Both these My Cloud devices are entry-level 2-bay systems that help you build a private media hub at home to store and stream various types of files.
If we talk about the differences than…
My Cloud Home Duo
- Shows an artistic white-colored design.
- is relatively an easy-to-use cloud device in comparison.
Home Duo is a tower-form cloud device, containing a quad-core processor. It comes in various space variants and ranks user-friendly as all models come integrated with storage disks. Plus, its usage portal is very easy to manage.
My Cloud EX2 Ultra on the other hand
- Present relatively faster data reading and writing performance.
- Offer better cloud networking proficiency in comparison.
- Provides better file sharing and back up facility.
Supported by a longer warranty from the manufacturer.
The EX2 Ultra is a vertical NAS, working with the latest WD software. This tool provides you with storage services with fast reading and writing speeds.
It allows a massive storage space and provides remote access to the stored files via its web portal or apps.
Moreover, you also get the option to buy it in the form of a diskless enclosure.
Table of Contents
Side By Side Comparison
Compared to My Cloud Home Duo, EX2 Ultra shows faster read-write efficiency, better cloud storing options, efficient sharing and collaboration ability, and a longer warranty.
| Home Duo | EX2 Ultra | |
| Processor | Realtek RTD1295PB-CG A53, Quad-core | Marvell ARMADA 385 dual-core |
| Processing frequency | 1.4 GHz | 1.3 GHz |
| Installed storage | 1 GB DDR3L | 1 GB DDR3 |
| Compatible Drives | 2 x 3.5-inch hard disk drives | 2 x 3.5’’ SATA HDD |
| Interface | SATA | SATA III 3.5’’ |
| Ports | 1 x Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 ports 2 x USB 3.0 ports | 1 x RJ45 1Gigabit Ethernet Port 2 x USB 3.0 Ports |
Speed
Although both devices operate with a similar processing frequency, EX2 shows better speed than its competitor because it supports a relatively advanced operating system software from Western Digital.
It works through My Cloud OS 5 that enables it to perform data transmissions quickly.
Thus, it provides efficient streaming ability with a reading speed of 116 Mb/s and faster downloads with the speed of 112 Mb/s.
On the other side, Home Duo works relatively slowly as its operating system (My Cloud OS 3) is an older NAS system that supports data transmission less efficiently than the competitor.
| Home Duo | EX2 Ultra | |
| Reading speed | 98 MB/s | 116 MB/s |
| Writing speed | 38 MB/s | 112 MB/s |
Design
Design-wise, Home Duo is a tower-form NAS whose upper portion is sleek and white-colored while the lower part specifies a geometrical texture in grayish color.
Moreover, its weight and size dimensions re relatively larger than the competitor.
The front side gives a minimalistic look showing only a single LED slab for indicating device status.
On the rear side, it has a power button, a reset button, two USB ports, an Ethernet port and a DC power connector inlet.
However, it lacks a security slot to safeguard against hacking threats and unauthorized usage.
Plus, its ability to work in extreme temperatures is lower than the competitor.
EX2 also shows a modish black design characterizing a clean, and sleek tower-form cloud device.
It weights lesser than the competitor and also specifies relatively compact dimensions.
Just like the other device, its front side only contains light indicators while a security slot, power socket, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and two USB 3.0 slots are located on the backside
Both devices are 2 bay network attached systems and their drive trays are non-swappable.
These hardware systems do not have cooling fans yet many ventilation slits are present on the rear section for convectional cooling.
Plus, both gadgets can be stored within a wide temperature range spanning from –20°C to 65°C
| Home Duo | EX2 Ultra | |
| Height | 180 mm | 171 mm |
| Width | 160 mm | 154 mm |
| Depth | 100 mm | 99 mm |
| Weight (4TB device) | 5.05 lbs. | 3.4 lbs. |
Available models and space variants
Western Digital produces both EX2 Ultra and Home Duo as two models of its My Cloud NAS series.
Both of these models come in various space variants and you can choose according to your storage needs and the budget.
Duo is only available as pre-configured devices and its variant range is also smaller than the competitor, spanning from storage capacity of 4TB to 20TB.
On the other side, EX2 also comes as diskless enclosure along with 9 pre-configured space variants with the highest capacity of 36TB.
| Home Duo | EX2 Ultra | |
| Space variants | 20 TB, 16 TB, 12TB, 8 TB, 6TB, 4TB | 36 TB, 32 TB, 28 TB, 24 TB, 20TB, 16 TB, 12 TB, 8 TB, 4TB, 0TB (diskless) |
Cloud storage interface
Duo allows to store files remotely, then you can easily access this data via mobile apps or My Cloud web portal. It also supports Dropbox and Google Drive for cloud storage.
Plus, you can connect your NAS to different cloud and social platforms like Dropbox, Box, Google Drive and facebook, etc and download multimedia files into your storage device.
EX2 gives a better ability to create a customized cloud network that also allows you to transmit and receive files from other cloud services.
Turn on the “cloud access” in settings and utilize My Cloud services remotely through the desktop or mobile apps.
Also, it is compatible with a higher number of commercial cloud services OneDrive, Dropbox, Acronis, ElephantDrive, Amazon S3, and Google Drive.
Supported OS and browsers
My Cloud Home supports a wide range of operating systems including Windows (8 and 10), macOS High Sierra(10.13), Mojave(10.14), Cataline(10.15) , iOS 11+, Android 6, 7, 8, and 9.
To utilize web based cloud services through this storage device you can use Google Chrome 50/later, Internet Explorer 11/later, Microsoft Edge, Safari 9.0/later, or Firefox 45/ later.
Likewise, Streaming services like Google Chromecast and Plex Media Server are also enabled with this device.
In contrast, Ultra takes the win in terms of OS and browser support. It supports Windows (Vista, 7, 8, 10), macOS 10.8(Lion), 10.9(Mountain Lion), 10.10(Mavericks), 10.11(El Capitan), and higher.
Safari 6, Firefox 30, Google Chrome 31, and Internet Explorer 10 or later versions are compatible for accessing its web portal.
It supports Plex Media Server, DLNA, UPnP for streaming multimedia content.
Also, it is compatible with ARCUS surveillance software and supports input from up to 10 cameras at the same time.
These features give it an edge over the competitor.
Sharing
Home provides an optimized ability to share NAS data with other family and team members.
You can add separate users accounts for them and enable access for the files and folders you want to share with them.
Each user can also create a private space and store their data.
However, it ability ranks lower than the competitor as it does not allow shared groups.
In contrast, EX2 allows data sharing with different users and permit them to store their files on the NAS and also enables group formation, making collaboration easier.
Plus, specific space quotas can be assigned to each user and group to manage storage space more efficiently.
Backup
Both of these are 2 bay storage systems, offering 1-disk fault tolerance via RAID mirroring and protect the stored files from thefts, and unethical access via 256 AES hardware encryption.
However, EX2 takes the lead over its competitor as it enables higher RAID levels.
On the other side, Home Duo do give a good backup facility by mirroring stored dat from one disk to the other and also creates a remote database for two tier retrieval options yet its backup efficiency is reduced by its lower RAID levels and lesser cloud storage services.