Using USB hard drive for Cloud storage

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maverick786us

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Is there a way I can connect my USB hard drive with the router and use it for Cloud storage from anywhere in the world as long as that hard drive is connected to internet router? Are their routers that come with such features?
 
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I would personally utilize something like a Synology NAS for that. A bit better hardware, not overly expensive compared to enterprise grade gear, and security is much better than a consumer grade router. Plus you get the added reliability of a hard drive array vs a USB interface device.

And compared to higher end consumer grade routers, the price is not too bad. You can decide how many drive bays you want and how you want to configure the array.
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
And compared to higher end consumer grade routers, the price is not too bad.
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Why would you compare the price of a NAS to a, consumer or otherwise, router? These are totally unrelated things. It would equally useful to say compared to plastic surgery it's a bargain; apples vs coconuts.
 
Nicklebon said:
Why would you compare the price of a NAS to a, consumer or otherwise, router? These are totally unrelated things. It would equally useful to say compared to plastic surgery it's a bargain; apples vs coconuts.
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If OP wants the functionality, does it matter what tool he uses if in the end it’s reliable and stable?

He is better off running a router separately from a NAS. The NAS can very easily do exactly what he is asking along with providing many benefits. As stated above.

It will all depend on his budget and needs.
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
He is better off running a router separately from a NAS.
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1000000% agree per my orginal reply to the question. And yes the tools matter. Use the correct tool for the job. A router is not ever a storage device and attempting/wishing to use one as such is a terrible idea. I was just questioning the bizarre comparison.
 
maverick786us said:
Is there a way I can connect my USB hard drive with the router and use it for Cloud storage from anywhere in the world as long as that hard drive is connected to internet router? Are their routers that come with such features?
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yes.

But there can be issues with speed, access, and security. If it's like just having a scratch drive that you can save to when away from home, a flash drive plugged in the router will do nicely.

As someone mentioned a NAS--that has its own problems as they are a highly sought after target for ransomware, especially synology and qnap.
 
bluestang said:
What is the use case and how much storage you need?
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I take a lot of pictures videos, and 256GB storage in my iPhone isn't enough. I can buy passport drive and store those media in it. But then I won't be able to access it all the time, unless I carry my MacBook and that drive with me. So I was looking for a solution in which I can use my hard to store that media and I can access it from anywhere like a Cloud storage. Talking about storage, I can 4TB for that purpose.
 
maverick786us said:
I take a lot of pictures videos, and 256GB storage in my iPhone isn't enough. I can buy passport drive and store those media in it. But then I won't be able to access it all the time, unless I carry my MacBook and that drive with me. So I was looking for a solution in which I can use my hard to store that media and I can access it from anywhere like a Cloud storage. Talking about storage, I can 4TB for that purpose.
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I used to publish 45,000 photos a year and shoot 100k/yr. My archive is nearly 700k pieces of media. I do have a local copy (3x to be exact), but I would never try to access it over the Internet as that's going to be painful. So many years ago I got a smugmug account. Couldn't be happier as I can access anything I want once it's uploaded, and they even have an option for a smugvault that allows you to store more than just photos and videos (full raw files, etc). I'd take a look. I think I may even have a referral code somewhere that gets you a discount. Let me know if you want it and I'll look for it.
 
SamirD said:
I used to publish 45,000 photos a year and shoot 100k/yr. My archive is nearly 700k pieces of media. I do have a local copy (3x to be exact), but I would never try to access it over the Internet as that's going to be painful. So many years ago I got a smugmug account. Couldn't be happier as I can access anything I want once it's uploaded, and they even have an option for a smugvault that allows you to store more than just photos and videos (full raw files, etc). I'd take a look. I think I may even have a referral code somewhere that gets you a discount. Let me know if you want it and I'll look for it.
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You are talking about some paid cloud solution. I have already explored iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive and other options, and I don't consider it worth spending $$ for mere 256 GB storage. That's I am looking for a solution where I can use a hard drive for the storage purpose.
SamirD said:
I used to publish 45,000 photos a year and shoot 100k/yr. My archive is nearly 700k pieces of media. I do have a local copy (3x to be exact), but I would never try to access it over the Internet as that's going to be painful. So many years ago I got a smugmug account. Couldn't be happier as I can access anything I want once it's uploaded, and they even have an option for a smugvault that allows you to store more than just photos and videos (full raw files, etc). I'd take a look. I think I may even have a referral code somewhere that gets you a discount. Let me know if you want it and I'll look for it.
Click to expand...
 
maverick786us said:
You are talking about some paid cloud solution. I have already explored iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive and other options, and I don't consider it worth spending $$ for mere 256 GB storage. That's I am looking for a solution where I can use a hard drive for the storage purpose.
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It's not a cloud solution, it's photo hosting for people that take a lot of photos. I've been using it since 2007/8 or so. It's unlimited storage. That's why I have my entire archive uploaded there twice. I've never deleted anything except by accident.

You need to figure out what your workflow needs to be if you're generating 256GB of data regularly enough that storage and access is a problem. And then look at tech to automate that workflow.
 
SamirD said:
It's not a cloud solution, it's photo hosting for people that take a lot of photos. I've been using it since 2007/8 or so. It's unlimited storage. That's why I have my entire archive uploaded there twice. I've never deleted anything except by accident.

You need to figure out what your workflow needs to be if you're generating 256GB of data regularly enough that storage and access is a problem. And then look at tech to automate that workflow.
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I record plenty of videos. High quality video from iPhone 12 Pro Max. Every now and then, there comes a shortage of space, and I have to figure out what should I delete in order to free up some space. So using a hard drive as a Cloud storage is the only solution I can think possibly think. While sharing videos in WhatsApp, the quality of the video is compromized and there is the limitation of 1.5 minutes. So a video I upload it in my HDD cloud and share its link is the only solution.
 
You need to research more on options as there are many. There are cloud services that offer TB of storage for reasonable fees, as in less than Google even. There are a few hosting services like Samir mentioned.

Storage media is cheap. However I think the days of free storage are over from Google etc and prices are going to climb because they got their hooks in and now it's money making time like always with tech.

Then their is DIY. Yes their are routers to plug a USB Drive in. They all suck when you do that, security issues, some impact bandwidth because of interference, most just aren't reliable with connecting and accessing the storage . If you DIY either a cloud type solution, just an SMB share, of a photo app, of which I have all three you need to start with access and how.

Keep access simple and safe if you are unsure. Use a router gateway that has a VPN server and access it that way. Then setup a computer to be the host for your solution, cloud, smb, pic app, etc.

If that seems too much just get something like idrive, Google drive, apple cloud, etc with enough storage.
 
kydsid said:
You need to research more on options as there are many. There are cloud services that offer TB of storage for reasonable fees, as in less than Google even. There are a few hosting services like Samir mentioned.

Storage media is cheap. However I think the days of free storage are over from Google etc and prices are going to climb because they got their hooks in and now it's money making time like always with tech.

Then their is DIY. Yes their are routers to plug a USB Drive in. They all suck when you do that, security issues, some impact bandwidth because of interference, most just aren't reliable with connecting and accessing the storage . If you DIY either a cloud type solution, just an SMB share, of a photo app, of which I have all three you need to start with access and how.

Keep access simple and safe if you are unsure. Use a router gateway that has a VPN server and access it that way. Then setup a computer to be the host for your solution, cloud, smb, pic app, etc.

If that seems too much just get something like idrive, Google drive, apple cloud, etc with enough storage.
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I know it sounds dumb. But what is DIY?
 
I was exploring Gdrive. 2.49$ month is fine but its only for 1 month

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Either learn what to and not to take photos/videos of, or cough up the cash for Cloud storage. Pretend it's a new iPhone you're buying and you can justify it then :)

Also, the 2TB Google One is $99.99 if you pay annually.
 
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