Comments on: Pogoplug: A Simple Way to Share Data in Your Personal Cloud

By: tivoboy

tivoboy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:12:58 +0000

I think one of the best uses for this would be REMOTE BACKUP, or a drive, folder or even computer backup. The downside to the PGP, is that for remote ACCESS it is limited to UPSTREAM BANDWIDTH from the HOME LAN, which for most users is VERY VERY low compared to DL bandwidth. I know I had to work very hard to get my DSL to do 670kps, from what is most likely 200 kps for the normal user. That type of BW is totally useless for accessing anything larger than about 5MB. So, remote streaming, remote data access and such is going to be somewhat crippled by that.

But, for remote access at a hotspot, corporate lan, airline lounge etc, most of THESE types of locations are going to have 1MB+ upstream connections, and therefore, I could easily upstream content and DATA BACKUPS or computer backup sync’s, which this should do.

I ordered one early on at 70$, and it still hasn’t arrived. Not sure what happened to the initial CES offered buyers. But, I’ll give it a try when it gets here.

I REALLY like the idea of taking pictures, having them auto uploaded to the PGP store and have family and friends just know (maybe via RSS) that there are new pictures uploaded.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:22:01 +0000

I have both Orb and Pogoplug. I can view miscellaneous documents (pdf, word, etc) on the myorb.com and also download. Streaming video and downloading seems faster on Orb. Yet Orb is dependent upon my computer. Pogoplug isn’t dependent upon the computer. It is hooked up directly to my router.

The hard drive which I have on Orb and Pogoplug are exactly the same 1TB. Different drives of course.

My suggestion to everyone is try Orb first before you buy Pogoplug. You also might want to try TVersity. It will play many video formats and is flexible in its media playback.

By: Jasen

Jasen — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:51:29 +0000

Thanks for the review, this seems really neat for us less tech savvy folks.

By: VKG

VKG — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:26:44 +0000

Since all data transfer is happening via their website so who is paying for bandwidth? Is $99 a total or could they charge in fututre on monthly basis (people hide such things in Terms and Conditions). Basically if traffic grows then start monthly charging.
Any insight on this aspect?

By: HG

HG — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:41:37 +0000

This is very nice, I have the WD world edition which basically lets you access, share, etc… with online browser, but one of the difference is that you can access the drive from your network as well. Pogoplug seems to have a very easy setup which is a plus for those that aren’t to tech savy.

By: NimQik

NimQik — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:41:43 +0000

it really does sound great, but i can think of a few downsides…

what happens if the company goes under someday? luckily its only $99 so it wont be too big a loss.

there should be a way to connect to the device directly when transferring files on your local network.

the downloadable tool that gives you access to your PogoDrive like a local drive, does it really work? for example, could i right-click an ISO thats sitting on my PogoDrive & mount it onto my local PC?

By: Luscious

Luscious — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:30:34 +0000

Great idea, but how are you going to take advantage of it’s features? Sitting at a desk, I don’t need web access when I can plug any drive directly into my router using a NAS box and get much faster speeds.

Being remote somewhere with a notebook or netbook I see much greater benefit. But how are you going to get around using your 320GB or bigger drive when your mobile broadband is capped at 5GB/month??? Think remote backup, file sharing, and redundancy. I’m not saying the pogo is a lousy device or idea, but until Dan Hesse gives the world uncapped wireless broadband, I see no way how I can ever take advantage of the 1TB and bigger storage potential.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:10:09 +0000

Pogoplug doesn’t have the same flexibility as Orb does. I can play many times of different videos (formats) while Pogoplug requires h.264 (iPhone natively, which currently is h.264). Otherwise, quick and easy setup.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:43:56 +0000

I use Live Mesh to make sure I have my main documents folder on all my 3 computers the same and always have access. I always feel a bit uptight about having these files on MS site—can this device help me sync like that at all–not sure how sync would on it and if it would. Thanks for any clue on this (not a power user am I as you can see)

By: Joe Montgomery

Joe Montgomery — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:27:09 +0000

Another cool tool for remote access. There are so many options these days, it’s hard to decide. I’ve used Foldershare (oh, my faithful friend FS) and currently use Sugarsync and Dropbox to get to my files easily. These all have ups and downs, but it’s still cool to have more options…..I think.

By: Francisco Figueiredo Jr

Francisco Figueiredo Jr — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:25:36 +0000

Hi, Kevin!

Thank you very much for your answer.

I think this pogoplug device is a awesome idea. But as your article says, I’m afraid that this wonderful appliance could not be available in the future.

I’d like to have something which could allow me to have more control like install and setup maybe some linux distribution on it.

Well, maybe I could buy Sheevaplug directly?

Anyway, a great article about a very nice device.

I enjoy very much your blog and use it to keep up to date with your information.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:17:37 +0000

Nope, the device is designed to work with the mypogoplug.com website. In the example you use, you’d have have to unplug your USB drive from the Pogoplug and connect it directly to your computer.

By: Francisco Figueiredo Jr

Francisco Figueiredo Jr — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:13:59 +0000

Hi, JK!

I’d like to know if there is a way I could access my pogoplug device without having to establish a connection to pogoplug servers.

For example, if I’m at home using the pogoplug and I have no internet connection. Will I be able to connect to it?

What I wanted is a way to be independent of pogoplug servers, unless I really need to access my files from a computer with a browser.

Thanks in advance.