Pogoplug: Slow Transfers Explained

I have noticed a lot of threads on the Pogoplug forums with complaints about the slow transfer speeds of some versions of the Pogoplug between the user's computer and the Pogoplug device when they are on the same network; however, I have yet to find a viable explanation from Pogoplug's support team. As someone with a network engineering background, I believe that I can explain the reason behind the slow transfers.

Some of the Pogoplug devices have Samba for file sharing services, whereas others do not. Those without Samba happen to take the longest root between two points. Basically those without Samba will send data from the computer with the Pogoplug client to Pogoplug's servers, which are out on the internet, and from Pogoplugs servers to your the drives connected to your Pogoplug device (e.g. computer -> Pogoplug servers out on the internet -> Pogoplug device within the same room as the sending computer or vice versa when downloading to your computer).

Quite frankly I find the idea of sending my data out across the internet to Pogoplug's servers and then back to my Pogoplug device that happens to be in the same location as the computer uploading and/or downloading data to it as a poor design flaw. This flaw is inherent in the implementation of Pogoplug's file sharing services of their devices, despite the fact that it is well documented that these devices can run FTP and Samba quite easily regardless if the device has a swap file. If Pogoplug wants to end the complaints of slow transfer speeds, then they must utilize a method that permits transfers on via internal LAN instead of having the user's data go out to the internet and back again. If they are so worried about the lack of memory for Samba, then they should implement WebDav that permits transfers via LAN and their client or FTP. Either way, there is no excuse for this flaw as it can be considered a major security issue if users forget to enable HTTPS for their file transfers, because their data will be uploaded and/or downloaded unencrypted if they so happen to enable aforementioned feature.

Blog Update

I just wanted to let reader know that this blog isn't dead and I will be working on publishing new updates. I was on hiatus due to grad school and have not had the time to experiment with my Pogoplug v4. During my break I am planning on posting new material to share with others.

Here is a list of experiments that I will be doing:

• Web hosting - either with thttpd-php or Cherokee, maybe even Apache
• VSTFP - Time to choose a more secure option of FTP
• NETATALK- Turn your Pogoplug into an Apple OS X compatible Time Capsule