ReachMyFile: Access your files Privately, and Securely.

Posted on January 29th, 2009. Written by Arron.

It’s great to be able to access your files and folders when you need them, and now there are hundreds of thousands of AppStore application’s which allow you to do just that.

Yesterday, we got a tip off from Louise of ReachMyFile.com. After Louise gave us a complimentary copy of the £11.99 application, we thought it only fair that we take a quick look!

What is ReachMyFile?
ReachMyFile is an application which allows you to open a SSL connection from your iPhone to your Macintosh computer (sorry, no windows!). The software then allows you to grab files from your Mac, wirelessly over Wifi, 3G and Edge.

ReachMyFile establishes an encrypted communication link directly between your iPhone or iPod touch, and your computer for secure data transfer (AES 128 bit in the paid version and DES 56 bit in the free “lite” version). You can navigate through the computer’s file system or do simple keyword search to locate a file. The selected file may then be downloaded from your computer across the encrypted link, or you can direct your computer to email the file to someone else.

Note:

1. Due to the number of different makes, models and versions of routers in use, it is not possible to test ReachMyFile with all routers. You are encouraged to use our free version, ReachMyFile lite, available at the iPhone App Store, to ensure that your router is compatible before purchasing this application.

2. Firewalls on your computer may need to be configured to allow incoming connections for ReachMyFile to work.

Setup
After buying ReachMyFile for iPhone, the first thing your going to want to do is download the Mac software. This can be found at http://www.reachmyfile.com/downloads/. Lets dive straight in ..

When you launch the software on your Mac, it will ask for the usual, a username and password to secure the connection, but it will also ask you to choose the ‘default’ directory the RMF iPhone client will default open, every time the app is launched. Once you’ve set this up, you can go right ahead and launch RMF on your iPhone or iPod touch.

On first launch, the iPhone client will ask for your e-mail address, and for you to set a password to access the app itself. This can be different to your connection password, and simply adds another layer of security to people being able to remotely use your connection your setting up. Done that? – Great. Your ready to go ..

Using ReachMyFile
On entering the app, after entering your access code, you’ll first be shown a list of the currently connected terminals on your network. You also have a few buttons in each of the screen’s corners. Firstly, in the top right you’ll find search. Touch this and a search bar will appear where you can search through the current active terminals.

The second, bottom right will bring up the ‘Completed downloads’ section. This is where all your completed wireless downloads will be / are stored. Next, in the bottom left, Settings. In here you have the options to change your access codes, set an idle timer, toggle the option ‘Use Cellular Network’ for file transfers, or send a log file to the ReachMyFile support team.

Ok, so now I want to actually connect to my iMac. To do this just tap ‘iMac in the list ‘Computers’. Doing so will then fly you through to the directory you set as ‘default’ in the RMF mac client. From here you’ll have 4 options. You’ll notice down on the bottom toolbar there are 3 buttons. Reading left to right, the first will return you to the ‘Computers’ list. The second will show you your ‘Remote email status’, and finally the last will show you your already completed downloads.

Downloading a File
From the file list, it’s pretty easy to download a file from your Mac to your iPhone. So lets try something. I’m going to download the ‘Best App Ever 2008′ .PDF. It’s exactly 101kb. To download it, all I do is hit the button in the bottom right (it looks like a basket with a download arrow pointing downwards) … and I’m downloading the file just like that. Timing I think that took less than 3 seconds – Pretty slick.

You’ll now notice you’ve been automatically switched out to the ‘Current Downloads’ view, and from here we can view our file we just downloaded. To view the file all I do is touch ’2008winners.pdf’. The app recognises the file is .PDF and opens it up in the native .PDF browser!

Ok, This is all Great and All, but what about supported File Formats?
ReachMyFile for iPhone and iPod touch currently supports the following file formats: .PDF, .JPEG, .PNG, .DOC, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, .HTML, ASCII plain text files, .MP3 and .M4A audio files, .MOV and .M4V video files.

Dude, Get this file off my iPhone NOW! ..
Of course, sometimes you’ll want to free up space, or simply delete a file. To do this simply navigate back home, hit up the ‘Completed downloads’ button (bottom right), and hit your file.

Once the detailed view appears you going to want to hit that bin icon bottom left. The app will throw up the usual delete options ‘Delete File’ or ‘Keep File’

UI
Clean and extremely user intuitive, however in parts it does seem to lack some of that ‘iPhone gloss’. If you’ve ever used Briefcase [App Store], and then use ReachMyFile, you’ll see what I mean. It needs a polish up, but it’s definitely there. Also, as the app doesn’t use the standard tabs-across-the-bottom layout, you might find yourself referencing the ‘Help’ section in ‘Home’ quite a few times, until you learn for yourself what each button actually does.

Notable Extras
There are a few things I really liked about ReachMyFile in comparison to previously reviewed file transfer clients. The first is the app will remember exactly where you last left off. Opening the app after quitting will fly you back through your all your file directories until it reaches the one you initially closes the app on.

Secondly, RMF for iPhone and iPod touch warns you if it’s ‘Out of Memory’. For anyone who hasn’t experienced this yet, when an app warns you that you may be low on memory, it’s basically telling you to do a full reboot your device. Lastly, Search. ReachMyFile features systemwide search of all your files and folders. Just start typing and RMF will find your file.

Do I need to leave my computer on to use ReachMyFile?
Yes, your computer needs to be running to be accessible to ReachMyFile and other network applications.

Will I lose my existing data when moving from ReachMyFile lite to ReachMyFile?
Apple treats ReachMyFile lite and ReachMyFile as different applications. Unfortunately, Apple does not allow for migration of data between different applications, thus moving from ReachMyFile lite to ReachMyFile will require you to re-enter the ReachMyFile configuration information. Additionally, files downloaded using ReachMyFile lite will not be transferred to ReachMyFile.

- See more FAQs here

Things we’d like to see:

- Ability to upload files and folders to connected Mac
- Better UI when downloading files (Flashy animations?)

Overall
It’s a respectable file transfer client. It’s lacking a lot, having said that, it offers a fair amount. If your looking for the all-round file transfer client for iPhone and iPod touch though, this unfortunately isn’t it. The lack of the ability to upload as well as download from the host connection simply makes rival AppStore alternatives seem more desirable right now. I’d like to see where this app can go if the features requested by it’s user base are added, therefore we’ve branded it: Worth a look ..

Current Status: It’s worth a look

Reviewed at: v1.0.0
Reviewed on Firmware: 2.2
Download size: 0.9MB
Released on: 24th Jan 2009
Retails for: £11.99/$19.99

Compatible with: iPod touch Gen 1 & 2 / iPhone Classic / iPhone 3G