I think I am looking for a home cloud solution but no idea

Tulipone

Tulipone

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I'm finding it a chore sharing files between a desktop and new laptop - I really want to use a file on whichever computer I am on and not have to move them with removable media or shared drive that relies on the other computer turned on.

I use Macs and could use iCloud but that'll run out real quick so thinking I'd be better off with some sort of home cloud solution and initially thought of Western Digital products but they seem much rarer than I realised. Anyone have any thoughts on a fairly simple new hardware solution on a home network?
 
Are these mainly Microsoft files and if so do you have a M365 subscription? (I assume not)
 
I have a couple of NAS drives shared on my home network. That way I can access them from any device. Mine are wired directly to my router but there are probably wireless ones as well.
 
Tulipone said:
Few MS files. Mainly RAW or video but some Office stuff.


Any recommendations?
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not really - the size ( drives) depends on what you will use on them, normally if two drives then a matching pair of discs set up as a mirror pair so you use one live and it auto copies the files to the 2nd drive as a back up any of the big names are okay, connect it to your router and you can access it from any computer on your 'network'
 
What are you using to edit the RAW and video files?
 
Tulipone said:
Mainly DXO and Affinity photos.
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I don’t use either so no actual experience but according to Google they will work well with One Drive or Dropbox. As other have mentioned NAS would work but check out the current costs of hard drives, horrendous.
 
I use iCloud 200Gb for £2.99/month. Obviously with a NAS you could go to terabytes, so that is probably the better long term solution. I considered it but don't really need it personally.
 
lindsay said:
I use iCloud 200Gb for £2.99/month. Obviously with a NAS you could go to terabytes, so that is probably the better long term solution. I considered it but don't really need it personally.
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I am rather embarrassed to admit that I have just checked and so do I. It certainly do for now.
 
If it’s just between two machines - consider Syncthing - it’s not cloud storage, but rather you pick one folder on your desktop that syncs to your laptop. Once setup, the folder is mirrored on both machines; or alternatively you could use that folder as a ‘drop box’ of sorts.

I use it between 3 different devices at home; works a treat. No subscription or cloud involved; the only catch is you need both machines to be on the same network for the sync to work.

Happy to answer questions on it
 
I don't know why but I had convinced myself that the £2.99 iCloud subscription was for a small amount of data - not the 200Gb it actually is. That'll do just fine for images I am working on and then removed and backed up or used elsewhere.

Thank you for all your replies.
 
Just for info I wouldn’t use iCloud as a backup plan
I do have iCloud and its great for syncing between devices but if you for example accidentally edit an image on your iPad which is very easy to do or delete something it instantly updates and overwrites the original image over all your devices
I use and recommend Dropbox for a cloud backup there are cheaper alternatives but I like Dropbox as its easy to access and works well
 
colourofsound said:
If it’s just between two machines - consider Syncthing - it’s not cloud storage, but rather you pick one folder on your desktop that syncs to your laptop. Once setup, the folder is mirrored on both machines; or alternatively you could use that folder as a ‘drop box’ of sorts.

I use it between 3 different devices at home; works a treat. No subscription or cloud involved; the only catch is you need both machines to be on the same network for the sync to work.

Happy to answer questions on it
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That looks very interesting, however it looks like it doesn't include iPad? Hard to tell: "Works on macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OpenBSD, and many others".
 
Just for clarity, I only use iCloud to sync between computers (2 MacBooks, 2 Win11 laptops and iMac). Backup is done to a removable drive regularly as a separate function.
 
ChrisR said:
That looks very interesting, however it looks like it doesn't include iPad? Hard to tell: "Works on macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, OpenBSD, and many others".
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Correct - it’s to do with the inherent restrictions in iOS. iCloud is the most viable option for iOS - I know Google Drive and Dropbox do have apps but my understanding is they do not work for background sync like they do on desktop operating systems (could be wrong though)

The main barrier for Syncthing is that iOS sandboxes applications, so they can only access very specific folders usually limited to the app’s own file system. Seeing as Syncthings intention is to keep two folders on two different machines synchronised, iOS works directly against Syncthing.

That being said, that article linked above does have 3rd party/open source apps that implement Syncthing, but I’ve never used them.
 
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colourofsound said:
Correct - it’s to do with the inherent restrictions in iOS. iCloud is the most viable option for iOS - I know Google Drive and Dropbox do have apps but my understanding is they do not work for background sync like they do on desktop operating systems (could be wrong though)

The main barrier for Syncthing is that iOS sandboxes applications, so they can only access very specific folders usually limited to the app’s own file system. Seeing as Syncthings intention is to keep two folders on two different machines synchronised, iOS works directly against Syncthing.

That being said, that article linked above does have 3rd party/open source apps that implement Syncthing, but I’ve never used them.
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Ahh I see, that explains why I was unable to get Dropbox to work with an external drive on my MacBook Pro, I now use Dropbox on my wife's PC and it syncs and backs up files on an external drive with no problem
 
When I looked into the online options, I saw that they cost hundreds of pounds a year. I opted for a solution with a Synology server and I'm happy with it (it's a sincere opinion, I have no connection with that company). I have 20 terabytes of storage. Maybe that would suit you too.
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
Then you might wish to investigate Carbon Copy Cloner.

We've used it for decades and it simplifies backing up to the point where, if you choose, you can simply set it up and forget it...

bombich.com

Carbon Copy Cloner: macOS Backup Software - Bombich Software

bombich.com bombich.com
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Thanks but TimeMachine has worked flawlessly for backing up since I went Mac and can see no reason to change now.

I do now have a WD MyCloud to test out but so far that seems little better than iCloud for temporary storage whilst sorting, tagging and basic edits so will likely bin the MyCloud and keep things simple.
 
I have had a look at the Synology kit and it does look more like what I am looking for if iCloud turns out to be troublesome. Thanks.
 
I would say go with a NAS unfortunately with the rise in HHD price this is now getting expensive.

I'm a Synology user myself, but not sure I'd recommend them today, their recent dalliance with own drives only, and constantly cutting services/app would really put me off buying from them again.

You really need to think hard with a NAS, do you simply want storage, or do you want all the other apps and tools provided by the big turnkey providers.
 
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I'm on Windows and Linux, I keep all my files on the Desktop and remote on to it from the laptop, that way I get the processing power of the Desktop for photo editing, etc.
 
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