Originally Posted by
Fliar
I'm looking for a NAS for my home office - useful when you're always on the road, for backups and remote access. I was initially going to buy the Western Digital My Book but the reviews scared me off.
I was almost settled on the Lacie ethernet but was surprised to find out that it does not allow backups through remote access, which is the main purpose why I am getting such a device (I'm not home very much).
Which NAS do you use?
Thought I would share my solutions with you:
1. Home PC(s} on battery backup and BIOS set to restart PC after any extended power failure.
2. Home PC running
Logmein. (FREE!)
3. Both home PC and laptop set up with shared data directories using
Syncplicity (FREE up to 2 GB)
When I am on the network with both machines, I sync large directories with pictures, movies, and music with a neat $29.95 utility called
Synchromagic. My collection of current documents, spreadsheets, etc. I keep in a C:\DOC folder on both machines. Old stuff I keep in an Archive directory. By keeping the C:\DOC directory under 2 GB, Syncplicity keeps both my laptop and my desktop in sync all the time with no effort on my part for free. 2GB is a lot of data and I don't have any problem keeping it under that limit.
If there ever is anything that I need on the desktop that I don't have on the laptop, I log onto the desktop with Logmein and put a copy of the needed file into the C:\DOC directory - or just read it off the desktop while logged in.
An added benefit is that I also have an offsite backup of my most important files stored on their secure server. If my laptop were to die on the road, I could call up any file on the desktop from any PC with an Internet connection.
I should add that the paid versions of Syncplicity ($99/year for 40 GB) and Logmein ($69/year with added features of file transfer and remote printing) are well worth the money for people needing those features and I have clients using them who are very satisfied.
On a final note, the throughput of the NAS devices that I tried a year ago was very low. With the arrangement that I am using, I just use a Seagate 500 GB external USB drive for automated on site backup.