DS218 is faster of the two as it has more memory and CPU power. It can do 10-bit 4k H.265 video transcoding on the fly and supports Web DAV while EX2 doesn’t. But it is more expensive.
WD My cloud ex2 ultra is designed in a way to deliver an average 105MB/s reading and 70MB/s writing speed.
It works at the maximum speed of 5400 RMP.
On the other hand, the delivery speed of Synology DS218 is over 112MB/s reading and 111MB/s writing speed.
This hardware derive accelerate at 7200 RMP. It works faster and processes data more frequently than my cloud ex2. It offers high average speed than my cloud ex2 ultra.
Table of Contents
What their design tell us?
My cloud ex2 ultra is a RoHS-approved device (free of hazardous materials). Its 1.3 GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of DDR3 memory make it a perfect user NAS box system to store maximum data.
This product is available in silver, black, and grey colors.
Synology ds218 is a home-friendly and small office uses versatile data management system.
It’s also a RoHs compliant NAS device. This system is specifically designed to work on the minimum consumption of energy. It only uses 14.99W in regular tasks.
Comparing Both NAS:
| Synology ds218 | My cloud ex2 ultra | |
| Processor | 1.4 GHz Realtek RTD1296Quad-core | 1.3 GHz Marvell Armada 385 Dual-Core |
| Installed memory | 2 GB DDR4 | 1 GB DDR3L |
| RAW capacity | 24 TB (12 TB HDD x 2) | 0TB/Diskless, 4TB, 8TB, 12TB, 16TB, 20TB, 24TB, 28TB |
| Drives included | 2 x 3.5 or 2.5 (Versatile 2-bay) | 2 x 2 TB 3.5″ HDD (Dual-bay pre-configured) |
| Interface | SATA SSD/HDD | SATA III |
| Speed | 7200 rmp | 5400 rpm |
| No of bays | 2×3.5 or 3.5 | 2 x 3.5″ |
| Ports | 1 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0 | 1 x RJ45 (Gigabit Ethernet) 2 x USB Type-A (USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gb/s)) |
| Physical dimension | 9.18 x 4.25 x 6.5 inches | 6.1 x 3.9 x 6.75 inches |
| Weight | 2.8 lb/1.3 kg | 3.4 lb / 1.6 kg |
What models do they offer?
WD offers a wide range of my cloud ex2 ultra models at different prices.
These models are differentiated on the basis of capacity. 4TB, 8TB, 16TB, and 24TB models are available in the market.
My cloud 24TB 2-bay external storage is system is the most popular version.
Synology company offers DS218 (2 GB DDR4), DS218+ (2 GB DDR3L (6 GB max), DS218play (1 GB DDR4), and DS218j (512 MB DDR3).
What’s their Cloud interface like?
Synology ds218 is specifically designed with SATA (serial advance technology attachment) interface along with SSD (solid-state drive) or HDD (hard disk drive) storage while my cloud ex2 is manufactured with SATA III, which is twice faster than SSD/HDD.
Supported OS and browsers
My cloud ex2 NAS system supports windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, or window vista OS.
El Capitan, Mavericks, Mountain Loin, High Sierra, Sierra, and Yosemite are also counted in its supported operating systems. My cloud ex2 supported browsers are Safari 6 or Higher, Firefox 30 or Higher, internet explorer 10 or higher, Microsoft Edge, and Google Chrome 31 or higher.
My cloud ex2 ultra also supports popular applications like Dropbox, WordPress, and Plex, etc.
Synology-supported OS includes Windows 7 and 10, Mac OS X 10.11 onwards.
Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 10 onwards, Safari 10 onwards; Safari (iOS 10 onwards), Chrome (Android 6.0 onwards) are its supported browsers.
Which has better Backup/sharing?
My cloud ex2 WD backup software allows automatic backup of your data.
This system also enables you to protect your data under passwords and its advanced 256-bit encryption.
Centralize network backup not only provides a backup to your data but also organizes bulk contents on multiple systems.
Individual files, settings, application to operating system backup can also be done because of the presence of Acronis True Image for Western Digital software.
However, Synology ds218 is featured with a reliable, bulletproof backup system.
It saves all our data from previous PC, mobiles, and laptops, or any portable device.
Active Backup for business can restore the entire window on PC/laptop just by a click and the time machine can back up the data stored on macOS.
Setting up these devices:
Starting with EX2 ultra.
Its setup is quite simple. If you are using my cloud ex2 ultra for the first time, then follow the following step;
Connecting the device to your network
- Unbox the device
- In case of drive less model, insert the hard drives
- Connect one end of the provided Ethernet cable to the device port and the other end to your router LAN port.
- Now connect my cloud ex2 ultra NAS to an electrical supply with the help of supplied power adapter.
- Wait for a while, your device will be on.
- Check the network connection
Installing the online setup software
- Connect your device to a stable wireless internet connection.
- With the help of the default browser, go to the official my cloud setup page.
- As it’s your first time, you need to register your device and create a cloud account.
- You will see a blue get start button on the welcome screen. Click on it.
- The software will detect your device; it may take a few minutes.
- Follow a few more instructions on the screen and that’s all you need to do. Your setup is done.
Coming to Synology.
Start the system
- In case of drive less model, open the drive bay and insert drives.
- Connect your diskstation with an electrical socket a router/hub with the supplied LAN cable.
- Connect AC adapter to diskstation by power port of the device.
- Connect one end of AC power cord to switch and other to AC adapter.
- Press the power button your device is on and ready to be connected to a network.
Install DSM (diskstation manager)
- Power on your system
- Open the browser on any PC/laptop connected to the same network as diskstation
- Enter one of the following addresses in the search bar:
- find.synology.com
- diskstation: 5000
- Web assistant will be open in your browser; it will detect your device for the setup.
- Click connect on screen and follow on-screen instructions.
- Your setup is ready.
What about Warranty?
Both devices (my cloud ex2 and Synology ds218) come with 30 days money-back guarantee.
You can return the product within 30 days of its purchase and get all your money back.
These companies provide you with these gadgets with a 2-year limited warranty.
Noise Levels of these Devices:
My Cloud ex2, as well as Synology ds218, produce some sort of noise while processing.
The noise level of Synology ds218 is 19.9 dB on the other hand my cloud ex2 ultra is designed with a fan inside is which is the source of sound production.
However, Synology is nosier compared to my cloud ex2. My cloud ex2 can be a perfect choice for a quiet environment.
