Syncbox makes your local data available on the Internet

By Martin Brinkmann on August 24, 2012 - Tags:server

If you do not trust cloud hosting services, or want to make available large amounts of data, you are usually better of using a service that lets you host your own cloud space on the Internet. We have already  reviewed the custom cloud hosting service ownCloud that you can use to set up your own storage space on the Internet.

Syncbox uses a different approach. Instead of having to install the service on a server on the Internet, you install it on your Windows system. It then makes available the data on the Internet using some magic and a dynamic IP service so that it can be accessed from remote locations provided the computer the server is running on is connected to the Internet.

All you need to do is install the Windows server on the computer with the data that you want to make available, and clients on the other systems that you want to access the data from. Supported are clients for Windows, Mac OS X and Ubuntu on the desktop side, and Android or iOS on the mobile side of things.

If everything is set up correctly, you simply enter the account ID and password on the client side to connect to the local PC and access the data that you have made available there. You find all the instructions you need to get started on the guide page over at the official site.

Syncbox supports media streaming, sharing, work collaboration and version control on top of basic file management features. The effectiveness depends largely on the upload speed of the server and I’d suggest it to be in the Megabit range to provide you with a good experience.

Upload bandwidth may not be the only that is keeping you from using the service. It first needs to be noted that you are dependent on the IP to domain name service that it provides to you. If for any reason that fails, or if the company decides to shut down the service, you are left with a product that may not work anymore at all, or only in a limited context.

Second of all, it appears to be a Chinese service. While that may not be cause for concern, I’d definitely want to know that before setting up the service, especially if you are making available work related files. (via Caschy)

There are better solutions for work environments and users who want to make available sensitive data on the Internet.