How I Built My Own Cloud to Replace iCloud, Dropbox and Netflix

Subscriptions are getting a bit ridiculous.

iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, Netflix, Spotify…

It feels like everything now comes with a monthly fee.

And at the same time, you’re trusting more and more of your data to companies you don’t really control.

So I decided to try something different.

Instead of relying entirely on these services, I wanted to see what it would be like to build my own cloud.

The interesting thing is that this used to be quite technical.

Even if you were reasonably comfortable with computers, setting something like this up could take a lot of time and frustration.

But recently that’s changed quite a bit.

These days you can realistically build your own personal cloud in about an hour.

Why I Wanted My Own Cloud

For me this isn’t really about avoiding subscriptions.

I don’t actually mind paying for software if it’s worth it.

What I care about more is control.

I like the idea of having my own files, photos and media stored somewhere that I own and manage.

In the past that kind of setup was pretty complicated.

Even for someone who considers themselves fairly technical, it wasn’t always straightforward.

But the tools and hardware available now have made the whole process a lot easier, to the point where I think most people could realistically do this.

The Device I Chose

For my setup I’m using the Umbrel Pro.

This isn’t sponsored — it’s just the device that ticked the most boxes for me.

The first thing that stood out was the design.

The unboxing experience honestly feels a bit like opening an Apple product.

The build quality is excellent, with a black aluminium finish and a walnut accent that looks really clean. It doesn’t look like a traditional NAS at all.

It’s also surprisingly small. The size is very similar to a Mac mini, so it’s easy to hide away under a TV or on a shelf.

Another thing I liked is that it runs entirely on NVMe SSD storage, which means it’s fast and quiet.

Connectivity is also solid. You get USB-C ports, HDMI, and a 2.5Gb Ethernet port, which gives you quite a bit of flexibility depending on how you want to use it.

Installing the Storage

On the bottom of the device there are four NVMe slots.

They’re completely tool-less, so installing drives takes a few seconds.

Right now I’m only using two drives, both 4TB.

That gives me more than enough storage for the moment.

If I ever need more, I can always add additional drives later.

You can also connect external storage using the USB-C ports. That’s useful if you want to attach a large spinning hard drive for things like movies, photos, or backups where speed isn’t particularly important.

Setting Everything Up

Once the drives are installed, setup is surprisingly simple.

You just connect the device to your router using Ethernet.

In my house I already have Ethernet wired through the walls, so I was able to plug it straight into a wall port.

After that you just go to umbrel.local in your browser and start the setup process.

The system walks you through everything step by step.

Even for someone like me who’s fairly comfortable with tech, I was still impressed by how straightforward it was.

Failsafe storage

One feature I really liked during setup was the failsafe storage option.

It’s essentially the same idea as RAID 1.

Your data is mirrored across two drives, so if one drive fails you still have another copy of everything.

What I like is that the interface explains this clearly. It shows how much usable storage you’ll have and what happens if a drive fails, which makes it much easier to understand.

UmbrelOS

The device runs something called UmbrelOS, which is the operating system that powers everything.

Most NAS software I’ve used in the past tends to look quite intimidating.

UmbrelOS is very different.

The interface is clean, modern and easy to navigate.

It also has an app store, which is where the real power of the system comes from.

Instead of just being a place to store files, the device can run all kinds of apps.

Apps that replace popular services

One of the first apps I installed was Immich.

Immich is basically a self-hosted alternative to iCloud Photos.

You install the Immich app on your phone and it can automatically back up your photos and videos to your server over your network.

You can choose to back up your entire library or just specific albums.

It even includes face recognition features so you can organise photos by people.

The difference is that all of this processing happens on your own device instead of on someone else’s servers.

That said, I still personally use iCloud as well.

The reason is something called the 3-2-1 backup rule.

The general idea is that you should have three copies of your data, stored on two different types of storage, with one copy stored off-site.

So something like iCloud is still useful as an additional backup.

Hosting my own movies and TV shows

Another app I installed is Jellyfin.

Jellyfin works a lot like Netflix, but instead of streaming from the internet, it streams from your own server.

If you have a collection of movies or TV shows stored on the device, Jellyfin organises everything with artwork, descriptions, and actor information.

The interface actually looks very similar to a normal streaming service.

The big advantage is that you always have access to your content.

Streaming services constantly remove movies and shows from their libraries, but if you own the files, they’ll always be available.

Home automation

One of the things I’m most excited about running on this system is Home Assistant.

Home Assistant is one of the most popular home automation platforms and it connects to almost everything.

I already use Philips Hue lights in my home, but Home Assistant allows a lot more customisation.

You can create automations where lights turn on at certain times, adjust brightness automatically throughout the day, or change colour temperature based on the time.

You can also create custom dashboards for different rooms in the house.

So I could have one for the living room, one for my office, and another for the bedroom.

It’s incredibly flexible.

Replacing Google Drive or Dropbox

Another option available in Umbrel’s app store is Nextcloud.

Nextcloud is essentially a self-hosted version of Google Drive or Dropbox.

You can store files, sync folders between devices, and access everything from your own network.

Personally I probably won’t use it much, but it’s nice to have the option.

Accessing everything from anywhere

One of the biggest advantages of having your own cloud is that you can access it from anywhere.

To do that safely, I installed an app called Tailscale.

Tailscale creates a secure private connection to your network, which means you can access your server even when you’re away from home.

The important thing is that your server isn’t just exposed directly to the internet.

Everything stays secure.

Noise and heat

Before setting this up I was curious how noisy it would be.

The device does have a fan, so it’s not completely silent, but it’s extremely quiet.

If it’s sitting under a TV or next to a router you probably won’t hear it at all.

It also doesn’t get particularly hot.

It gets warm under load, but nothing concerning.

The one downside

The biggest downside right now is the price of NVMe drives.

High capacity NVMe SSDs are still pretty expensive.

That’s actually why I’m only using two drives instead of filling all four slots.

Right now I have 8TB installed, but because I’m using mirrored storage I have about 4TB of usable space.

Hopefully NVMe prices drop over time because that would make devices like this even more appealing.

In the meantime, using external spinning drives is still a perfectly reasonable option for bulk storage.

My other NAS setup

Alongside this device, I also have another NAS on my desk.

It’s the UGREEN DXP480T Plus.

I mainly use that one for backing up YouTube videos and sharing files with my team.

It’s more of a prosumer-focused device with things like Thunderbolt ports and 10Gb Ethernet.

Right now it’s filled with about 16TB of NVMe storage.

Eventually my plan is to have multiple NAS systems in the house all backing each other up.

Because when it comes to data, the more backups you have, the better.

It’s easier than it seems

After setting everything up, I now have my own cloud that can store files, back up photos, stream movies, and run home automation software.

And I can access all of it from anywhere in the world.

Out of all the self-hosting solutions I’ve tried, this is easily one of the quickest and easiest ways to get started.