Those who go on holiday usually come back with a whole lot of photos and videos on their smartphone or camera. “Send me all the photos and videos you took”, it’s often said by the fellow travellers. If you do not feel like sending such large amounts of data via the small mobile phone screen using WhatsApp, handing over your flash drive or even expanding your email account for a fee, there are other ways of transferring them. SnowTrex shows how holidaymakers can best send their holiday photos and videos and transfer large amounts of data free of charge and without loss of quality.
Free of charge and without registration
The simple browser search leads to several services that specialise in sending large amounts of data. In order to be able to use the corresponding service, you usually do not have to register or log in. The best known services include TransferXL, WeTransfer and DropSend. TransferXL stands out in that it allows data volumes of 5 GB (as of January 2018) to be sent free of charge.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Photos or other large files can be uploaded by clicking on the corresponding button to upload the file. Thus, one automatically gets to his own file manager and can select the corresponding files like photos or videos. In the next and also already last step one enters both his own e-mail address and that of the receiver, writes a personal message (optional) and clicks on the “Send” button. As a further option with TransferXL, the sender can also choose an end-to-end encryption by creating a password to open the files. Thus, only those recipients who know the password can open the transfer. The file transfer is thus already encrypted on the computer, so that no unencrypted data is sent to TransferXL. If the recipient has opened the link, the sender receives a notification by mail.
Free of charge and with registration
In addition to the services for which you do not have to register, there are also providers for whom registration is necessary. Registration has the advantage that uploaded files are stored in a protected, personalised area and are therefore not automatically deleted after a certain period of time.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The best known provider with regard to “online filing” is certainly Dropbox. Here, users have the option of storing their files on an external PC server in a password-protected and non-public account. The service is free up to a certain upload size. The files are shared with friends by releasing them for the corresponding e-mail addresses with one click. The recipients do not receive any mail with a large attachment, but can download the files directly to their PC via the link. Other providers with such a system, also called file hosters, are for example Google Drive, Skydrive, Mega as well as the Amazon, Magenta or iCloud.
Advantages of sending data by mail or WhatsApp
In contrast to transmission by e-mail, where a large attachment is sent along with the e-mail (and the e-mail cannot be transmitted or received as a result of this), the recipient “only” receives a link by e-mail with the services mentioned. If they clicks on this link, they can download the files directly to their PC without clogging up his e-mail inbox. With TransferXL, WeTransfer & Co., it is important that the link is clicked within a certain period of time. Once this period has expired, the files are no longer available and must be uploaded again by the sender. For security reasons, recipients usually receive a reminder e-mail shortly before the deadline if they have not yet opened the link. With providers such as Dropbox or Clouds, the link can usually be clicked for an unlimited period of time.
Another key advantage over WhatsApp transfer is that the files sent do not suffer any loss in quality. The high resolution that many smartphones now offer for photo and video recording is not lost. The receiver therefore does not have to be annoyed about pixelated recordings.
So if you are going on a skiing holiday in the near future, you will have various options to send your holiday photos afterwards. And now everybody: Cheeeese!
