Imagine this: Your computer crashes, taking all your precious family photos and important school projects with it. Does that thought send a shiver down your spine? You’re not alone! In our digital world, keeping our files safe is a huge deal. Many of us rely on online cloud storage, but what if you want more control, better privacy, or just don’t like paying monthly fees?
That’s where “At Home Cloud Storage” steps in. It sounds great—your own private digital safe! However, figuring out which hardware to buy, how to set it up so it’s actually secure, and making sure you can access your files from anywhere can feel like a confusing puzzle. Do you need a simple hard drive or a fancy network-attached storage (NAS) device? The options can be overwhelming.
This guide cuts through the confusion. We will break down exactly what At Home Cloud Storage is, show you the best ways to build your own system, and explain the simple steps to keep your data safe and sound right under your own roof. Get ready to take back control of your digital life!
Top At Home Cloud Storage Recommendations
Bestseller No. 1
UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus 4-Bay Desktop NASync, Support Capacity 120TB, Remote Access, AI Photo Album, Beginner Friendly System, 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 2.5GbE, 4K HDMI, Network Attached Storage(Diskless)
- Entry-level NAS Home Storage: The UGREEN NAS DH4300 Plus is an entry-level 4-bay NAS that's ideal for home media and vast private storage you can access from anywhere and also supports Docker but not virtual machines. You can record, store, share happy moment with your families and friends, which is intuitive for users moving from cloud storage, or external drives to create your own private cloud, access files from any device.
- 120TB Massive Capacity Embraces Your Overwhelming Data: The NAS offers enough room for your digital life, no more deleting, just preserving. You can store 41.2 million pictures, or 4 million songs, or 80.6K movies or 125.6 million files! It also does automatic backups and connects to multiple devices regardless of the OS, IOS, Android and OSX. *Storage disks not included.
- User-Friendly App & Easy to Use: Connect quickly via NFC, set up simply and share files fast on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web browsers, and smart TVs. You can access data remotely from any of your mixed devices. What's more, UGREEN NAS enclosure comes with beginner-friendly user manual and video instructions to ensure you can easily take full advantage of its features.
- AI Album Recognition & Classification: The 4 bay nas supports real-time photo backups and intelligent album management including semantic search, custom learning, recognition of people, object, pet, similar photo. Thus, you can classify and find your photos easily. What's more, it can also remove duplicate photos as desired.
- More Cost-effective Storage Solution: Unlike cloud storage with recurring monthly fees, A UGREEN NAS enclosure requires only a one-time purchase for long-term use. For example, you only need to pay $629.99 for a NAS, while for cloud storage, you need to pay $719.88 per year, $1,439.76 for 2 years, $2,159.64 for 3 years, $7,198.80 for 10 years. You will save $6,568.81 over 10 years with UGREEN NAS! *NAS cost based on DH4300 Plus + 12TB HDD; cloud cost based on 12TB plan (e.g. $59.99/month).
Bestseller No. 2
UGREEN NAS DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay Desktop NASync, Intel Pentium Gold 8505 5-Core CPU, 8GB DDR5 RAM, 128G SSD, 1x 10GbE, 1x 2.5GbE, 2X M.2 NVMe Slots, 4K HDMI, Network Attached Storage (Diskless)
- High-Performance NAS with Powerful Procesor: DXP4800 Plus is ideal for small offices, & More. You can enjoy smooth performance and seamless collaboration, while making use of advanced features like Docker and virtual machines. It works semalessly across every device inluding Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android or Google services and so on.
- Better Way to Store Than External Drives: NAS offers centralized storage, automatic backups, remote access, and a wide range of RAID options for easy data recovery even if a drive fails. Massive Storage Capacity: Never worry about storage limits again. With up 136TB capacity, you can store 47 million photos or 92,000 movies! *Hard Drives not included.
- Super-Fast Transfers: Back up 1GB in less than a second using either the 10GbE network port or the 10Gbps USB ports.
- Secure Private Cloud: Retain 100% data ownership with advanced encryption to protect your files. Flexible permission management makes it easy to protect your privacy when collaborating with others.
- AI-Powered Photo Album: Automatically organizes your photos by recognizing faces, scenes, objects, and locations. It can also instantly remove duplicates, freeing up storage space and saving you time.
Bestseller No. 3
BUFFALO LinkStation 210 2TB 1-Bay NAS Network Attached Storage with HDD Hard Drives Included NAS Storage That Works as Home Cloud or Network Storage Device for Home
- Value NAS with RAID for centralized storage and backup for all your devices. Check out the LS 700 for enhanced features, cloud capabilities, macOS 26, and up to 7x faster performance than the LS 200.
- Connect the LinkStation to your router and enjoy shared network storage for your devices. The NAS is compatible with Windows and macOS*, and Buffalo's US-based support is on-hand 24/7 for installation walkthroughs. *Only for macOS 15 (Sequoia) and earlier. For macOS 26, check out our LS 700 series.
- Subscription-Free Personal Cloud – Store, back up, and manage all your videos, music, and photos and access them anytime without paying any monthly fees.
- Storage Purpose-Built for Data Security – A NAS designed to keep your data safe, the LS200 features a closed system to reduce vulnerabilities from 3rd party apps and SSL encryption for secure file transfers.
- Back Up Multiple Computers & Devices – NAS Navigator management utility and PC backup software included. NAS Navigator 2 for macOS 15 and earlier. You can set up automated backups of data on your computers.
Bestseller No. 4
eufy Security HomeBase S380 (HomeBase 3),eufy Edge Security Center, Local Expandable Storage up to 16TB, eufy Security Product Compatibility, Advanced Encryption,2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, No Monthly Fee
- Effortless Recognition, Every Time: BionicMind Empowers your home security with 99.9% facial recognition accuracy, ensuring a welcoming experience for friends and family while keeping unwelcome visitors at bay with smart AI tracking.
- Seamless Security Ecosystem: Enjoy the convenience of monitoring your entire home with a unified system, as HomeBase 3 connects all compatible eufy Security devices through the intuitive eufy Security app, featuring Expandable Local Storage, No Monthly Fee.
- Uncompromised Privacy Protection: Rest easy knowing personal data is shielded with dual-layered AES-256 and RSA-1024 encryption, accessible only by the user for ultimate privacy, bolstered by the intelligence of BionicMind.
- Proactive Intruder Deterrence: Stay ahead of security breaches with HomeBase 3's 100dB alarm siren, automatically triggered by AI tracking motion detection from connected eufy Security devices for an immediate response.
- Smart Storage without the Fees: Save on additional costs with 16GB of inbuilt storage, Expandable Local Storage, No Monthly Fee, to a massive 16TB, ensuring ample space for all security footage with zero monthly fees.
Bestseller No. 5
BUFFALO LinkStation 710 4TB 1-Bay NAS Network Attached Storage with HDD Hard Drives Included NAS Storage That Works as Home Cloud or Network Storage Device for Home
- Get enhanced features, cloud capabilities, MacOS 26 compatibility, and up to 7x faster performance than LS 200.
- Connect the LinkStation to your router and enjoy shared network storage for all your devices. The NAS is compatible with Windows and MacOS 26, and Buffalo's US-based support is on-hand 24/7 for installation walkthroughs.
- Subscription-Free Personal Cloud – Store, back up, and manage all your videos, music, and photos and access them anytime without paying any monthly fees.
- Storage Purpose-Built for Data Security – A NAS designed to keep your data safe, the LS700 features a closed system to reduce vulnerabilities from 3rd party apps and SSL encryption for secure file transfers.
- Back Up Multiple Computers & Devices – NAS Navigator management utility and PC backup software included. You can set up automated backups of data on your computers.
Bestseller No. 6
SSK 4TB Personal Cloud Network Attached Storage Support Wireless Remote Access, Home Office NAS Storage with 4T Hard Drive Included for Phone, Tablet, Laptop Auto-Backup, Wired Ethernet Only,No WiFi
- Your personal cloud storage with 4TB large capacity doesn't have own WIF: This NAS built-in 3.5inch 4TB storage, as long as it is powered and connected to the internet, you will be able to remote access and manage the storage data anywhere by PC/Mobile phone,without geographical restrictions.Point to Point(P2P) confidential transmission to ensure the data security.Support Samba and DLNA Protocol, all smart devices interconnection in the same LAN, smart TVs,laptops and mobile phones
- Two working mode with LED Indicator: Two working mode meets all of your needs. NAS(Network-attachment Storage) Mode and DAS(Direct-attached storage) Mode. With 1000M Ethernet port for NAS mode, true network speed can reach to 10-30MB/s. With USB3.0 High speed transmission port for DAS mode to transfer larger numbers of various sized files. Two Modes with different LED indicator colors, easy understanding
- Centralize all your data: Support IOS, Android, Windows, MAC, all have proprietary client software, centralize all your photos,When downloading from the web page, do not use the Google Chrome browser to download, please use the IE (Internet Explorer) browser or safari browser to download on the computer
- One-click back up & Auto sleep: One-click backup of photos and videos, designated folders real-time synchronous update and backup on Mobile Phone/ Tablet /PC, you can save everything and access anywhere. No longer to worry when you are on a business trip, go hiking and travel around the world. This 4TB Personal Cloud Network Attached Storage will automatically switch the work/sleep state according to the usage, which can better reduce power consumption and protect the drive
- Smart management: Smart App/Software, multi-people sharing at the same time; Support Samba&Dlna Protocol, all smart devices interconnection in the LAN, smart TVs, laptops and mobile phones can share SSK Drive data; Divide Hard drive to Private Area and Public Area, better to keep private information, more safety
Bestseller No. 7
BUFFALO LinkStation 720 8TB 2-Bay Home Office Private Cloud Data Storage with Hard Drives Included/Computer Network Attached Storage/NAS Storage/Network Storage/Media Server/File Server
- Get enhanced features, cloud capabilities, MacOS 26 compatibility, and up to 7x faster performance than LS 200.
- Connect the LinkStation to your router and enjoy shared network storage for all your devices. The NAS is compatible with Windows and MacOS 26, and Buffalo's US-based support is on-hand 24/7 for installation walkthroughs.
- Subscription-Free Personal Cloud – Store, back up, and manage all your videos, music, and photos and access them anytime without paying any monthly fees.
- Storage Purpose-Built for Data Security – A NAS designed to keep your data safe, the LS700 features a closed system to reduce vulnerabilities from 3rd party apps and SSL encryption for secure file transfers.
- Back Up Multiple Computers & Devices – NAS Navigator management utility and PC backup software included. You can set up automated backups of data on your computers.
Bestseller No. 8
MINISFORUM Desktop NAS N5 Pro Network Attached Storage 5 Bay, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370(12C/24T),96GB ECC DDR5,128GB SSD,1 * 10Gbe,1 * 5Gbe,2*USB4(8K),8K HDMI,OCuLink Port,1xM.2 Slot, 2xU.2/M.2 Slots
- 【Your private database】: NAS N5 Pro, equipped with AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX Pro 370 processor, adopts Zen5+Zen5c architecture and 12-core 24-thread design, single frequency up to 5.1GHz, supports multi-user access, simultaneous retrieval of multiple files, and ultra-high-speed decoding of audio and video playback. Say goodbye to the cumbersome operation of traditional hard drives and build your data management center, providing centralized storage, automatic backup, remote access and rich RAID options.
- 【144TB large-capacity storage】: The mechanical hard disk slot supports 22T*5, 3*M.2 slots + 2*U.2 interfaces: supports 4T+15T+15T. No need to worry about storage limitations, up to 144TB capacity, can store massive photos and film and television works. Note: The storage hard disk is not included and needs to be purchased separately.
- 【Rich interfaces】:10Gbps LAN х 1: 10G + 5G dual ports support link aggregation, delivering 15Gbps speeds. HDMI (8K) and USB4 (8K) enable direct display connections. PCIe 4.0 Expansion Slot х 1: Enables network acceleration, SSD caching, and GPU expansion. Boost read/write speeds without upgrading your system—Plug and Play.
- 【Innovative design】:Minisforum's slide-out motherboard allows quick RAM and SSD upgrades, simplifying maintenance. Modular design supports standard RAM, avoiding onboard limits for flexible upgrades.Dual 92mm rear fans + dedicated CPU fan actively cool HDD bays, ensuring stable and cool operation at all times.A Compact 199×199×252mm frame holds 5 drives in a 4-bay space, delivering 25% more storage.
- 【Start your data life】: It is your AI photo album, supporting AI-driven NPU analysis of face recognition, scene classification, image search, and natural semantic image search; it supports virtual permission albums; it is your music companion, supporting all lossless music formats on the market, and all DSD-encapsulated HIFI music formats; it is also your home theater, supporting poster wall scraping, supporting almost all formats of end-side video players, and supporting real-time/offline transcoding playback
Your Guide to Choosing the Best At-Home Cloud Storage
Thinking about keeping your photos, videos, and important files safe right in your own house? That’s what at-home cloud storage is for! It’s like having your own private cloud server. This guide will help you pick the perfect system for your needs.
Key Features to Look For
When shopping, focus on these important parts:
Storage Capacity
- How Much Space? Check how many terabytes (TB) the device offers. If you take lots of 4K videos, you need a lot of space—maybe 8TB or more. If you only store documents, 2TB might be enough.
Speed and Connectivity
- Fast Access: Look for devices with Gigabit Ethernet ports (1000 Mbps). This lets you upload and download files quickly over your home network.
- USB Ports: Extra USB ports let you plug in extra hard drives later if you need more space.
Data Protection (RAID)
- Redundancy is Key: The best systems use RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). RAID mirrors your data across two or more hard drives. If one drive fails, your data is safe on the other(s).
- RAID Levels: RAID 1 (mirroring) is good for safety. RAID 5 is often used when you have three or more drives and need a balance of speed and safety.
Software and Apps
- Easy Access: The software controls everything. Make sure it has apps for your phone (iOS/Android) and computer (Windows/Mac). You should be able to access files easily, even when you are away from home (remote access).
Important Materials and Hardware
At-home cloud storage usually comes in two main forms:
The Enclosure (The Box)
- This is the main unit that holds the hard drives. Good enclosures use strong metal or high-quality plastic to keep the drives cool.
The Hard Drives (The Storage)
- Most systems come with special hard drives made for continuous use, often called NAS (Network Attached Storage) drives. These drives last longer than regular desktop drives because they run 24/7.
Cooling System
- Drives create heat. Good units have quiet, effective fans. Fans that are too loud will annoy you.
Factors That Improve or Reduce Quality
The quality of your experience depends on a few things:
What Makes It Better?
- Processor Power: A faster processor (CPU) means the system can handle many people accessing files at once without slowing down.
- Easy Setup: Simple, step-by-step setup instructions really improve the user experience.
- Good Support: If you run into trouble, good customer support helps you fix problems quickly.
What Makes It Worse?
- Proprietary Lock-in: Some systems make it hard to use hard drives from other brands. This limits your upgrade options later.
- Slow Remote Access: If accessing your files when you are traveling is slow or complicated, the system loses a lot of its value.
User Experience and Use Cases
How you plan to use your system changes what you should buy.
For Families
- You need simple photo backup tools and shared folders for movies. Ease of use for all family members is the most important factor here.
For Content Creators (Photographers/Video Editors)
- Speed matters most. Look for units with at least 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet (2.5GbE) if you move huge video files often.
For Security Conscious Users
- You will want strong encryption options built into the software to keep your private documents extra safe.
10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About At-Home Cloud Storage
Q: Is at-home cloud storage safer than using Google Drive or Dropbox?
A: Yes, often it is. You control the physical device, and your data never leaves your home unless you choose to share it. You are not trusting a giant company with all your private files.
Q: Do I need to buy the hard drives separately?
A: Some models (called “Diskless Enclosures”) do not include drives. Others come pre-loaded with drives already installed and set up. Check the product description carefully.
Q: Will my at-home cloud slow down my internet?
A: No. When you use the storage inside your house (local access), it uses your local network speed, not your internet speed. Remote access (when you are outside) will use your internet upload speed.
Q: What is RAID, and why do I need it?
A: RAID protects your data. If one hard drive dies, RAID automatically rebuilds the lost information onto the remaining drive(s). This stops you from losing everything.
Q: Can I watch movies directly from my at-home cloud on my TV?
A: Most modern systems come with media server software (like Plex or DLNA). This lets you stream videos right to smart TVs or game consoles.
Q: How much electricity does a NAS box use?
A: They are usually very energy efficient, often using the same power as a small home router, maybe 15 to 30 watts when running.
Q: Can I back up my phone automatically?
A: Yes. Most good brands offer mobile apps that let you set up automatic backup for photos and videos taken on your smartphone.
Q: What happens if my power goes out?
A: If the power goes out, the unit shuts down safely. When power returns, the system usually restarts automatically. For best protection, plug your NAS into an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).
Q: Is it hard to set up remote access to my files?
A: Modern systems have made this much easier. The setup wizard usually guides you through creating a secure connection so you can grab files while traveling.
Q: Do I need to maintain my at-home cloud storage?
A: Yes, some light maintenance is needed. You should regularly check the system status to make sure all drives are healthy and update the system software when new versions come out.