How can I access my hard drive anywhere?

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Posted by alexalex44 2018-04-16T14:42:57Z

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I want to be able to remotely access an external hard drive that I have. I'm thinking of something along the lines of a connector of some sort that gives read/write capabilities from another PC/app. I realise this is quite specific and I'm aware of the multitude of cloud storage companies out there - I want something that acts similar to cloud storage but uses my external hard drive in lieu of their servers.

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There are a lot of ways to do this - if it's connected to a windows machine, you can share the root of the drive and access via the LAN, or remotely using a VPN. Another option would be a cloud sync onto the disk, like google drive or one drive, then whatever you change in the cloud or add on the local drive will sync and be accessible to you remotely.
Other options I can think of include a router with USB that supports cloud drive features, like Asus's routerOS, though I would thoroughly research the security of such a service, as even companies like western digital and Asus have had vulnerabilities ranging from sub-optimal security on your files, to completely compromising your network in western digital's case with their mycloud products.
So a good starting point - what do you want to connect the external disk to, and what devices/networks do you want to be able to access it from?
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If you're looking to stay away from cloud providers (and there's nothing wrong with that at all), you could setup an SFTP server and serve up that drive (or specific folder). The only drawback to this might be wherever you are may block the outbound ports for it. This is also a tad bit more work, download a local copy, do what you need and upload the changes, then delete the local copy if you don't wish to have it on the device you're using to access it. This is fairly secure in that it gives you an encrypted tunnel without having to use a VPN.
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Probably one of the most common/easiest ways to do this is to use a router that supports USB sharing, just make sure to choose a router that supports the feature and is compatible with that router.
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John3367
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thai pepper
Is this for HOME or WORK? Do you have a VPN? What OS on your computer?
Check out https://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/compare-simple.htmlOpens a new window
1) If you have VPN, or access into a PC using a remote control utility this is easy..
2) Router and a PC could have FTP setup on it or SFTP.
3) Some NAS devices allow a cloud access type thing.
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You have to have remote access to whatever it's connected to. This isn't about the drive itself, but to the thing that makes that drive remotely accessible. i.e. if it is a NAS, it has a computer that's attached to the network and you access that. if the drive is attached to a computer, you need to share the drive out via the computer's available options.
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Rodey09
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serrano
Depending on the amount of data you plan on storing, Desktop NAS devices aren't too expensive. Connect it via ethernet, set an IP and configure your shares. Done and done. As someone else mentioned, you should also be able to share an external drive from the PC that it is connected to.
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Apologies for the late reply, I'm looking for something that I could connect to external hard drive which would then presumably connect to my home network and then allow remote read/write access. I know this is weirdly specific but I was hoping they'd be some solution on the market for what seems to not be too difficult a problem!
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Something other than a computer? Access locally on your network, or remote to your network?
There are viable options shared here regardless of the answers, but if you still have questions/are unsure, answering them will help the community help you.

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You have to have remote access to whatever it's connected to. This isn't about the drive itself, but to the thing that makes that drive remotely accessible. i.e. if it is a NAS, it has a computer that's attached to the network and you access that. if the drive is attached to a computer, you need to share the drive out via the computer's available options.
He can "redirect" drive booting his main OS or Linux from USB stick.
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As far as I understood, you are trying to connect the external drive located elsewhere to your home network. Above mentione great options (e.g. VPN, SFTP).
Alternatively, you can use StarWind to use disk in "Disk Bridge" mode and share it via iSCSI. Of course, you should configure firewalls on both sites and CHAPs for iSCSI.
StarWind Virtual SAN Free will help you.
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind-virtual-san-freeOpens a new window
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How can I access my external hard drive from anywhere?

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How can I access my hard drive anywhere?

10 Replies

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How can I share my hard drive remotely?

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