Review: 2 USB devices offer easy remote access

We've become a mobile society -- but very often, the majority of our data remains at home. If you want to access your data when you're away from your desk, you can use remote access software like LogMeIn Pro, pcAnywhere or GoToMyPC. However, there's now a new generation of USB devices whose purpose is to help you easily work with your home-based files from any connected computer.

Actually, the two USB remote access devices reviewed here couldn't be more different. The $100 Pogoplug acts like a mini remote file server that hooks into your home network and gives access to the contents of an external USB-connected hard drive or memory key. On the other hand, the I'm InTouch SecureKey ($130 annually) is a USB memory stick that goes where you go, plugs into a computer and makes it easy to remotely use your home or office PC.

Pogoplug
If all you're looking for is access to your data while you're on the road, you can't do much better than the $100 Pogoplug. The small (4 x 2.5 x 2-inch), white Pogoplug box is actually a mini file server that uses Linux software to allow remote connections, dole out files and save material remotely. It plugs into your network router and works with a variety of USB storage devices, such as external hard drives or USB keys.

On the downside, Pogoplug works only with external drives and can't connect with your computer's native hard drive. This means that it won't be connected to all the data on your PC's hard drive, something that SecureKey can do. As a result, if you want to have access to all your favorite files, you need to back them up to an external hard drive or memory key and connect that to Pogoplug on your way out the door -- hardly an efficient solution.

Getting Pogoplug started took about 5 minutes; it was much quicker and easier than setting up the SecureKey. In fact, the hardest part was typing in the product's 26-digit license code; I was glad when a recent upgrade to the product did away with that process by adding an auto-discovery feature. Now, all you have to do is plug the Pogoplug into your router, power it up and connect an external USB drive to its USB port. After a minute, it's ready for mobile access.

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