I have started to travel light, with nothing more than what I need, both physically and digitally. While I keep a portable SSD handy, everything else stays at home, on my NAS. And that doesn’t mean I’m not able to access my files while traveling. In fact, I have set up my NAS to let me view and manage my files no matter where I am. It has helped me replace a bunch of apps and services that I used to depend on.

Here’s how I use my NAS while I’m on the road to stay connected with all my files without missing a beat.

6 Remote access to all my files

Once set up, it works like a charm

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This one is perhaps the most obvious, but I must say that it’s the most useful too. I have securely set up my NAS for remote access and use a VPN tunnel to secure my connection. There is a slight impact, but it’s well worth the minor trade-off. With that setup in place, I can access everything that I have saved on my NAS.

While on the move, I can access my old invoices, project videos, scanned IDs, home media — every single thing that lives on my NAS. It feels like I’m sitting in front of my home setup, even when I am halfway across the world. All I need is a reliable internet connection, and I’m sorted.

5 Instant photo backups from my phone

Traveling = tons of photos

Even though my photos are backed up to Google Photos, I’m more particular about backing them up to the NAS as well, as part of my dual-backup strategy. That’s because even if I lose my phone somehow in a different country, I know that I have my memories saved at home, in full quality and not compressed.

The moment my phone connects to hotel Wi-Fi, Synology Photos pings home and backs up all my media for the day. It’s quite seamless and doesn’t need manual intervention on most days. This system is in place for all my family members so that the memories captured on everyone’s phones are safe.

4 Sharing files without the cloud

In this case, I own that ‘cloud’

If I have a large file saved on my NAS and I need to share it with a teammate or even someone else, I don’t need to go through the process of remotely moving it to my laptop before uploading it to Google Drive or WeTransfer. No, sir. Most NAS models have excellent sharing features built in, which work well, especially with remote access enabled.

Without moving that file, I can simply create a private or a public link, which I can then forward to anyone I need to share the file with. It works just like Google Drive, and I can even set expiry dates and passwords for better control.

3 Streaming movies on Plex

It’s like I’m still in my living room

Source: Mockup.photos

If the hotel room doesn’t offer a half-decent cable connection or when I’m stuck at the airport, my Plex collection helps me stay entertained no matter where I am. Using the app, I can catch up on my favorite TV shows straight from my NAS — no Netflix-like subscriptions or geo-restrictions involved.

Plex automatically adjusts the quality if the network is spotty on public Wi-Fi. And the best part is that I don’t miss a beat. I can start from exactly where I left off while watching a movie on my living room TV. It’s like my personal streaming service that travels with me.

2 Keeping an eye on the home

Surveillance on the go

I have a Xiaomi smart camera installed at my home’s entrance. It lets me see the live feed from anywhere. However, I have synced it with my home NAS to keep a copy of all the footage there as well, in case its microSD card fails. That way, I can easily access all the footage from my camera, no matter where I am.

And if you use an IP camera that pairs directly with built-in surveillance tools like Synology’s Surveillance Station, it will let you do a lot more than that. You can control your camera’s settings or watch live footage. You don’t have to rely on a separate app for this, nor do you need to get a subscription to access your own camera video.

1 Remote work backups

A critical part of my setup

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On most of my travels — even if they are personal — I carry my work laptop to stay on top of everything and sometimes even work a little. And all those new files and important edits need to be backed up in real time before they’re lost forever. Important folders and files are always in sync with the NAS, and it doesn’t stop there.

Using Tailscale, I have ensured that my MacBook is backed up to the NAS at home using Time Machine. That doubles the safety, with my files and the entire laptop both getting backed up so that all my data is safe and sound in case something happens to my laptop when on the go.

Managing your NAS remotely

My NAS is a central part of my storage setup — one that needs extra care and protection, especially when remote access is enabled. Since opening up your NAS to the internet also makes it more vulnerable to external attacks, you must safeguard it. A good way around it is using a VPN for remote access and keeping a watchful eye on your NAS for any suspicious movement, because what you monitor is the only thing you can fix.