Best File transfer method over internet

blasc · Oct 16, 2015

Hello and good afternoon.

I'm seeking for a software or a website that allows the transfer of files between two computers, over the internet (and fast transfers).

For easily to understand my problem, i'm at work and connected to my home PC, through TeamViewer. I want to transfer a file from my home PC to this one. My method is to upload it to Mega.nz (old megaupload) and then download it here on the work's PC.
I do this because TeamViewer's file transfer is rather slow as any SFTP software.

So my goal would be to have a software that transfers files over the internet, directly and with no need for encryption or high security. My main objective is for it to be fast.

Is there any kind of software or website that has this? Thanks in advance

JBURNS489 · Oct 16, 2015

I dont know if there is a better way, but a lot of free website hosting sites will allow you 1-2gb per month of upload/download for free. You could create essentially a blank webpage, upload whatever file you want to be transferred, and create a link on your page to actually download it to another pc. As long as the file is less than 2GB you shouldn't have an issue. Your other option is to go buy yourself a usb 3.0 flash drive and bring your files from your home computer to your work computer. You can even use you your cell phone storage if you have enough space available instead of a flash drive.

blasc · Oct 16, 2015

the files to pass through one PC to another have to be chosen when i'm at work, so the USB option is out of question (and that would be an obvious choice if it could be done...)

regarding the hosting site, that is what i currently do. I was looking for a direct solution, with no "upload -> host -> download".

I wanted something like "PC1 -> PC2", and fast

andy_Man · Oct 16, 2015

You can run an FTP server at home.
You're limited by your upload speed at home unless you use something like dropbox

boosted1g · Oct 16, 2015

You can do a file transfer via Teamviewer. As with FTP, Cloud sites, VPN, or any other method: Your upload speed is the first limitation thus if you have 100mbps download but only 5 mbps upload then you are only going to send it at 5mbps.

jkhoward · Oct 16, 2015

This sound shady. Why would you want to put your personal files on your work computer? I would delete that in a heart beat if one of our users did a large dump like that on their work computer.

USAFRet · Oct 16, 2015

jkhoward :

I often send files from home to work.
Code I've been developing at home for some function I need at work.
But nothing large...nothing that can't be contained in a text file.

JBURNS489 · Oct 16, 2015

I don't think I am understanding well...Why can't you just transfer ALL of the files you may need onto an external storage and only use the one's you actually need at work?

USAFRet · Oct 16, 2015

File transfer speed is dictated by the slowest device in the chain.
I doubt TeamViewer SFTP is the long pole in the tent here.

DeadlyDays · Oct 16, 2015

ehhh, teamviewer is a bit slower than a straight file transfer. Easiest way, since you are already using teamviewer, is to use the file transfer(not the one while you are remoted in, the actual file transfer utility).

Otherwise FTP is probably the fastest, but requires running an FTP server on either machine and making it available to the internet to be accessed. You can use filezilla client and filezilla server.

does telnet still work? basically FTP-like with pretty much no security at all, but typically blocked at all levels and disabled on machines I vaguely recall.

Basically you will almost certainly be limited by the upload bandwidth of the machine you are uploading from

jsmithepa · Oct 16, 2015

Your bottleneck is most likely your home upload speed, nothing u can do about that other than paying for faster ISP. If the transfer software allows high compression before shooting out to the Net would help.

blasc · Oct 16, 2015

I usually have to pass around a bunch of excel files, some of them that are 100Mb of space in data..... (back and forth, so from work->PC and PC->work)

so yeah, something that would make this easy and faster would really be appreciatted

With that said, do you guys have any program/method in mind? some software with a GUI or something like that would be nice.

Edit: both my home and work connections are ~10MB/s upload speed. If i upload files to Mega.nz i easilly reach 5MB/s. When i use teamviewer i only peak at ~300Kb/s.
So i was really searching for the faster way to transfer files, without thinking about the speed connections of each endpoint.

TL;DR:
From ALL the solutions out there, what is the faster? (creating a VPN, making a server at home, installing some 3rd party software, etc..??)

JBURNS489 · Oct 16, 2015

My vote is still for an external hard drive that is USB 3.0....My average read/write speed to and from an external drive to a HDD is usually right around 100mb/sec transfer speed...You wouldn't even see a loading screen most the time. To each their own though I guess...

blasc · Oct 16, 2015

JBURNS489 :

??? have you been reading the thread? ^^ lol

like i said before, this has to be done remotely, since the files I get at work are processed on my PC at home, and then i retrieve them to analyse the output (at work again).
sooooo..................................

no. thanks anyway

USAFRet · Oct 16, 2015

blasc :

DVD-RW
Presumably you're not making the Excel on your home PC while at work, and then need to transfer.
Some work environments may disallow DVD-RW, but if it is OK where you are...

But...100mb...I'm not seeing the issue here. I figured you were talking about a couple GB files.

But with this...
"Edit: both my home and work connections are ~10MB/s upload speed. If i upload files to Mega.nz i easilly reach 5MB/s. When i use teamviewer i only peak at ~300Kb/s."

I'm wondering if those two different tools are actually reporting the same measurement. megabits vs megabytes.
What is the actual time difference in uploading a similar size file? Disregard what the software is telling you...how long does it take?

das_stig · Oct 16, 2015

Encrypted USB2/3 HDD or pendrive.

I too would be spitting blood if any of my users tried to do this !

If you must use the same files in sync, then vpn to the office is what your should be doing and files never leave !

USAFRet · Oct 16, 2015

das_stig :

And if it the 'same file in sync'...why is this living on the home PC?

DeadlyDays · Oct 16, 2015

I tend to test peoples speeds on charter.speedtest.com, because there are no ads.
It will tell you speed in bits. there are 8 bits in a byte. File transfer utilities will measure in bytes typically. Internet providers will measure in bits.
Little b technically stands for bits, large B for bytes, but people misuse it all the time.

But like I said, you can use Filezilla Server setup at home, and filezilla client at work(you can get the portable version and won't even require an install for the client). Set it up correctly and you will be able to transfer with very little overhead, as little as you are going to get anywhere.

A trickier, sillier way is to setup a webserver at home with an upload page and just upload to that and then download via direct filepath off your home IP.

Those are going to allow for the least overhead in file transfers. The 10MBps up is obviously not correct, 10Mbps is doubtful for upspeed. Residential plans typically ratio it like 10:1 for download:upload speeds. and 10MBps would be 80Mbps connection, and only a commercial internet plan would get that high.

Personally, I use godaddy web account and Filezilla client to upload and I just download via domain/filename in a web browser.(technically you need a storage plan for doing file server stuff)

User specifically said he doesn't require security, a VPN would be more overhead than he wants.

USAFRet · Oct 16, 2015

DeadlyDays :

More and more, residential connections are equal up/down. Mine is 50/50. Typically I see 53Mbps down/64Mbps up via Verizon FiOS.

For the OP....we don't know what he has.
But as I said earlier, I doubt that the TeamViewer SFTP is the limiting factor. Just my opinion, anyway.

Upload a similar size file via that, and then something else. That is the only way to know whether that specific tool/protocol is the problem.
If there is a significant actual difference in time, then look to some other tool.
If not...then something else is the issue, and TeamViewer SFTP can be ignored as the slow thing.

jkhoward · Oct 16, 2015

You should NEVER keep company data on a personal computer. Period. You're risking a data breach for the company that you work for. I can't help you here. System Admin here, just can't do it.. good luck. Don't let your IT department find out about this.

DeadlyDays · Oct 16, 2015

the only people getting 1:1 are people with ftth, and that is still a very small minority of connections in the US, and in plenty of other countries. Copper and DSL connections, the ratio is part of the (level 2?) technology for residential connections.

Maybe in like 15 years we will see everyone with ftth, maybe in 5 years we will see fully deployed in large cities, maybe 10 years they will start putting it into rural areas. but not now. and I do see some overhead on teamviewer filetransfers. But not a lot I'd agree with that.

Not sure what business he is in, or if the information he is handling is even sensitive. If it is unsecured, a normal FTP server is fine. If it needs to be secured then VPN/SFTP, filezilla also works with SFTP connections.

JBURNS489 · Oct 16, 2015

My thoughts exactly...if the files are supposed to be in sync why even have them on your own personal pc at all?? Why not just have everything you need on your work pc and leave your personal pc out of it entirely. And yes op ive read the thread but it doesn't add up. People have given you the answer you were looking for and their advice. I get the feeling your doing something you probably shouldnt be doing...good luck sir

blasc · Oct 16, 2015

woow so much conspiracy theories and such x) lol I knew americans were paranoid, but not at the level you guys sound like

ok i will explain further: I use my home PC to process the macros i coded, on the huge excel files with raw data (so no, there is no confidential data there), since the work PC is from the stone age, and my PC is brand new.
Also i live in Portugal. My connection:

And not just that. Sometimes I pass some other files between computers. Notes, apps, pictures, videos, whatever. The main use is for the excel files, but i pass other stuff too.

I will try the filezila option, but isn't there any other option, like some sort of TeamViewer but for file transfer oriented? With a GUI, account, and other stuff for easy access? That would be my main goal.

blasc · Oct 16, 2015

I really just wanted suggestion on methods/software to do direct file transfer between 2 computers.... You guys are complicating this too much in my opinion

thanks all anyway. will try some of the advices.

USAFRet · Oct 17, 2015

So the problem is not Protocol X vs Protocol Y is faster transferring large files form home to work, but rather 'my work PC sucks and my home PC is faster to process these large Excel files'.

Still not seeing how TeamViewer SFTP is 'slower' than anything else without actual time measurements.

I'll be quiet now...

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