WD My Book World Edition NAS Device

 Creating a free MioNet account enables
remote access to the device.

 The MioNet QuickStart screen.

The WD My Book World Edition does not come with a copy of the MioNet software, but it can be downloaded for free from the MioNet site. Unfortunately, our testbed was running the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home and the MioNet software is not compatible with this version of Windows (there should be a 64-bit Windows version by this July); there also isn't a Mac version of the MioNet software either. That said, all of the basic functionality of the MioNet service is accessible via the MioNet Website, so we didn't really need the software to remotely access the NAS device over the Internet.

Before you can access the WD My Book World Edition remotely over the Internet, you first need to set up a free MioNet account. You must do this from a system that is on the same local network as the WD My Book World Edition. In fact, you'll need to do this from the Create MioNet account link in the WD My Book World Edition's Network Storage Manager interface's Remote Access feature. This link takes you to a specific Secure Remote Access for WD Storage Page, which not only allows you to create a free user account, but also finds your WD My Book World Edition device and links your account to it. If you instead try to setup a free MioNet account using the generic MioNet setup screens, it will not link the account to your WD My Book World Edition for remote access.

Assuming you create a MioNet account via the Secure Remote Access for WD Storage Page, a user and folder share with same name as your MioNet account is automatically created on the WD My Book World Edition. Since MioNet is a multi-user Web-based service, you won't be able to use simple usernames like "Joe" or "Karen," because those names are already likely used by other users on the service. You can try your first and last name together, or an alphanumeric name like "Joe90210." We also discovered that if we wanted to create additional MioNet user accounts for remote access to the WD My Book World Edition device, we first had to choose the Reset MioNet feature in the device's Network Storage Manager interface; once the device is "registered" with MioNet, additional account creations will not link the accounts to the device. Resetting MioNet on the device removes the device's MioNet registration--previous created MioNet accounts that were successfully linked to the device will continue to work.

Once a MioNet user account is created and successfully linked to the WD My Book World Edition, that user can access the device remotely over the Internet via the MioNet service using either a Web browser or the MioNet software. Supported browsers include Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Note that you will need to have Java installed and enabled to use the service.

 MioNet's Access My Files.

 Viewing files remotely.

Once you login, you are taken to the Quick Start page where you can Access My Files, Share Photos, and Transfer Files to Others. Access My files gives you remote access to that specific user's folder share, any additional private folder shares that the user has permissions for, as well as all public folders on the WD My Book World Edition device. You can view folders and files as thumbnails, icons, or as a list; and you can open, delete, and rename files, as well as create new folders (assuming, of course, that you have full access to the particular folder; you'll be able do less, obviously, if you have read-only access).

 Inviting people to share folders remotely.

 A list of users we shared some folders with
for remote access.

The Share Photos features lets you share any folder you have access to with other users--these folders don't have to just contain photos, although that is the intention of this particular feature. You can select multiple folders, give read and write access or just write access, and invite both MioNet and non-MioNet users to access the folders--invitees will receive an e-mail invitation. The Transfer Files to Others option, does exactly the same thing as the Share Photos feature--it gives other users remote access to folders on the device.

The MioNet Web interface also includes a My Resources page that lists all the folder shares you have remote access to--it is the same thing as the Quick Start's Access My Files feature. A Shared with Me page shows all the folder shares that other users of the MioNet service have granted you access to on their respective networked storage devices. The Shared with Others page lists all of the users to who you have granted remote access, what folder shares they can access, and whether that access is Read-only or Read and Write.