6. Like your own private island
Rather than entrusting others with your files, you can also host your own cloud. The process is as simple as buying a network attached storage, or NAS, drive and plugging it into your router.
These NAS drives give you the flexibility to access files from any machine on or off your home or office Wi-Fi network.
Unlike a standard hard drive that can only connect to one PC or Mac at a time, NAS drives can be accessed by multiple systems. If you're trying to access the contents of your NAS drive remotely, you'll need a good home or office network with fast upload speeds. This is especially true if you're looking at storing and accessing video files.
You can get drives with multiple terabytes of storage, and compared to true cloud options, you won't need to pay a subscription fee for your own cloud. You'll purchase the drive you want and the capacity you desire and just attach it to your existing home or office router and internet connection.
Examples include the 2TB Western Digital MyCloud ($150, £100, AU$191) and 3TB Seagate Personal Cloud ($170, £112, AU$217). If you're comfortable changing your router's settings, the 2TB Apple Time Capsule ($299, £200, AU$381) can be accessed remotely with a third-party File Explorer app on an iPad or iPhone.
