My TonidoPlug Died :-(
I have been using a TonidoPlug since February 2010. It has been running next to a PogoPlug v. 1.0. On the whole, I’ve used the TonidoPlug more. I find it more flexible, and it’s software suite has been very useful. I’ve used the blog application as a replacement for delicious.com and the bit torrent client has been very useful. Obviously, the file sharing has been the primary application. Although, this is one place where the Pogoplug shines brighter than the TonidoPlug. The Pogoplug file sharing is straight forward to use and easy to set up. It’s dead simple to share a file or directory with someone else without setting them up with an access account. The Tonido file sharing is not as intuitive, but it works. Tonido has been steadily improving the software over the last year, and now third party applications are starting to appear.
So, after not being able to connect to my plug I checked it and found the LEDs dark and the plug cold. No doubt a fried power supply. Unfortunately, I’m three months beyond the hardware warranty. I am going to see what else is out there before buying another TonidoPlug. But, in the end, I may very well buy another.
Do you have any experience with other plug computers? Newer Pogoplugs?
A GuruPlug Server Plus Review
Willy Tarreau, a Linux 2.4 maintainer and developer of HAProxy wrote a review of a GuruPlug Server Plus. He wasn’t impressed. Good article.
A Few Plug Computing Links
PlugIN to the Marvell Plug Computer Ecosystem and Meet Inventors of the Plug Computer
Amahi ‘Plug Edition’ Released – Brings Amahi Home Server to Plug Computers
The Future of the $99 Server and Birth of Reverse Virtualization
Plug Computer gets Amahi server and a developer camp all its own
Cheap Linux wall warts small on size, big on possibilities
Seagate DockStar Woot! Deal
If you have a Seagate FreeAgent Go™ drive, you can turn it into a NAS by adding a Seagate DockStar dock. It has the PogoPlug software embedded, so you get the functionality of a PogoPlug combined with the USB dock. Woot.com has the DockStar for $20 + shipping today only. The current model is $79 direct from Seagate.
Tonido Vs. PogoPlug
Early last fall I purchased a PogoPlug and later in the year I bought a TonidoPlug. After using the PogoPlug for a while, and running a bit torrent client and Firefly iTunes server, I decided to try the TonidoPlug. The Tonido software suite looked like it would handle most of what I was using the PogoPlug for, without having to hack it. So, after running both for 6+ months, I have decided to keep both. Why? The PogoPlug handles file sharing cleaner and easier than the TonidoPlug. I can quickly set up a share that I let other access without having to set up accounts for them. When I am done, it’s easy to turn off sharing. Plus, I can do it from my Android phone (or an iPhone if I were so inclined). I am not as enamored with it’s handling of media files. It can handle MP3 files, but the audio player is adequate, at best. It does better with video. It converts video files into a more bandwidth efficient format for streaming.
The TonidoPlug has a built in bit torrent client that works well. And an audio player that can handle iTunes files (non-DRM) as well as MP3. The file sharing works fine, but it is less intuitive than the PogoPlug. The ability to set up a quick share with a link I can email to someone else only works if the other person is set up as a user on your TonidoPlug. Files can be shared on PogoPlug without the user needing an account, or logging in.
The price of the PogoPlug’s ease of file sharing is that it relies on pogoplug.com providing a proxy service to direct users to your PogoPlug. Tonido provides a similiar service, without the benefits, but it is not necessary. I have used DynDNS to redirect traffic to my TonidoPlug. The Tonido software suite is a nice addition to the TonidoPlug, at a cost $20 less than the current PogoPlug device. The additional functionality take care of most personal cloud needs. I find that the PogoPlug’s file sharing ease of use is enough to keep it around.
Previous articles:
http://blog.craiglpatterson.com/2009/11/16/playing-with-the-pogoplug/
http://blog.craiglpatterson.com/2009/11/25/plug-into-plug-computing/
http://blog.craiglpatterson.com/2010/02/08/a-tonidoplug-is-plugged-in/
http://blog.craiglpatterson.com/2010/02/08/plug-into-plug-computing-update/
