AnchorPort A private iCloud and Google Photos alternative on the Emerald Coast
You can buy similar boxes that run this software. Nobody sets one up around how your family actually lives, or looks after it. We do both.
Your first questions, answered
What if it breaks?
Your system keeps a second copy of everything on a backup drive, and off-site backup adds a third encrypted copy outside your home. If a drive fails, we restore your files from your backup as part of your care plan. Replacement drives are billed separately.
What if you’re ever not around?
It keeps running. Your photos sit in plain folders by year and month, it’s built on open software any qualified tech can maintain, and you get a written guide and a recovery sheet at setup. The hardware and the files are yours.
Can you see my stuff?
You decide who has access, including us. Our access is for maintenance only, and you can switch it off any time. We won’t open your photos or files without asking first. Your password vault is encrypted with a master password we never see or store.
Does it connect to the internet?
Only for what you choose. Out of the box, a few features look things up online, like map images in your photo app or movie posters, but your photos and files are never sent to us or any outside service, except your off-site backup, which is encrypted inside your house before it leaves. Updates, off-site backup, and your own remote access need a connection. Everything else can be switched off if you’d rather.
Will my family actually use it?
That’s the point. Photos back up from everyone’s phone, usually without anyone thinking about it, and finding one works like the apps they already use.
What does it cost?
Hardware from $1,550 · Setup from $449 · Care plans from $79/month (optional)
Hardware comes in two sizes: 2–4TB of storage from $1,550, or 6–8TB from $2,050. Compare care plans.
What it replaces
| Instead of | You get |
|---|---|
| iCloud Photos or Google Photos | Your private photo library, with face search, albums, and sharing |
| Dropbox or Google Drive | Your family’s file cabinet |
| A password manager subscription | Your own password vault |
| Notes apps | Private notes |
| Your own videos and music (optional) | Watch and listen on the TV |
Your photos live on a drive in your house, so no cloud company can lock you out of them.
How it works
- We talk. We look at how your family uses photos and files today, and what you’d like to move away from.
- We install it. In your home, with phones connected and everyone shown how to use it. We can also move your existing photos over from iCloud or Google Photos, quoted by the size of your library.
- We look after it. Updates, backup checks, and monitoring on a care plan, or run it yourself. Your choice.
Choose how it locks
Who it’s for
- Families with years of photos and a cloud bill that keeps growing
- Anyone done handing their photos to companies that scan them
- Photographers with big libraries, stored as full-size originals, RAW files included
- Second-home owners who want one system reachable from both houses
- Anyone who wants all of this but doesn’t want to maintain it
For the technically curious
- Well-established open-source software on hardware you own
- Private remote access on your own account, with no open ports
- Encrypted drives
- Encrypted off-site backups to a storage account in your name
- Open standards throughout, with no lock-in
- Happy to go through the specifics in person
Ready to bring it home?
Tell us what you’re using now and what you want to get away from. No pressure, no jargon, just a conversation.
or email info@anchorportdigital.com