MiMedia (pronounced “my media”) is an online backup and cloud storage service that gives users 10 gigabytes of free storage. It works on Windows and Mac, and has apps for Android and iOS to sync files from your computer to your phone.
Pros
- Free 10 GB of online storage space
- Back up, sync, and share files
- Fantastic mobile apps
Cons
- Slow cloud access
- 3 GB file size limit
- No file versioning
The Bottom Line
MiMedia offers 10 GB of free cloud storage, combined with great apps and sharing features.
10 GB Online Storage, 100% Free
MiMedia offers a large, 10 gigabyte online drive to store your files. This is larger than other cloud storage services (Dropbox only offers 2 GB, for instance).
Premium Plans
MiMedia has a couple premium plans, for those who need more than 10 GB:
- 500 GB for $9 per month
- 1 TB for $15 per month
Update May 2015: New MiMedia plans have been added, and they bumped free space from 7 GB to 10 GB.
Backing Up
The MiMedia setup wizard will help you create a backup or sync to the cloud.
The MiMedia setup wizard helps you create your first backup.
Creating an automatic backup is easy. Just choose which files and folders you want to backup, and MiMedia does the rest. All your files will be copied to the cloud.
The MiMedia backup settings screen.
You can also backup files stored on a USB hard drive by connecting it, then clicking Setup next to the drive.
When copying my files to the cloud, MiMedia was unable to backup 14 files in my AppData folder. So it doesn’t handle locked/open files very well, but it will still get your important (non system) files backed up.
MiMedia: The Drive that Follows You Everywhere
The software creates a local M: drive on your computer. MiMedia calls this “the drive that follows you everywhere” because it lets you access your files on any device.
The M: drive in Windows Explorer.
Although I found this M: drive handy, access was slow. It also doesn’t sync your files in the background, so every time you copy files to it, a file transfer window pops up. This is in contract to Dropbox, which syncs your files more discreetly.
Shuttle Drive: Backup Fast, for Free
Shuttle Drive is a free service for MiMedia premium plans.
With Shuttle Drive, MiMedia will ship you a hard drive you can put your files on, then ship it back to them. This will save you the time of initially uploading a large backup (great for those with slow connections).
Shuttle Drives are encrypted for security, so even if your drive is lost in the mail your data is safe.
Viewing photos in Android.
The Android home screen.
Mobile Apps
MiMedia has apps to access your files on iOS and Android devices. You can listen to music, view your photos, or watch movies – all without leaving the app.
I thought the Android app was beautifully designed, with large buttons and great layouts to display photos.
To watch videos from the MiMedia app, you’ll need another app: Vitamio. Video playback was hit or miss; some videos played fine, while others would stop during playback or wouldn’t play at all. Regardless, this is a great feature that you don’t normally find in an online backup service.
Speed
When I first tested the upload speed, it was a tepid 80 kiloybtes per second. However, I soon realized MiMedia was limiting my speed due to bandwidth controls.
After turning off the speed limits, it tested around 1.1 megabits per second (Mbps) – not fast by any means, but not so slow that it’s unusable. At this speed MiMedia would upload about 11 gigabytes per day.
Downloading my files proved to be a quick 7.2 Mbps – about 3 gigabytes per hour.
Security
MiMedia uses SSL encryption to transfer files to their servers.
Files are said to be stored in highly redundant, guarded, Tier 1 storage facilities. I also confirmed with tech support that files are stored encrypted. As of 2016, files are not stored encrypted.
Bandwidth Controls
MiMedia can throttle your bandwidth when you’re using your computer, to not overwhelm your connection.
The MiMedia options screen.
Support
Users can get support through live chat, email, or by searching an online knowledgebase.
Live support is offered 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST on weekdays, and Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Specifications |
|
| Product Name | MiMedia |
| Version | 1.0.73.3666 |
| Operating Systems | WindowMac |
| Storage | 1 TB |
| Monthly Price | $9.99 |
| Average Upload Speed | 1.1 Mbps (1.5 Mbps connection) |
| Average Download Speed | 7.2 Mbps (15 Mbps connection) |
General Features |
|
| Free Trial | |
| Free Online Storage | 10 GB |
| Mobile Apps | Android, iOS |
| Bandwidth Controls | |
| NAS Support | null |
Backup Features |
|
| File Versioning | |
| Keep Deleted Files | Never |
| Back Up to Local Drive | |
Sync and Share Features |
|
| File Sync | |
| Selective Sync | null |
| Public File Sharing | |
| Collaborative Invites | |
Security |
|
| Encrypted Storage | |
| Encrypted Transfer | |
| Personal Encryption | |
| Zero-knowledge Encryption | |
| Two-factor Authentication | |
Support |
|
| Phone Support | |
| Email Support | |
| 24/7 Support | |
| Live Chat | |
Infrastructure |
|
| Data Center Location(s) | |
Geoff Akerlund
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