1. DIY Fireproof Safe Backup

As an amateur photographer, I take a lot of pictures. Recently, I completely converted to digital photography, because digital cameras and photo printers now produce high quality results. Before digital, I archived my photos as negatives or slides, while today, all of my precious photos are stored digitally on my hard disk. Like most people, I don't have the time to insert writable CDs or DVDs to back up these photos on a regular basis. I tried an online-based backup service Connected DataProtector, but over time I had to bump up my plan to $279.95 per year, which is a fair bit. I needed a better solution that met my requirements:

Automatic nightly backups (no user intervention required) Backup of digital photos and critical documents from every PC on my network Recovery from disasters such as a hard disk crash or a fire Fixed cost solution (I didn't have to pay more for additional bandwidth or storing digital assets)

The solution was to purchase a fireproof safe with an internal power strip and host a network-attached storage (NAS) devices inside the safe. Using HomePlug Powerline (Ethernet over ordinary AC power), I connected the NAS device in my fireproof safe to my home network. You need the HomePlug adapters to connect what is inside your safe and what is outside, since you can't run Ethernet wiring into the safe, and wireless won't reliably penetrate the safe's walls.

I then created nightly backup jobs to copy modified files from the PC's in my home network to the NAS device in my fireproof safe. The big ticket item is the fireproof safe, which I had already planned to buy anyway.

In figuring out a backup solution, the key challenge was how to protect against data loss and fire damage without consuming all the bandwidth into my home, or resorting to basically paying for a small-business quality cloud backup service. To get started, here is the parts list for my fireproof safe backup solution:

Fireproof safe with built in power strip. I bought the Linksys Storage Link NSLU2 because I wanted to reuse a USB 2.0 external hard drive I already had. There are numerous solutions of course besides the NSLU2. External USB hard drive. I already had one of the Maxtor One Touch External Hard Drives. Of course, you can choose any number of different drives and capacities, or buy a NAS box with the drives built-in. Two Powerline adapters, one for the network inside the safe and one that bridges my existing wired home network with the Powerline network. I bought a pair of the Netgear XE102 Powerline Ethernet Adapters but there are numerous others from Belkin, IOgear and Asoka, who make equivalent products. Go here for a complete list.