User-friendly file sharing for a remote location
Off the Grid
© Lead Image © Tithi Luadthong, 123rf.com
A battery-powered WiFi hotspot can provide useful services like file sharing even when you're off the grid. A Pi Zero 2 W as the hotspot with ownCloud installed does the trick.
I am lucky enough to have access to my extended family's remote cabin. It's beautiful and remote (Figure 1), but there is no grid – no electricity or Internet, not even by cell service. I set up a solar-powered WiFi access point that hosts exactly one website: a place to share files. This lets the different people who visit the cabin exchange info with the next group who is staying. It's kind of fun, too: The shared data includes practical things like the new phone number of the fellow who delivers propane and playful things like photos of people swimming.
Getting Started
It might sound easy, but it took me about two weeks to figure this all out. I started with the goal of running Nextcloud on a device that uses the smallest amount of power possible, as power is in short supply. I knew that the "W" in Raspberry Pi Zero W meant built-in WiFi and the "Zero" indicated a small, low-power form factor. My first attempts with a Pi Zero W model (released in 2017) showed that it was too slow, so I ordered a Pi Zero 2 W (released in 2021). It has four cores, and its speed is adequate.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel Project Releases Project Continuity Document
What happens to Linux when there's no Linus? It's a question many of us have asked over the years, and it seems it's also on the minds of the Linux kernel project.
-
Mecha Systems Introduces Linux Handheld
Mecha Systems has revealed its Mecha Comet, a new handheld computer powered by – you guessed it – Linux.
-
MX Linux 25.1 Features Dual Init System ISO
The latest release of MX Linux caters to lovers of two different init systems and even offers instructions on how to transition.
-
Photoshop on Linux?
A developer has patched Wine so that it'll run specific versions of Photoshop that depend on Adobe Creative Cloud.
-
Linux Mint 22.3 Now Available with New Tools
Linux Mint 22.3 has been released with a pair of new tools for system admins and some pretty cool new features.
-
New Linux Malware Targets Cloud-Based Linux Installations
VoidLink, a new Linux malware, should be of real concern because of its stealth and customization.
-
Say Goodbye to Middle-Mouse Paste
Both Gnome and Firefox have proposed getting rid of a long-time favorite Linux feature.
-
Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.
-
Mozilla Plans to AI-ify Firefox
With a new CEO in control, Mozilla is doubling down on a strategy of trust, all the while leaning into AI.
-
Gnome Says No to AI-Generated Extensions
If you're a developer wanting to create a new Gnome extension, you'd best set aside that AI code generator, because the extension team will have none of that.