Launching your own server to create a family cloud for a trip to Japan so that you don't have to take your personal/primary phones with you

⭐AI Overview

To create a family cloud for your Japan trip (avoiding primary phones), you'll set up a self-hosted solution like Nextcloud or ownCloud on a NAS (Synology/QNAP) or a mini PC with Tailscale for secure remote access via VPN, allowing family members to sync photos/files from spare devices using apps, effectively creating a private Google Drive/iCloud alternative accessible from Japan without your main phone.

Key Components & Steps:

Hardware (The Server):
  • NAS (Network Attached Storage): Easiest for beginners (Synology, QNAP) with built-in apps.
  • Mini PC/Old Computer: More flexible, run OS like Proxmox for VMs (TrueNAS, Jellyfin).
  • Raspberry Pi: Budget-friendly, good for basic server needs.
  • Software (The Cloud Platform):
  • Nextcloud/ownCloud: Excellent for file sync, sharing, photos (Nextcloud Talk, Gallery apps).
  • Immich: Great for a private Google Photos alternative with auto-backup.
  • OpenMediaVault (OMV): For old PCs, turn them into a NAS.
  • Secure Remote Access (Crucial for Japan):
  • Tailscale/Zero Trust VPN: Easiest; install on server & family phones for secure, private access without complex port forwarding.
  • VPN Server on Router: Set up VPN directly on your home router (WireGuard/OpenVPN).
  • Dynamic DNS (DDNS): Links your changing home IP to a domain name (e.g., mycloud.duckdns.org).
Simplified Process (Recommended for Most):
  1. Get Your Hardware: Buy a Synology NAS or set up a Raspberry Pi/Mini PC.
  2. Install Software: Use the NAS's app store for Nextcloud or OMV, or install Nextcloud/Immich on your PC.
  3. Set Up Tailscale: Install the Tailscale app on your server and each family member's spare phone/tablet.
  4. Onboard Family: Create accounts for everyone; they install the cloud app (Nextcloud, Immich) on their devices.
  5. Configure Auto-Backup: Enable photo/video auto-backup in the app settings on their phones.
  6. Travel: In Japan, family connects to Tailscale (VPN) on their phones, then opens the app to access files/photos from the cloud.
Why This Works: You're not exposing your server directly to the internet; Tailscale creates an encrypted tunnel, making it secure and simple, even if your home IP changes.
✨AI Mode
Building a personal family cloud server for your trip to Japan is a feasible option that gives you complete control over your data and avoids the need to travel with your primary phones.
Hardware and Software Options
You have two main approaches for setting up your server:
  • Off-the-shelf NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices: This is the simpler option, as these devices come with pre-configured software and user-friendly mobile apps for easy setup and photo backups.
  • DIY Server (using old PC or mini PC): This option offers more control and potentially lower cost, but requires more technical knowledge to set up the operating system and cloud software.
    • Examples: Using an old laptop or a mini PC with software like Nextcloud, ownCloud, or TrueNAS.
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
  1. Choose Hardware: Select a reliable device (NAS or PC) with sufficient storage capacity (at least 1TB per person is a general guideline). Consider a multi-drive setup with RAID for data redundancy in case of a drive failure.
  2. Select Software:
    • For a simple, integrated experience, use the software provided by your NAS manufacturer.
    • For a DIY approach, popular open-source options include Nextcloud (offers excellent security and mobile apps for automatic photo uploads) or Immich (a self-hosted Google Photos alternative with features like facial recognition).
  3. Set up the Server: Install the chosen software on your hardware. For the DIY approach, this might involve using Docker for easier installation.
  4. Configure Local Access: Initially, access the server from a browser on the same network using its local IP address to complete the main configuration.
  5. Enable Remote Access: To access your server in Japan, you need secure remote access.
    • Use a VPN solution like Tailscale or Cloudflare Zero Trust/Tunnels to securely connect to your home network from anywhere. This is a recommended security measure over simply port forwarding.
    • If you must use port forwarding, forward only necessary ports (like 80 and 443 for web traffic) to a reverse proxy manager and use SSL security certificates to encrypt traffic.
  6. Set up User Accounts and Apps: Create separate user accounts for each family member. Have everyone install the corresponding mobile app (Nextcloud, Immich, etc.) on the non-primary phones you plan to take on the trip and configure automatic photo/video backups.
  7. Implement Backup Strategy: A self-hosted server at home is still vulnerable to local disasters (fire, flood, electrical surge). Create a robust backup plan, such as backing up critical data to an off-site location or a secondary cloud provider (like AWS Glacier or iDrive E2).
  8. Security Measures:
    • Use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for all accounts.
    • Regularly monitor your server's performance and apply security updates promptly.
    • Be mindful of legal considerations regarding data storage and transmission while traveling internationally, though personal data use is generally acceptable.
Alternatives to a Personal Server
If the technical setup seems daunting, consider these simpler options:
  • Reputable Hosted Cloud Services: Use secure, privacy-focused services like Proton Drive, which offer end-to-end encryption.
  • Family Plan on a Commercial Cloud: Services like Google One or Microsoft OneDrive offer family sharing plans, which are much simpler to manage, though you have less control over the physical data.
Beyond Nextcloud and Immich, several open-source platforms offer specialized features for file synchronization, photo management, or secure collaboration.
General File Synchronization & Cloud Storage
  • Seafile: Highly regarded for its performance and stability, Seafile uses a block-level synchronization method (similar to Dropbox) that makes it faster than Nextcloud for handling large amounts of data. It includes features like file versioning and client-side encryption.
  • ownCloud / ownCloud Infinite Scale: The original project that Nextcloud forked from, ownCloud remains a stable, enterprise-grade alternative. Its newer "Infinite Scale" version is written in Go and designed for high performance without the "bloat" often associated with PHP-based systems.
  • Syncthing: A decentralized, peer-to-peer file synchronization tool. Unlike traditional clouds, Syncthing does not require a central server; it syncs files directly between your devices (e.g., your laptop at home and your travel phone in Japan).
  • FileBrowser: A lightweight, no-frills web interface for managing files on your server. It is ideal for users who want to access their home storage through a browser without the complexity of a full productivity suite.
Specialized Photo Management
  • PhotoPrism: An AI-powered photo application that automatically tags and finds pictures using facial recognition and object detection. It is frequently cited as a more "stable" or privacy-focused alternative to Immich for large libraries.
  • Piwigo: A mature, highly customizable photo gallery software with strong support for albums, batch management, and a wide variety of plugins. It also offers a dedicated mobile app for viewing and uploading.
  • Lychee: A minimalist photo-management tool focused on clean presentation and easy sharing with family. While it lacks AI-powered detection, it is favored for its simplicity and speed.
  • LibrePhotos: A self-hosted alternative that prioritizes object detection and facial recognition, often used by those who find Nextcloud’s native photo features too basic.
Enterprise-Focused Options
  • Pydio Cells: Designed primarily for business use, Pydio offers advanced access controls, workflow automation, and security-focused settings. It is highly scalable and suitable for users with complex permission requirements.
  • FileCloud Community Edition: While primarily an enterprise product, it offers an open-source-friendly community version focused on hyper-secure file sharing and data governance.
Are you looking for a lightweight solution just for this trip, or a comprehensive hub you plan to use long-term?
  1. [I pasted all of the above, verbatim, from the three search answers that Google ai_overview and ai_mode provided…]
  2. [As you can see the formatting is extensive…]
  3. [I don't know whether the black background color carries over from my phone…]
  4. [I don't know whether my personal information is carried forward from my phone in the buried terms or extensions on web links… ]
  5. [I don't see advertisements, yet, here…]
  6. [I'll experiment with pruning formatting, first, before investigating links, etc…]
  7. [The links on ai_mode go directly to the website while the links on ai_overview go through Google search to something/somewhere else, so I removed links from ai_overview's introduction and body of search answer…]
  8. [Even though the links may be harmless, anything on the web that one accesses can be used to harvest one's data (and one's connections as well) then kept in an unknown/unsecure location. That was the whole point of the initial search term —to secure private data…]
  9. [The first paragraph and following section on hardware also had extensive modifications. Here's an example of syntax I removed: span class="txxDge notranslate" data-wiz-uids="ZwBF8b_o,ZwBF8b_p" jsaction="rcuQ6b:&amp;ZwBF8b_n|npT2md" jscontroller="udAs2b" jsuid="ZwBF8b_n" style="visibility: hidden;"><span class="vKEkVd" data-animation-atomic="" data-wiz-attrbind="class=ZwBF8b_n/TKHnVd" style="position: relative; text-wrap-mode: nowrap;"><button aria-label="View related links" class="rBl3me" data-amic="true" data-icl-uuid="f8d1476d-3b8e-4ed9-83c3-da73f8ff6818" data-ved="2ahUKEwjH05XxnYaSAxWDKFkFHQMbHPcQye0OegQIAhAA" data-wiz-attrbind="disabled=ZwBF8b_n/C5gNJc;class=ZwBF8b_n/UpSNec" jsaction="click:&amp;ZwBF8b_n|S9kKve;mouseenter:&amp;ZwBF8b_n|sbHm2b;mouseleave:&amp;ZwBF8b_n|Tx5Rb" jsuid="ZwBF8b_p" style="background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(44, 48, 61); border-color: initial; border-radius: 10px; border-style: none; border-width: initial; cursor: pointer; height: 20px; margin: 0px 6px 0px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 28px;" tabindex="0"><span class="wiMplc ofC0Ud" style="color: #eef0ff; display: inline-block; transform: rotate(135deg);"><svg fill="currentColor" focusable="false" height="12px" style="margin-top: 3px;" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="12px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M3.9 12c0-1.71 1.39-3.1 3.1-3.1h4V7H7c-2.76 0-5 2.24-5 5s2.24 5 5 5h4v-1.9H7c-1.71 0-3.1-1.39-3.1-3.1zM8 13h8v-2H8v2zm9-6h-4v1.9h4c1.71 0 3.1 1.39 3.1 3.1s-1.39 3.1-3.1 3.1h-4V17h4c2.76 0 5-2.24 5-5s-2.24-5-5-5z"></path></svg></span></button></span></span></div><ol class="IaGLZe VimKh" data-processed="true" jscontroller="xE4zce" jsuid="ZwBF8b_q" style="background-color: #1f1f1f; color: #e6e8f0; font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 10px 0px 20px; padding-inline-start: 20px; padding: 0px;"><li data-hveid="CAMQAA" jscontroller="vsuOFb" jsuid="ZwBF8b_r" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding-inline-start: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="T286Pc" data-sfc-cp="" jscontroller="fly6D" jsuid="ZwBF8b_s" style="overflow-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Yjhzub" jscontroller="zYmgkd" jsuid="ZwBF8b_t" style="font-weight: bolder;"]
  10. [I guess the syntax I removed is somewhat equivalent to what Cory Doctorow calls 'digital asbestos' because it infests the text for no reason that I can determine…]
  11. [The upshot for me involves how much effort is needed to avoid publicizing data unintentionally…]
  12. [The remaining syntax is similar and clutters everything to no effect I can see —for example, commonly '&amp;' (in the body of text) replaces an ampersand, but you could just as easily use 'and' and save a character…]
  13. [When '&amp' replaces something in syntax, that's different in effect, I think…]
  14. [I've wondered whether Google's AI generates the formatting?]
  15. [In previous posts on chatainews, I've mimicked ai_overview and ai_mode's formatting with a whole lot less syntax. Granted, some formatting is built in to the blogger theme I'm using, but Google's AI still seems to generate a bit too much…]
  16. [One of buried formatting cues is light-grey on white numbers in the left margin of the ai_overview outline. The numbers are almost unnoticeable. See below:]





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