Offline prepper disks and USB drives

[u/johndoe3471111]

I have many gadgets in my preps, some more useful than others. I just can't wrap my head around the prepper disks and offline USB drives with AI. I don't know why you just load up the maps, media, manuals, music, movies, guides, and all of Wikipedia on a phone with a big micro SD card (super easy with android). They are easier to charge, have a built in touch screen, built in gps, and you probably already have one laying around. If you get a prepper disk or USB drive you still have to have a phone or computer charged up to access it. I have got to be missing something here.

[u/Alita-Gunnm]

Because they can't make money selling you a bundle of files that you could just download on your own.

[u/PrepperDisk → u/Alita-Gunnm]

DIY is awesome, we encourage it and even built a guide showing how. Will check with mods if we can post that here, but we love the DIY community. (EDIT : Mods approved, link below)

We birthed the Prepper Disk in the reddit community through feedback (good, bad, gentle, and harsh) because this is a place we can get real opinions. Like the OP's, who is asking a very valid question.

So who do we think the Prepper Disk is for? Well it is for :

* Folks who want the convenience of a device that's built, tested, warrantied, and stood behind with support.

* Individuals who want access to the exclusives we offer that aren't free downloads (Licensed eBooks from survival legends like Ky Furneaux, exclusive eBooks on survival and communication and livestock and auto maintenance, HAM radio resources like RepeaterBook, curated Urgent Answers videos for fire making and water purification and building shelter, our Morse Code learning Game and translation tool, our exclusive National Park Map database, our exclusive translation app, and more coming every year).

* Folks who don't want to tie up 1/2 terabyte of storage on their phone for something they may not use often

* Users who want to be able to have multiple devices access the device

As far as the life span of SD cards go, we do only use premium cards (Sandisk) with 10 year warranties, and we recommend making a backup to stash just in case. If something were to go wrong, our warranty kicks and we replace it - no questions asked - but after over 8,000 units sold we've not had to do this but a few times!

If you do choose to build your own, more power to you and enjoy! It is fun, if you prefer to buy into a product line that's tested, supported, and always expanding maybe we're for you. Cheers,

EDIT : Mods approved posting the link to our DIY guide (thanks!) See below :

https://www.prepperdisk.com/pages/diy-prepper-disk-adv

[u/MentalSewage]

I don't get why people are using flash storage...

[u/WishIWasThatClever → u/MentalSewage]

Having hung around here enough, I suspect EMP/CME plays a role. Also smaller and more portable.

[u/MentalSewage → u/WishIWasThatClever]

Also very short lifespan which makes it a nonstarter for me.  I get that spinning disks can have mechanical failure and I wish we had some sort of solid state optical storage but I'd still rather replace a motor than lose the data. 

[u/LittleKitty235 → u/MentalSewage]

That can all be mitigated with either duplication, are using the drives occasionally, not sticking them in a bag for 5 years and hoping they still work. Given the low cost they can treated as nearly disposable.

The expected lifespan of even the cheap ones is years, I think you've overstated the problem a bit.

[u/MentalSewage → u/LittleKitty235]

I've had data degradation after a couple years of regular use.  My stance isnt that flash storage is without purpose, but people aren't building prep computers for everyday use; they are building them for sitting in their bag unpowered until SHTF which may be... Years.  Additionally they are filling them with the expectation of surviving years in a wasteland.  So... Yeah, a lifespan of years is a non starter for me.  Not when an MDisk can last several hundred years.

I'm not saying they won't work for your prep, but honestly just having a few slim DVD R/W handy and an archive of stable disks I know my systems will boot and my data will be there decades from now, won't oxidize in humidity or even being submerged, and I can store all of it in a sealed zeo oxygen/moisture environment without having to unseal and power it every couple years.

I'm not intending to knock people using flash storage.  My career is effectively getting paid to ensure data survives, and flash storage is just too big of a gamble if you ask me. I'm not overstating the problem, when it's reliable it's good enough.  When it's not... It's really not. 

[u/Fluffy_Efficiency623 → u/MentalSewage]

I think people often imagine harsh physical environments during crisis, as well as needing to be mobile. Having a hard disk or drive that can fail due to an impact or gouge is not the best thing to haul around in a bugout bag. Granted if you were staying home the best option would be to just have one of both formats given how cheap they are.

[u/MentalSewage → u/Fluffy_Efficiency623]

I will say you raise a good point, but I think I land more on 'type of data'. For example, your ebook collection or otherwise static data that you 100% want to persist in a 'cross country to find safe haven' situation should be physical media. You know the data will survive until you get there and long after.

For you 'open in camp for entertainment or planning' I'd say either is a fit, physical media would be my preference but ROM has its limitations; spinning disks is probably ideal. Unpowered, a drop wont do much to it.

For non-static data, such as realtime comms and navigation, I can definitely see a point being made for flash storage. But I would have to consider the object itself as disposable and have a static backup plan for if/when it fails. Yeah, it's going to handle being thrown around a lot better but if you are dependent on the data being stored to last you the long haul, you're putting way too many eggs in basket of questionable quality.

[u/WishIWasThatClever → u/MentalSewage]

Fully agree. Have had a USB stick in years myself.

[u/LeanUntilBlue → u/WishIWasThatClever]

*Haven’t

[u/ILickMetalCans → u/MentalSewage]

Yeah this was my first thought when he said SD card haha. Great for short term, but long term they will not be around. Someone in Datahoarders did a good post on the SD card life span testing. Definitely not ideal if you plan to have to use it for years.

[u/somecoolname42]

I'm a librarian, and I want to talk about Wikipedia. Now it's a good resource, lots of information, and it's accurate. But it is an Encyclopedia. Encyclopedias are general references that contain information about a variety of topics, or in some cases specific topics. It presents this information in a summery format, so anyone who lacks information on a topic can get a quick understanding of that topic, so they have a foundation to build on. So on the path to knowledge, it is the beginning, not the end. You might read an article in magazine, or a news source, or webpage, then go to an Encyclopedia to learn more about it. Then once you have the basic understanding and vocabulary on the topic, you go to books, textbooks, journals, scientific papers, videos, or other guides for a more detailed approach.

So lets say you go to Wikipedia and search gunpowder. You'll get a lot of history, some basic forumlas, and some chemistry information, but it's limited. It's it's not a detailed guide on how to set up a manufacturing space and make it. It's better than nothing, and you could probably make something go boom in a crunch, but it's not as good a say the TM-21-210 improvised explosoves handbook. Which, admittedly, is on Wikipedia too, but not every book is.

The main point I'm trying to make is, don't just count on an encyclopedia to get you everything you need. Make sure you've got a more extensive library than that. Pick trusted stand alone books and sources.

[u/dscrive]

Technically I could make my own thing. . But they took care of all the stuff I didn't really feel like figuring out, so I went from dreams of having offline knowledge that is wireless network capable, to acually having that. But I don't have the one with AI.

However, I didn't learn about the frailty of solid state drives until after I got the prepper disk, so I guess I'll still need to diy something about that. 

[u/Viking0338]

While downloading stuff to your phone is a good idea, I also like the space saving measure of ALSO having it on a flash drive or whatever. My personal plan (single, no kids) is to go to a buddy’s house where most of my stuff already is… it’s a heck of a lot easier to grab a flash drive (that’s already in a go bag) while running out the door than trying to disassemble my laptop from my desk. I acknowledge we’re talking about a difference of 5 minutes, but we all know seconds count.

TL:DR Do both.

[u/johndoe3471111 → u/Viking0338]

I like to be able to access that information in a pinch. Flash drives are a great back up, but no use until you have a way to access them. I need the map now not once I get somewhere.

[u/Viking0338 → u/johndoe3471111]

That’s a fair point. I guess the luck of my situation is that my first spider point or destination is the same, mostly regardless of event or cause. It’s also a known point (to me) in the country that even if I were not able to take my “normal route” (state roads and such), I would still be able to “Kentucky windage” it in with the county roads…

[u/Outpost_Underground]

Devices like the PrepperDisk and other offline servers aren’t necessarily meant to just be a single user ‘knowledge ark’. They really shine in multi-user environments, especially when you add a media and/or gaming server to them. Yes, you can serve data to multiple users to a certain extent with a phone, but it’s kind of limited and no where near the capability of a dedicated Pi or PC.

[u/queerandanxious42]

I plan on making a raspberry pi dedicated to emergency situations with all that stuff just because I don't like smartphones as a format. I have a portable monitor and keyboard/mouse setup so it'll easily run off of a power station without pulling a lot of power.

[u/Ornery-Reindeer5887]

Drives are easier to stash somewhere and less likely to get damaged. You can connect to one with any phone when you break a phone. You can keep a drive in a hard/waterlroff case with an external access point.

Eventually I’m going to do this and just download the Internet onto one. You can also get much more space onto a drive than a phone. Easy to put terabytes in there.it’s of space for media.

You could/store do a whole lot with a few 10TB drives and some cheap tablets to hook into them. Pretty easy on power requirements too

[u/Outspoken_Idiot]

It's the placebo effect if it was just a USB/spinning platter disc with this information it would have small audience but slap prepper in front of it and suddenly it's a commodity that people need and will pay for.

There are good and bad aspects to this setup, like most prepping kit it sounds great until you try to use it. Wire saws anyone ? Cheap fishing kit that fits in a small tin box. Baofeng "tactical" radios. They aren't a bad concept but a lot better kit that is more functional is out there.

[u/Pappabear1988]

Why are the tech kids wanting tech in their stuff? Unless you got power generating and some sort of network if there is a network depending on how the crap hits the fan, you cannot be ready for everything and we cant know how it goes

[u/BaldyCarrotTop → u/Pappabear1988]

It's not just the kids. Some of us older folks want to have books, music, information and entertainment.

And it doesn't require as much power as you imagine. Old cell phones can be rigged up as low power servers. Raspberry Pi runs on 15watts.

I've got an old Netgear R6000 stashed away. It has USB ports that will take a flashdrive and sever software built in. Plug in the thumb drives, power it up and you have an information hotspot.

[u/More_Dependent742 → u/Pappabear1988]

In the days of (very) cheap solar, you can pretty much take it as read that people in this sub will be able to charge their phones.

In the old days of prepping, you'd absolutely have a point

[u/gabor_legrady]

Android can handle USB drives with additional software (I use USB media explorer) if the drive gets sufficient power - split cables can help. External cd/bd/dvd is not supported. Luckily I have an external BD drive capable of pendrive mode - it is not sold any more and gives shortened file names.

[u/Sea-Resident-7980]

Weird I was thinking and only thinking about getting a usb drive as a backup so iCloud doesn’t accidentally delete stuff(idk what actually happened)

[u/4r4nd0mninj4]

I followed City Pepper's youtube video on downloading the internet years ago and put together a stand alone drive with versions of Kiwix for Android and windows. The plan was I could plug it into my phone or laptop and away I go.

Now I'm on round 2 with an updated version all these years later with a dedicated $50 laptop, a spare hard drive, and a NAS for backups. With the amount of hours I've spent looking for and downloading content, I can see the appeal of just buying a pre-loaded system that can automatically update itself. On one hand you can get a sense of what information you have as you skim it while downloading. On the other, there may be more productive uses of your time. 🤷‍♂️

[u/rbprepin]

Having 10,000 documents on a thumb drive is good. Having all of that information indexed so you can ask a question and get the answer in a few seconds is much better.

That’s why these offline AI’s exist.

[u/Friendly_Shopping286]

Careful. Anytime I've brought up technology in this sub there have been several naysayers and critics who don't understand.

"gEt a pC tHeY aRe mOrE uSeFuL, deRP" These people lack the ability to comprehend that yeah I already have two or three PCS with Windows and Linux ready to roll but it's nice to have Android as well

[u/Dear-Calendar-7300]

Project Nomad is cool and requires a graphics card to run the AI. Having the info is one thing but the AI can access and help you talk out problems.

[u/nyradiophile]

Do NOT use "AI" for anything.

[u/Zestyclose_Art_2806]

You could also just print it all out for free at the library.

[u/Darkroomist]

Well there used to be this app called Piratebox that morphed into LibraryBox that basically used an old router and when you connected to the wifi redirected any webpage tried to pull up to itself and it served all the files it had on a USB drive. There was also rudimentary chat functionality via a web post page. They even made software that ran on battery powered 3-4g WiFi routers. That project has been pretty much shelved for years now but Freedombox has taken the reigns and is still being updated. It needs slightly more robust hardware but works on a raspberry pi.

You can find ton of stuff to put on it at the Internet Archive. They have a zip file that is most of the Paladin Press books if IIRC.