Home cloud setups

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Hi
I’d like to do away with iCloud and put everything on an external HD on my network at home and be able to access it with the iPad or iPhone via WiFi. What I’m seeing from Western Digital all has to be connected to the internet in order to use it wirelessly. I want the option of not having it connected to the internet. What started out as a simple project has now turned into something much more complicated for me to understand. I’d like some help in understanding what my options are. I’m in over my head...again.

Thanks
Chris
 
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I think you might be confused. Most “Cloud” devices, only need to be connected wirelessly to your home Wi-Fi network to work, at home. Unless you want to acces some of the data when you are away from home?

Can you provide the information of the model(s) you were looking at?
 
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I think you might be confused. Most “Cloud” devices, only need to be connected wirelessly to your home Wi-Fi network to work, at home. Unless you want to acces some of the data when you are away from home?

Can you provide the information of the model(s) you were looking at?
For sure I’m confused. Okay here is what I have and what I’m looking to buy.
I have Seagate Back Up Plus which I use for my MacBook Pro, usb connection. I know I can access this Ext HD via WiFi from the iPad etc. if I leave it hooked up to the MacBook, as long as the MacBook is on the same WiFi network. I’m looking to put a HD in the basement hooked to the router. (I have two routers, one connected to the internet and the other not.
Looking to buy: Western Digital My Cloud Home Ethernet connection. From what I read on the Internet it has to be connected to a WiFi router that is connected to the Internet. I don’t need access to this proposed HD when I’m away from home so I would prefer not having it connected to the internet.

I hope I cleared things up enough. Thanks so much for your help.
 
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I have a WD My Cloud that I use for backup. Yes, they offer remote access over the internet but you do not have to set it up. I do not have mine setup and I can access it on my network either through a web browser that I use to type in it's local ip address or I just access it on my mac as it will show up under shared.

Lisa
 
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I think Lisa explained it well enough. If you want to use all the features that product offers, then internet access will be needed, if not, you should be good to go.

Have you tried connecting your current drive to your router, to see if that would do what you want? What files/data is on the drive, that you acces with your iPad?
 
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Home cloud setups

To put your network into its most basic forms in case you're not understanding things properly, you have basically two options available either via Ethernet(wired) or Wi-Fi(wireless) and each can connect among device on a LAN(Local Area Network), just your home or office network, or via WAN(Wide Area Network), the rest of places outside your LAN and including the WWW Internet(the rest of the world connections).


I hope that helps some confusion.





- Patrick
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I have a WD My Cloud that I use for backup. Yes, they offer remote access over the internet but you do not have to set it up. I do not have mine setup and I can access it on my network either through a web browser that I use to type in it's local ip address or I just access it on my mac as it will show up under shared.

Lisa
Thanks Lisa. This resolves my concern that it would have to connect it to the internet to function.

Ferrar, I’m creating large video files that I edit on the iPad and then want to store them elsewhere. I was using iCloud but it’s becoming impractical...at $10.00 a month I can pay for a 4T HD in two years.

This community has been very helpful, I wish I had knowledge to contribute...again thanks for the help.
Chris
 
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I’m creating large video files that I edit on the iPad


Wow!!! I would think that would be a feat in itself.

Congratulations.





- Patrick
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I set up the MyCloud HDD using both the website log in method and downloaded the desktop app. For security I will unplug the power until I need to use it, this is a simple and easy solution allowing me more flexibility since it will be used infrequently.

The desktop app and browser access work well, from the finder menu I can drag and drop from iCloud to the HDD. After downloading the app for the iPad and trying a couple things I discovered the app is very poorly integrated with iOS 11, it lacks any function with Files so the ability to access the HDD through Files doesn’t work, which is a big disappointment.

In the end I now have two external HDD for backing up. I back up both the iPad and iPhone to the MacBook and then that to both ext. HDD using Time Machine. Next up will be offsite backup.
 
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More backups is a good thing.
 
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More backups is a good thing.


And checking those backups that they are actually working and backing up currently is even a better thing!!! :Smirk:

PS: Honest, and not just trying to be a smartass here.

I've come across too many users that just assumed that their connected and setup backup was just working away as expected —— or assumed to be.




- Patrick
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