Your Own Cloud on an ODROID
Tags: Syncloud, ODROID, ODROID-H5, ODROID-M1S, self-hosting, Nextcloud
Cloud storage is convenient until the provider changes the price, changes the terms, or goes away and takes the files with it. Syncloud's October 7, 2026 guide, Your own cloud on an ODROID, makes the alternative concrete: a small computer of your own that holds files, photos, and passwords, and that you can reach from anywhere. Syncloud is the software. It is to a server roughly what Android is to a phone: the system plus an app store.
What you get
Apps install in one click, and Syncloud keeps them updated. The store includes Nextcloud for files, calendar, and contacts, Bitwarden for passwords, Jellyfin for films and music, Immich or Photoprism for photos, Home Assistant for the house, and over 40 more. Each app gets its own HTTPS address. They share one login. Backups are built in. The data stays on the device.
The software is free and open source. A subscription, £7 a month after a free first month, pays for the address of the device, its certificate, a relay for networks that block direct access, and support. The FAQ says what still works without it. The device keeps running with its apps and your data either way.
Which ODROID
Syncloud points at two boards.
ODROID-H5, if you want capacity
An Intel Core i3-N300 machine with four M.2 slots. Those slots take NVMe drives or adapters for SATA disks. Put it in a case with two or more drives and it is a server you will not outgrow quickly. It uses the same PC image as every other Intel or AMD machine, which is what more than half of Syncloud devices run on today. Memory and storage are extra, so it is the dearer of the two once it is built out. In setup, choose PC. ODROID-H5 — $299.95
ODROID-M1S, if you want to start small
An ARM board with 64GB of eMMC built in and an M.2 slot for an NVMe drive. It costs much less, uses very little power, and is plenty for files, passwords, and photos for a household, as long as you keep a backup somewhere else. The case, heatsink, and power supply are in the box. The M1S image is new. It is built on Armbian's mainline kernel, and Syncloud is still collecting reports from first installs. If you try it, tell them how it went on the forum. ODROID-M1S — from $99.95
ameriDroid carries a full-line of mini-PCs from affordable to extremely powerful. Check them out for more options.
Install it
- Open Setup, choose "Build it yourself," and pick the board: PC for the H5, ODROID-M1S for the M1S.
- Download the image and write it to the drive the board will start from.
- Connect the board to the router with an Ethernet cable and power it on.
- Open the device address in a browser, choose a name and a password, and install the first app.
The setup page walks through each step. Syncloud says the whole thing takes about a quarter of an hour.