The Best Add-Ins for Windows Home Server

The Best Add-Ins for Windows Home Server
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Windows Home Server

<img src="https://img.bhs4.com/10/6/106716d2ef882373888a83276f66de0be0c3afb3_large.jpg" alt="HOME SERVER">

Windows Home Server is the home business equivalent of a big company server, allowing for family and home employees to save, backup, and retrieve various files. Along with the basic equipment that comes with the home server, there are available items that one can install and add to the server to enhance it’s usuability. Maybe you need to check up on your home while you’re away or perhaps you need to a better way of copying your music and movies to your drive.

All of these additions are called add-ins or add-ons, and they are software that provides extra support or resources for any type of program. There are actually a few different types of add-ins for Windows Home Server and the list below outlines five of the best.

1. Anti-Virus Protection

This is actually a combination of several different add-ins for Windows Home Server. As with any computer that may or will be exposed to the elements of the internet, it’s important to install an antivirus program to ensure that any instances of viruses or spyware can be caught and gotten rid of before they wreck havoc on your server. Two top ones are Avast Anti-virus and F-Secure. Asus Web storage also contains a virus scanning program.

2. Grid Junction

For those running their home server on a UPS (uninterrupted power supply), this add-in allows you to manage your UPS via Windows Home Server. It alerts you on power levels for the battery, alerting you to the fact that your UPS is about to die, as well as what type of issue the UPS experienced - either a brownout or complete power outage.

If you have home cameras that are D-Link brands, you can use this handy add-in to monitor the activities in your home, especially if your work area is somewhere that may be closed off from the rest of the house. D-View allows up to four camera views from the home server, allowing you to view the front door, a backyard, or a child’s bedroom.

4. My Movies

If your home server is going to have a large amount of media files, such as movies and music, My Movies is an add-in you should look into. The software finds and organizes all the media files on your home server; it also offers a movie and CD disc copied and comes with a connector for Windows Media Center.

5. Remote Alert

For those business travelers who spend time outside of the home, but need to remote to their server, Remote Alert tracks authorized and unauthorized remote links to Windows Home Server. You can block entire IP addresses or ranges, as well as monitoring remote actions that you may not have taken.

Conclusion

The list above contains just some of the add-ins that you can get for your Windows Home Server. Other add-ins can be found on the official Microsoft Windows Home Server page, where you can also learn more about the home server, as well as where to go to buy the server.

References

Microsoft Windows Home Server, https://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/add-ins.mspx

Image by author, via Microsoft