a user-friendly app that allows for quick setup, uploading, backup, and streaming with just a few taps. Compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

2. Synology DS115j NAS DiskStation
   Synology DS115j DiskStation provides the ultimate flexibility for your own private cloud by being a compact 1-bay NAS server designed specifically for home and personal users to effortlessly share storage across devices. It connects directly to your network via an ethernet port and allows you to automatically backup or sync data from multiple connected devices. Stream your favorite multimedia on a large TV screen or carry terabytes of data in your pocket with freedom. Furthermore, it has an elegant compact design, low power consumption features with only 3.85-watt consumption in HDD hibernation making it an attractive, budget friendly hard drive to be displayed on your desk. Add more storage with compatible hard drive such as 3.5" SATA III / SATA II HDD, 2.5" SATA III / SATA II HDD (with optional 2.5" Disk Holder), 2.5" SATA III / SATA II SSD (with optional 2.5" Disk Holder)