What to do to access files online anywhere

Today we can store our files in a wide variety of places. For example hard drives, USB sticks, cards… But we can also access files over the Internet. This is very useful since we can enter from anywhere and on any device. In this article we are going to talk about the different options to be able to see documents or any type of file that we have on the network and be able to enter from anywhere.

How to access files online

What to do to access files online anywhere

Keep in mind that the key to all this is to have access to the Internet . If a device cannot access the network, you will not be able to use the options that we are going to describe. Saving that problem, you will be able to access your files no matter where you are and even from a wide range of different computers.

Cloud services

One of the most interesting options that you can use is the cloud . There are many services available on the Internet. There are both free and paid ones and you can find a wide variety of alternatives, with more and less space available. It is a safe option to host content and later have access from anywhere, simply by having an Internet connection.

Here we can name platforms such as Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox. However, there are many more and it is a matter of finding the one that best suits what you are looking for. You must take into account some important points to avoid problems. Some are as follows:

  • Available space
  • Encryption and security
  • Availability from multiple devices
  • Price

Copias de seguridad en la nube

Have your own NAS

You can also choose to have your own NAS server . It is a device that has a hard drive and you connect it to the network. In this way, you can access it from anywhere just by having access to the Internet. It will always be on and you will be able to host content of all kinds as if it were another memory.

One of the most interesting points is that you will not depend on an external service . It is a computer that you are going to have physically in your home, connected to the network, and you just have to make sure you have it configured and always on. In addition, another advantage is that they can have a lot of space available. There are several TBs where you can save much more content than, for example, you can save on a laptop.

You can buy a NAS ready to use, but you could even create your own. You will have the option of giving an old router a second life, for example, to which you are going to connect a hard drive and thus be able to use it as a NAS. You can access the content from a television and watch series or movies, for example.

Remote Desktop

One more option to access files over the Internet is Remote Desktop. With this, what you do is establish a connection with another device that is physically in another place. For example, access from one computer to another, to a mobile, tablet, etc. You can even use it as if you were physically there, so it is used a lot in remote work.

For what interests us, which is to be able to access files through the Internet, it is a good option. You can use tools like Chrome Remote Desktop itself, the Remote Desktop that comes with Windows, TeamViewer, or SupRemo, to name a few alternatives. But you will find many more available.

It is important that you choose one that is guaranteed. In this way you will be able to connect without problems, without cuts appearing or having failures when remotely accessing a computer and the files hosted on it.

Use email

This trick to access files online is somewhat more limited than the previous one. Although in email you will be able to upload a wide variety of documents and files, you will have a significant space limit since most only allow 25 MB per email. Here you will be able to use well-known services such as Outlook or Gmail.

What exactly does it consist of? What you are going to do is attach documents and send them to yourself by mail or leave them in drafts. In this way, you will only have to enter the e-mail account from any device and place and you will be able to access those files that you have attached. It is very useful since you can even access it from the browser, without having to install anything else.

As you can see, it is one more alternative but it will be very limited in terms of available space. It is useful for uploading Word, PDF or image files, but you will not be able to host content that is larger.

Specific backups

One more way to access files over the Internet is through backups. There are certain applications that allow you to generate backup copies that are uploaded to the network automatically. It is similar to the cloud, but in this case what we do is create a copy of certain files and we can configure it to be done automatically.

You can do this on your mobile or computer. For example, something common is to upload a backup copy of the mobile images and videos folder periodically. In case there was a problem, we would have access to those files from anywhere and we could restore them. If, for example, we are victims of a ransomware attack, it is a way to recover them.

Conclusions

As you can see, you will have different alternatives to access files through the Internet . You will be able to do this on any device you use and have access to the network. For example a computer, a tablet, a mobile… You just have to make sure you have an Internet connection and everything is well configured so that there are no problems.

The most useful option of all today may be the cloud. In that case, you will only have to register on one of the many platforms out there and start hosting content. But it is also interesting to have your own NAS, although this can be more expensive and also has to be always on.

Whichever option you choose, you must take into account the importance of security to prevent an intruder from accessing those files. Avoid using accounts with weak passwords, unreliable cloud services, or malfunctioning NAS devices.