Backups and file access while on the road
 

I'm self-employed and I like to travel. I never tell my clients, "I'm going on vacation for a month...hold all requests until I'm back." In fact, they seldom know whether I'm working from home or a hotel room halfway across the world. Needless to say, I always have a laptop with me while traveling.

That said, I grapple with a few issues while traveling:
* I need to have access to all of my files while on the road, because it's tough to predict which ones I may need at any given time.
* I want to ensure that everything is backed up at all times in case my laptop gets stolen.
* For trips where I'm moving from location to location, I'd prefer to travel with something lighter than my Dell XPS 15", which can get heavy.

Because of some Chicago commitments, I haven't done much international travel in the last two years. Before that, I used a two-prong approach that seemed to work, but wouldn't any more:
* I traveled with an Asus netbook
* I used Windows Live Mesh to sync files between the Asus and my home laptop, so all of my client files and trip photos would be saved at home in case something happened to my Asus. (It would be set to push new files from my Asus to my home computer, but files that were deleted from my Asus remained on my home computer in the event the Asus got stolen and wiped clean.)

Windows Live Mesh is shuttered, so that option no longer works to sync files, and I hate my Asus with a passion--inevitably I'd have wrist pain at the end of a long trip because it's so un-ergonomically friendly.

I'd love suggestions on how I can tackle this for future trips. Preferably solutions that don't cost an arm and a leg, and aren't particularly complicated to set up. FWIW:
* I have NAS on my home network (a 1 TB Buffalo drive), but I don't know how to access it remotely (if that's even possible).
* I have a Carbonite subscription for one laptop, but could upgrade to a subscription with more features.
* I use Google Drive for some client documents, but not everything.
* I have a free Dropbox account that is full and have free subscriptions to some other backup services that I'm not using. The largest is probably Box.com, where I think I have 20GB.
* I'm a Windows user. Main laptop is running Windows 7 Home Premium. I'm probably a year away from needing to replace my main laptop, but I'd be willing to consider a low-cost (lightweight) 2nd laptop.
* In my ideal world, I'd use this same solution at home so I always had a backup laptop that had a mirrored copy of all of my files in the event my main laptop broke or needed repairs.

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Seems like Dropbox would be best for you - you can pay them for more storage if you wish. You might even be able to find a Dropbox client for your NAS.

You could connect a PogoPlug device to your NAS, and you can access it anywhere in the world. The biggest problem is that if your network connection at home hangs/dies, then you cannot access it.

I second the Dropbox recommendation. 100GB is $100/yr. Move what files you think you'd possibly need onto it prior to traveling. The best part of Dropbox is that it can automagically upload all photos when you insert a media card into your laptop; or when your smartphone is connected to wifi.

1TB USB3 portable drives are getting pretty inexpensive, too.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought dropbox was a syncing service, NOT a cloud service.

So if I delete files from one of my machines, they are eventually synced, i.e., deleted, from all, including at dropbox.com.

I hadn't heard of PogoPlug before, and their website is confusing. Am I understanding this correctly?

It seems as if the company has two main offerings:
* Cloud based storage for a monthly fee
* A device that will turn a user's own external hard drives into a private cloud, where the user pays a flat fee for the device (no subscription costs) and then pays for the cost of external storage

I've had NAS devices over the years that have been complete headaches. It sounds as if the PogoPlug device could essentially do all that I'd hoped NAS would do. The one thing I can't tell: If I could actually attach my NAS to PogoPlug or if I'd need to use other external hard drives. (Amazon this weekend was selling a 1TB external drive--with pretty good reviews--for $67. Storage prices are reasonable!)

That is correct.

I have a 3TB USB3 drive attached to the PogoPlug device (I paid $20 for it). I can access all the files on the drive via mobile app or website. You can also assign a drive letter to the drive, which is useful for your daily computering and/or CrashPlan backups.

It's only deleted if you remove the file from your dedicated Dropbox folder (or via website). For the OP, she can copy all files she might need to access on her upcoming trip into the Dropbox folder. It syncs across all devices (including the laptop). Updates will be synced up to the Dropbox website (and across all other devices that are turned on and connected to the internet). Upon returning from the trip, the OP can then move all of the files off the Dropbox folder back into her NAS. Only then will those files be removed from the cloud and other devices.

It does look as if the device prices have dropped compared to the MSRP. A few more questions, if you don't mind. (I have been reading about PogoPlug since you mentioned it, but haven't found the answers to all of my questions...)

* Once you've designated a folder to be synced, does it truly sync or do you have to manually push new files to the storage attached to your PogoPlug device?
* What does CrashPlan do that PogoPlug doesn't automatically do itself?
* I notice that the PogoPlug Office device says it supports up to 5 users. What constitutes a user? For example, if I'm connecting to it from both my regular laptop and my travel laptop, is each a different user?

Thanks!

The latter. I use a syncing program to regularly sync files from my desktop hard drives to the device attached to the PogoPlug--for example, the Camera Uploads folder in my Dropbox folder.

CrashPlan is simply a cloud backup program. In the unlikely event that all my computers and hard drives blow up at the same time, I still have a copy of all important documents/photos/videos/music stored in the cloud. Once I rebuild my computer, I can download all of that stuff from CrashPlan. Again, I back up all of my data to my 3TB drive (attached to PogoPlug), and CrashPlan regularly backs up the 3TB drive.

If you do a search for CrashPlan in this forum, you can find a link for a free year trial.

You could also use PogoPlug's cloud backup program to do the same thing that CrashPlan offers. $50/yr for unlimited storage isn't a bad deal. I also believe you can access all files in real-time through their website.

No idea. Sorry!

I have not done anything as sophisticated as automated backup with my Pogoplug device, but I will say that it has been 100% reliable for two years now. I have one old laptop drive-via-USB-enclosure and two USB thumb drives plugged into it.

I'll have to look into to the option of mapping those drives. Didn't realize that was possible.

With CryptoLocker on the loose, maybe it's a better idea not to.

Which generation XPS 15? The newest (which has been only out for about a month) is about the lightest full-power, full-size system out there outside of the MacBook Pro 15"

No longer produced, the Vaio Z is even lighter, with roughly equal power, although it's on the small-screen-size side.

If you need a full-power quad-core CPU, that's pretty much the limit for under 5lbs that I'm aware of.

If you can live with a full-speed, but dual-core CPU, there are plentiful options -- the Lenovo T430s is very popular, a good size 14" screen, and quite inexpensive since the T440s (which has an ultrabook lower-speed CPU) is out and replacing it.

If you can live with an ultrabook-speed dual-core CPU, there are a ton of lighter/smaller options.

Hmmm, good point....

Mine is three years old. (Must admit that I'm hard on my computers, but slow to learn lessons. I'd bought a succession of HP laptops that often spent weeks at their service center and needed to be replaced every year to 18 months. Finally got wise and bought a Dell with the extended in-home warranty. The hard drive died on me in the summer of 2012--got repaired in my living room the next day--but it's otherwise been a great machine. I'm now a Dell convert.)

A slightly different option.

I travel a lot, and used to live in fear of losing client sensitive info, even with passwords on the laptop etc.

I now leave the office desktop running all the time, which has all the client info on it. I travel with an iPad now. I remotely access the office desktop using LogMeIn. You can try it for free! I did for a while and then was happy to pay for the premium iPad app.

I can now travel with access to everything as long as I have internet access, and if can get everything that is in the office. I don't have anything with me to lose, which is a bonus!

I can fully take control of the office desktop from anywhere in the world. I can sent emails as if from there and attach documents just as if I was sitting in front of it. I would say to give it a go and see if it meets your needs.

Thanks for the suggestion. While the tablet aspect wouldn't work for me (need a keyboard, use a USB modem while traveling internationally, often uploading gigs of photos to my computer on a trip), the idea of remoting back in to my laptop could be a viable option.

I've been very pleased with Dell warranty service, and in a day when pretty much all the build quality is bad (even on Lenovo; maybe not on Apple but the hardware is not directly comparable) being able to get repairs quickly and without a lot of headaches is the best of a couple of not-so-hot options.

I've got an M3800 on order, which is the "professional" version of the new XPS 15; I got it because once I bumped up the warranty it was actually cheaper on my company's corporate discount. Looked like a very nice system when our rep brought by a pre-release sample, although I only got to play with it for a few minutes, and BOY are they pricy (on the open-market price, essentially at cost parity with a comparably equipped MacBook Pro 15".)

Depending on which way you're rounding, a 3-year old XPS 15 could either be http://www.laptopmag.com/review/lapt...ll-xps-15.aspx or http://www.laptopmag.com/review/lapt...dy-bridge.aspx -- the former should be pretty easy to replicate the power level of (the i7-640m or i5-540m/460m are all pretty basic by today's standards) while the latter will depend on how big a processor you put in (the quad cores are still pretty comparable with today's high end, the duals with today's midrange.)

--

antichef's idea about remoting is not a bad one, and while I'm with you on not wanting a tablet, a lightweight, less powerful notebook (whether technically an ultrabook or not) might be very good for that.

I'm pretty fond of some of the business-class ultrabooks; the new Lenovo T440s, or the Dell E7440 (aka "7000-series 14-inch" with their new branding) are both going to be fast enough for most people (and more importantly, certainly fast enough for remoting), ergonomically better than many 13" consumer ultrabooks, and very very thin and light.

I've had very good luck with Dell refurbs, and they have 15% off on all refurbished Latitudes right now: http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/28/c...52&lid=5071718 -- theit last-generation business ultrabook, the E6430u -- did not have as nice design as the new one, and it will be a little slower, but it is extraordinarily cheap for a business-class system as a refurb ($636 after discount, before tax if applicable in IL, for the cheapest model with an i5.)

I have the L501X, so I suspect it's the first one. It has the i5-m480 processor, 8 GB of RAM, which was pretty good, I seem to recall, when I bought it. But I know my battery is dying (extended battery, which I insist on) and replacing that it $150, which seems sort of silly for a 3 year old computer. Other than that the hardware seems to be holding up, but I'm sure the keyboard may give out sometime soon...they always seem to!

I'm glad you mentioned ultrabooks--I knew the lighterweight laptops were no longer called "netbooks" but couldn't remember what they were called. A friend has a work Dell that I think is an ultrabook and I absolutely hate it. Definitely need to spends some time with them before buying one.

I use both Dropbox and Box...I feel like Dropbox has better integration with my phone (pics get automatically uploaded) and they added the ability to create a dropbox email address to send yourself attachments. I like Box better for your purposes though...storage is cheaper and their magic briefcase is a really easy way to save files and access them anywhere. With a little searching you should be able to get 50GB for free for life with box.

Either the model number or the processor both show it's the first. That's a pretty long-in-the-tooth model; if it's fast enough today, you should have a LOT of choices which will feel

With a processor in that class (dual core rather than quad) it's pretty good even today.

The down side to that is weight, of course.

You could try aftermarket, which would be a lot cheaper, but which is unlikely to work as well as an original. I've had very bad luck with them.

I've never gotten into the guts of one of those, but most Dells make a keyboard replacement pretty easy, and they're one of the cheaper parts.

Hate which part? Keyboard and ergonomics?

There are plenty of systems out there with full-size (if generally rather skinny) chassis but ultrabook CPUs (with the long battery life relative to the size of battery, and rather slow by some standards, although compared to an i5-480m it probably won't be going back wards by much.)

Keyboards in general are getting worse with the move to thinner and thinner laptops :(

I know! It's better now that airplanes have real plugs and not cigarette lighter plugs, but I still value (and use) the extra battery life.

They actually swapped the keyboard when they replaced the hard drive, and you're right--it seemed pretty easy. But whether it's battery or keyboard or something else, I just have a hard time justifying spending money on a computer that's this old. I'd rather stop using it before it's completely falling apart so it can serve as a backup unit in a pinch.

It was one that had the mouse integrated into the palmrest/keyboard with no defined mouse buttons and I kept brushing against it. It also seemed as if pressure anywhere on the palmrest seemed to activate the mouse, so I really hated both ergonomics and the keyboard.

A little more info about remote operating using the LogMeIn route. Just try the free version on your laptop to your desktop or office setup, from the next room or the next seat, so you can have confidence that you can do what you need. You don't need a tablet, but you can use one. I usually can get away with a tablet, but occasionally take a laptop where I know I might have a lot of typing.

As they do a free version, you can't really lose! There are videos on YouTube of how to do it. The premium version allows you to transfer stuff between your computers and stream music etc, but the free version lets you just sit with your home screen in front of you and your laptop acting as if you were a thousand miles away back in the office, when you are on a beach in another hemisphere!

Feel free to PM me.

AA is still mostly the cigarette lighter plugs; one of my bits of due dilligence before ordering the new one was making sure that I could keep using my existing machine with it.

More than fair reason to upgrade.

Clickpads (with no defined mouse buttons) are an in thing, especially on the newest and thinned models; I blame Apple. More bad news -- the last TWO generations of the XPS15 have them, and they definitely take getting used to.

There does tend to be some tuning you can do about the overall sensitivity (and often a feature you can turn on that detects palm instead of finger) but it's not clear how well that works out.

Lenovo has stuck with the dual-pointer, and some of the chunkier business-line Dell Latitudes are still dual-pointer, but it's worth trying to get your hands on things in person if possible, or at least a very close examination of keyboard/palm rest pictures and reviews if not.

Box.com or Google Drive would be my suggestions. Box is significantly more powerful in terms of user control, versioning, etc and is incredibly cheap for what it is.

If you want something that can automatically sync directories between different computers (you choose the directories and the computers that share them) and does cloud backup of directories of your choice, and you pay per account (based on the how much total storage you want), not per computer, take a look at sugarsync.

I'm still (somewhat stubbornly I suppose) using sugarsync 1.x + a free dropbox account.

They have tech support, it's not that great, I've solved more problems myself, though some were self-inflicted (upgraded to SSD, leaving Users directories behind on the hard drive confused sugarsync. took a while to figure out what to do to fix it, tech support blamed it on Mavericks, which had nothing to do with it, suggested I upgrade to 2.x, which didn't solve anything. I had to treat it like a new computer, and then clean up the cloud mess that was left behind.)

Despite mentioning OS/X Mavericks, it is X-platform and I use it on both Win and Mac, syncing some directories between them.

The 1.x interface is very powerful, you can add sync folders, manage exclusions (by sub-folders), and do all that pictorially. 2.x probably lets you do the same thing (and maybe more) but I hated losing the 1.x pictorial interface.

ETA, here's a pic of what the 1.x "manage sync folders" interface looks like. Despite the name you can add/manage folders that aren't synced across computers here also.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-W...520Folders.jpg

Can you read that? The top row is the list of computers, the white section shows pictorially directories being synced ("Magic Briefcase" is there default folder that's synced everywhere, like Dropbox, but you can change or eliminate that if you want to.) The next section shows the regular (non-synced) directories being backed up for that computer.

If you click on a folder, you get to "manage excluded subfolders" and if you select that, you get to pictorially uncheck any subfolders you want to exclude from that entry, and you can expand any subfolders below them as well, so you get complete control over what's backed up, what's synced and where it's synced, etc.

Instructions for finding/downloading the 1.x versions for pc/mac are in this support post - https://sugarsync.custhelp.com/app/a...etail/a_id/623

-David

Until the electric goes out due to a storm and turns off your computer. How will you turn it back on remotely?

Wake on LAN

Or just set the BIOS to have it always turn on when the power comes back on.

I think you two just crossed that line. :p

No, it really is easy!
https://secure.logmein.com/welcome/W...WakeonLAN.html

I have an even easier solution that may work for the OP. I have the phone number for the cleaner. I send her a text to go into the office and press the start button on the desktop. ;)
Works flawlessly every time :D:D

THAT's thinking effective low-tech. :)

(Works with wives, too.)

I cannot vouch for that, but you do like to live dangerously, don't you? :D

Late to the party, but I would recommend a few things for the OP.

I use SyncBack (free version) to keep my files backed up to my home NAS. I have it scheduled to run on Sunday mornings (when I'm usually home and laptop is on the dock). The nice thing is, it does a file comparison before it starts the upload, so that it doesn't waste bandwidth replacing things that haven't changed. You can also select which folders you want to sync. Theoretically, I could also run this over a VPN connection, but I don't like to waste the bandwidth/time and weekly backups are enough for me.

The second thing I would recommend is setting up a VPN to your home. That's the best (and safest) way to maintain connectivity to your network and files at home. Depending on your router, it may have VPN services builtin...if not, you could buy one that supports VPN, or see if you can rip DD-WRT or tomato to your router (which has VPN support).

Total investment for above: $0

If you go with Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., make sure you review their privacy policies. If you have an expectation of privacy, it will probably scare you off.

I just wanted to let everyone know how much I appreciate the advice and suggestions. Clearly this is something that many people grapple with, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. I did go ahead and order the PogoPlug Office and I'm going to play around with some of the other suggestions, too.

I would also check out the File Transporter from Connected Data. I think it is a good combo of your own hardware and a roll-your-own cloud in one.

MyBook Live works well for me(personal use). I haven't done syncing yet but I was able to save files(photos) to the drive, stream videos and music, etc.. It is directly connected to my router. Can be access on phone or laptop. See user manual to get better understanding: http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/librar...779-705058.pdf
If you're interesting in the drive Staples has it on sale for Black Friday. $110 for 2tb and $130 for 3tb(I think, check the AD).

For laptops have you looked at the surface tablet? Not the surface rt.

Pretty hard imagining going from a 15" screen down to a 10", and the keyboards on them are only "OK" by the standards of tablets with removable keyboards.

Decent processor in them, though; ULV i5 of either generation is going to be not far off in performance from the current i5 she has.

What about cloud storage that *doesnt* do syncing?

I want to put like 1 TB of data out in the cloud, but I dont (and cant) have it sync'd to my devices, simply because I dont have the drive space on any of them to make it work.

I'm thinking simply like when I'm in the office. There's a drive letter assigned to a public share.

But, instead of this being work-related where I can use a public share, this is personal. So - using the offices resources is sort of out of the question.

That looks like quite a machine especially the display! I was unable to find a price. How much will one set me back?

Most of the syncable cloud services let you choose what to sync to/from a given machine (or nothing, with just web-based access.)

Prices are here: http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/pr...workstation/fs

My configuration (256gb mSATA card SSD + 500gb HDD) requires phoning them if you don't have a corporate account; I'm not sure why they no longer offer build-to-order on the public web site for a lot of their systems.

Mine would have been about $2650 on the public web site (with warranty extended to 3 years and 3 years of accidental damage protection.) I didn't pay quite that much with corporate account discount (on my credit card, though; it's a personal machine), although the savings weren't huge on a machine that new (if my employer starts ordering them in numbers, I'm sure it will get better.)

If you don't use Autocad or some similar application that needs the ISV-certified video drivers (and if you don't know what ISV certified video drivers are, you don't need them) or the higher OpenGL support, the new XPS 15 Touch is essentially the same machine with the video card tuned for gaming (higher clock speed, and some of the professional features disabled), and it's very slightly cheaper.

The for someone comfortable swapping in their own SSD (or swapping an SSD for the mSATA 32gb cache card) the $1899 config is a really good, cost effective starting point.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15-9530...id=xps-15-9530

Current estimated ship date on mine is the 11th.