Like so many people today I have files and photos scattered on 4 computers
and 10 thumb drives. I want to combine them on one easy to use drive and
connect that drive to the internet so I have easy access to all my data in one
place. Some people say I can do this on a home server. Others say to put it all
on your “main” computer and access that computer from the internet. I’ve also
seen websites that you send your data to and they will give you access to it
for a fee. I need to make it somewhat secure (understanding nothing is
completely secure). What do you suggest?
As you might expect, there are several ways to go about this. They range
from simple to somewhat geeky to pretty darned geeky.
And of course which is appropriate for you will vary depending on not only
your own level geek-ness (if that’s a word), but just how much data you’re
talking about, and how you might want to access it.
I’ll review a few approaches.
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I agree Hamachi is very powerful and convenient. There is also another option, called Teamviewer, which does basically the same thing. You can install it as a service on your home computer, set a password, and then you can access it from anywhere. It can be used for file transfer and remote control.
The advantage is that Teamviewer doesn’t need to be installed on the computer you’re using. The disadvantage seems to me to be a slightly lower connection speed (than when I use Hamachi).
SOS Online is a basic but feature-rich option.
You backup your files, keep them safe, and have access to them. You also have access to previous versions. I am a learner in this field and have a basic website dealing with online backup. There are many links there to follow for those interested. Running an office online is also a definite option now. I think.
Thanks,
JLB
(http://www.online-data-backup-info.com/)
Use NAS – Network Attached Storage:
An NAS provides space for your backups at home and while traveling you can access your files from any internet connection. Security is inherent in the NAS software. Since internet access to the NAS is provided with a browser even an iPad can access the files.
One thing I didn’t notice in your evaluation of the several approaches, is the requirement to always have your computer online, if you choose to base your system on your home computer.
A great, easy alternative is to use Pogoplug and connect an external hard drive to it. Put the files that you want to share on the hard drive. Then you can share these files via the Pogoplug web site and your friends can download from your external hard drive. I love mine!
I’ve found LogMeIn Pro2 version is an excellent option for accessing any files on a home network. Secure, easy to use file manager type interface.
I use SugarSync (www.sugarsync.com), which is proving to be an EXCELLENT solution for my many multiple gigs. Secure, private, shareable, many features.
I have been using Drop Box. I have a free 2 GB folder in the cloud. It automatically syncs with a Drop Box folder on each of my computers. I do zero work, do not have to initiate back ups etc. It is the exact answer that this poster is looking for. It is also a backup of my working files in another physical location. All my files are also accessible from other computers through a browser. I had been skeptical of cloud storage but this is a perfect well thought out solution. It is so good that I decided to upgrade to 50GB storage for 10 dollars a month.
http://www.dropbox.com
29-Jul-2010
GBridge is very nice for tunneling and it can be used for backup. It uses your google account. It’s rather geeky, not very user friendly.
I have been using Dropbox for a couple of years, and I love it. It allows you to create Sharing Folders that you can use to share files with specific people. For example, I created a Sharing Folder that only my sister and I can access, and we share photos through it. It’s free for 2Gb of storage but you can increase that by referring people. If they download the program, you receive an additional 0.25Gb of storage up to a maximum of 5Gb. I am currently up to 3.75Gb of free storage. It is really easy to use and comes with a great introductory tutorial. It also allows you to use Drag & Drop to upload files. I highly recommend it!
Yes LogMeIn, I’ve been using that before however the application is the same with the other, you have to install the software application both PC that you are going to use. So how can you access your home PC if you try to use internet in other place, it need adminitrator account to install LogMeIn. Better Google Doc secure and faster.
I agree on the SugarSync! It’s what I use too. It backs up everything, all file are accessible to other computers and it has a “magic briefcase” that I can just drop items in and then not only are they automatically backed up too but synced with every other computer my magic briefcase is on/logged in to, etc.
I agree with John and Chris. I, too, have been using Dropbox since my brother introduced me to it. Although you can start with only 2GB but you can increase storage space if you continue recommending friends who end up downloading. I love it because it automatically syncs all files on any PC you try to work on after having downloaded Dropbox on it.
Drop Box has my my life so much simpler. But I looked into Sugar Sync. I don’t need the full 50 GB that I am paying Drop Box for and Sugar Sync offers 30GB for half the price of Drop Box. It also appears to have a feature that will allow me to only sync selected folders to my tiny solid state drive on one notebook.
I have copies of my files in Google Docs. Some are shared files, and can be readily accessed by those listed when they were stored. Sharing can be either to View or to allow Editing. Other files I’ve only stored there as a back-up and a convenience for myself to access from other locations.
I’ve had similar problems with organizing all of my data between my computers before, but a couple months ago my boss dropped me a note about Syncables. I’ve since become an enthusiastic user of the service…it’s quite good; it syncs your data across all of your computers automatically and with ease. Because I have access to all of my folders, media, music, and email on each of my computers, I haven’t even needed cloud sync. Syncing between three computers offers comparable (if not better) security for my data than using the Internet as a ‘storage room’. Just my experience anyway!
I use a combination of both Dropbox and Truecrypt, which allows me to encrypt the data I upload to my dropbox folder online. I like the idea that my data has an increased level of security to it by means of encryption. After all (to some people this may sound paranoid but to me its not as crazy as it sounds), things can get hacked but then there is still the encryption. Storage space and upload speeds are of course to most of us a major restriction, thus making a thorough selection of what you want to upload is only logical. Uploading a larger folder, e.g. a folder in the hundreds of MBs-range or even GBs can be a pain if you try to do it in one session. The answer to this would be to zip the folder in question and in the meanwhile dividing it in smaller zipped packages, compress (archive) the folder to be uploaded directly in your Dropbox folder in Windows explorer and you ‘re all set. Uploading takes a couple of days in this case and Dropbox will easily remember the files that have already been uploaded and continue to upload from the point you left (i.e. for example when you shutted down your computer).
For sharing and accessing my file via the internet, I use my Asus WL500W access point router. it has two usb ports and an embedded ftp server. I have connected a 500 GB external HDD to it. All I have to do is to provide my (static) IP address with ftp protocol and my username and password via a ftp program. Also, I can access my files locally by windows explorer.
If it’s just the computer you wanna access, just get TEAMVIEWER (www.teamviewer.com) install it, make it unattended accessible and off you go.