Accessing a USB drive connected to a router at a different house...?

[Technique]

To answer the reason as to why...

 

Story a little shorter - including my wife i manage the finances of 4 close family members, 5 in total if I count myself. I've been giving it some thought and i really should have something in place so that if i end up dead tomorrow or can't function for myself then said family members would have access to not necessarily usernames and passwords (because i don't think it'd be such a great idea storing that on a USB drive) but details of accounts (there's so many) - sort codes, account numbers kind of thing (basically info you can see on any cheque), what the accounts are for, lists of direct debits, standing orders and what to do in the event i am no longer there to deal with it all.

 

Even this would need to be guarded somehow, a password maybe. What bothers me is a few times i password protected a WinRAR file and upon entering the password (correctly i should add!) it just said the file was corrupt. Happened too much to be able to trust it with anything important. I figure it'd also need to be in easily readable files and not snookered by 'this software doesn't support that version you're using' - so maybe something like Google Sheets/Documents that you can get through Google Drive?

 

Aside from passwording it, it would be most helpful if i could actually access it from my own house rather than having to keep it going back-&-forth between my house & my mother's.

 

 

I'm just not really sure how to do that or if it can even be done.

 

 

For the UK members of the group my mother has the Sky Hub router i think. Not the Sky Q Hub but the Sky Hub. https://www.sky.com/help/diagnostics/set-up-your-sky-hub/which-sky-hub-do-you-have

I have the BT Smart Hub https://www.productsandservices.bt.com/broadband/smart-hub/

 

 

EDIT: Looking at the Sky Hub it doesn't appear to have a USB port so that would shatter that idea anyway, unless there's another way of doing it?

[adrynalyne]

Excellent use-case for a VPN. 

[Technique]

 

 

For the record ... i'm not taking the ssip out of you, i'm just saying i don't know what you just said.

[sc302 Veteran]

VPN = Virtual Private Network.  It is a technology for when you would like to connect to your network from another network, allowing you access to your network resources from another location in a secure manner.  Can be quite easy to set up depending on technology used.  Some routers have this built in to them.

[adrynalyne]

8 minutes ago, Technique said:

 

 

For the record ... i'm not taking the ssip out of you, i'm just saying i don't know what you just said.

A VPN allows you to create a private network between the client and server by creating a private “tunnel” through the Internet where outside eyes are not privy to what is going on. For instance, I do it from work to home, and it’s just like if my home network is the network I am currently on. 

[Technique]

Ahh. I've heard of this VPN thing then but only really in relation to Kodi if i'm honest ... and it forever comes with a to be paid for tag.

 

What you're suggesting - i wouldn't have to pay for it would i? Beyond the actual USB drive itself. I wouldn't have to pay a monthly subscription to something?

[sc302 Veteran]

2 minutes ago, Technique said:

Ahh. I've heard of this VPN thing then but only really in relation to Kodi if i'm honest ... and it forever comes with a to be paid for tag.

 

What you're suggesting - i wouldn't have to pay for it would i? Beyond the actual USB drive itself. I wouldn't have to pay a monthly subscription to something?

If I set it up, you have to pay me.  In neowin ninja cred.

[adrynalyne]

10 minutes ago, Technique said:

Ahh. I've heard of this VPN thing then but only really in relation to Kodi if i'm honest ... and it forever comes with a to be paid for tag.

 

What you're suggesting - i wouldn't have to pay for it would i? Beyond the actual USB drive itself. I wouldn't have to pay a monthly subscription to something?

Correct. Worst case scenario, you will have to setup a machine for it. If your router doesn’t support it, you can do something simple like a raspberry pi and pivpn. That’s a restaurant dinner or two at most. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by adrynalyne

[Technique]

So in short then it's a case of having a USB stick, updating it manually & telling the others at their house that if i drop dead tomorrow it'll be at XYZ location at my house, go help yourself 🤣

[adrynalyne]

8 minutes ago, Technique said:

So in short then it's a case of having a USB stick, updating it manually & telling the others at their house that if i drop dead tomorrow it'll be at XYZ location at my house, go help yourself 🤣

Pretty much, just set it up as a network share. Quite a few routers have this ability built-in. Connect via VPN, navigate to network share which you can password protect. 

[exotoxic]

You could use something like this https://www.lastpass.com/family-password-manager

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

11 minutes ago, exotoxic said:

You could use something like this https://www.lastpass.com/family-password-manager

Think that's something completely different from what we are talking about... (well, they)

[exotoxic]

40 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said:

Think that's something completely different from what we are talking about... (well, they)

You can add attachments to "secure notes" then give each family member access to the LastPass account.

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

1 minute ago, exotoxic said:

You can add attachments to "secure notes" then give each family member access to the LastPass account.

I think they are talking about sharing files, not sharing the username/password.

[exotoxic]

Just now, Mindovermaster said:

I think they are talking about sharing files

So am i

[adrynalyne]

24 minutes ago, exotoxic said:

So am i

I’d be interested in how you see this service fitting the needs of the OP. Please elaborate. 

[exotoxic]

30 minutes ago, adrynalyne said:

I’d be interested in how you see this service fitting the needs of the OP. Please elaborate. 

Am i missing something?? OP wants to securely store some simple text data and have it accessible by multiple people in multiple locations, no??

[adrynalyne]

12 minutes ago, exotoxic said:

Am i missing something?? OP wants to securely store some simple text data and have it accessible by multiple people in multiple locations, no??

He didn’t actually come out and say it was just simple text data. In another post, he didn’t seem keen on a subscription fee either. 

[exotoxic]

10 minutes ago, adrynalyne said:

He didn’t actually come out and say it was just simple text data.

That's the impression i got from:

 

so maybe something like Google Sheets/Documents that you can get through Google Drive?

 

LastPass free still allows attachments and "emergency access".

 

details of accounts (there's so many) - sort codes, account numbers kind of thing (basically info you can see on any cheque), what the accounts are for, lists of direct debits, standing orders and what to do in the event i am no longer there to deal with it all.

 

This sort of data can easily be setup as "secure notes" you can use predefined templates, create your own, or as i said previously as a file attachment .txt, .xls, .csv, .whatever.

 

 

[Mindovermaster Moderator]

3 minutes ago, exotoxic said:

LastPass free still allows attachments and "emergency access".

Free doesn't give you a family plan, though... IIRC...

[Technique]

exotoxic - thanks for the effort, but i clicked your link and noticed it says 'ongoing payment' which was enough for me to close the page down instantly without reading further i'm afraid.

 

To confirm - yes i am talking about sharing files and not usernames/passwords.

 

I guess what i would be using could/would be classified as 'simple text data' since it's essentially just spreadsheets and word documents, just with bank details contained in them.

[Technique]

Just trying to find some kind of setting within my BT Smart Hub that may be on the lines of this.

 

Quote

Internet

VPN

Dynamic DNS

Your BT Smart Hub has been designed to work with most virtual private network (VPN) software.
If you're having problems connecting, try turning port clamping on.
(This will set the internet key exchange to UDP port 500, rather than allowing a floating port - a setting which is sometimes required by older VPN clients.)

Port clamping:

 

[+BudMan MVC]

Why do you not just store this file with your data in the cloud somewhere.. Google drive

 

Google has inactive account manager where you can notify and give access to people upon your passing or lack of access - say a coma or something..  check it out

https://myaccount.google.com/inactive

 

Or just share the file with dropbox... Now everyone has current copy on their system when you update it.. Any sort of spreadsheet could have a password on it.

 

Seems like you putting way to much effort going to down a rabbit whole for no reason - vpn to write files to a usb stick??  Makes zero sense for something so basic.

 

 

[Technique]

1 hour ago, BudMan said:

Why do you not just store this file with your data in the cloud somewhere.. Google drive

 

Google has inactive account manager where you can notify and give access to people upon your passing or lack of access - say a coma or something..  check it out

https://myaccount.google.com/inactive

 

Or just share the file with dropbox... Now everyone has current copy on their system when you update it.. Any sort of spreadsheet could have a password on it.

 

Seems like you putting way to much effort going to down a rabbit whole for no reason - vpn to write files to a usb stick??  Makes zero sense for something so basic.

 

 

I actually use Google Drive. That's where the beginnings of this is currently stored. I just wondered if there was something better? A better way to do it? Maybe i'm overcomplicating it then.

 

 

Regards the password thing though - i like it because of the sensitive data that it would be passwording, but what worries me is back what i said earlier when i've password protected WinRAR files and then when i've tried to open them i've got a file corrupt error message.

 

I don't know A) how likely this is in Google Drive B) how to do it C) why it even happened with the WinRAR files (more than once)

[+BudMan MVC]

11 hours ago, Technique said:

hen when i've tried to open them i've got a file corrupt error message.

Nonsense -- done that for years and years and opened files 10 some years later, etc.   What does that have to do with a spreadsheet?

 

Then just use dropbox - its FREE... Or any other sync software... There is zero reason to open up them connection or create a vpn to access a file to what manually update it... When you use some sync software, oencloud, nextcloud could be used even or any of the other sync options, onedrive, sync, box, etc.