Current options for Sync between Mac, iOS and Windows
I think I've finally got my head around this, but for the record, is the following accurate?
- The only way to keep 1Password synced between a Mac, an iOS device and a Windows PC, is to use Dropbox Sync.
I seek clarification because this is undesirable for me, since I already use Box for file syncing on all those computers, so running Dropbox in parallel would be cumbersome. There are hints at alternatives, hence my confusion. Can the following be ruled out?
- Use Folder Sync and point all devices to a local Box (or other cloud service) synced folder. Wont work on iOS?
- Use WiFi Sync from Mac to iOS, and from iOS to Windows. Wont work on more than one Mac/PC according to the Knowledgebase, but then there was this tantalising recent tidbit, which suggests that's not true. Still a bit cumbersome to switch networks, but may be feasible.
- Trick 1P into using Box instead of Dropbox?? I'm happy to get my hands dirty ;-)
- Some 1P v5 voodoo? I understand the switch to CloudKit probably actually makes this less likely, but I wonder if I've overlooked something.
Comments
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PS. 5. Use file sync (through Box, iCloud Drive, etc.) between Mac and PC, and Wi-Fi sync from iOS to Mac? May be technically feasible, but does it work in practice?
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Hi @LightYear
- You are correct, if you want to sync an iOS device you are limited to just iCloud, Dropbox and Wi-Fi sync.
- Wi-Fi Sync wasn't designed with acting as a bridge in mind. I believe it can be made to work but it isn't something I would recommend. Now somebody who is doing this may disagree and add their opinion here but I would strongly recommend alternative configurations.
- Given you want to synchronise with an iOS device this won't be feasible.
- Same answer as 3, sorry.
- This one is possible. Now Folder Sync is aimed only at advanced users unwilling or uncomfortable with iCloud or Dropbox and your results may vary. You need the sync location to be always present (Dropbox has a local space that it syncs so the files are present even if a connection to Dropbox isn't there) and compatibility with a particular sync service is untested. So experimenting before trusting it is advised. Disclaimer aside, you could use Folder Sync to keep the two machines synchronised and Wi-Fi sync to keep the Mac and iOS device synced.
Your best bet is your proposal in suggestion 5.
If you have any more questions please do post back here.
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I'm back with my results.
Suggestion 5 is indeed a goer! I now treat my Mac as the "true" vault, and let it sync to a folder which is sync'ed to the cloud by Box. I also enabled WiFi sync and both my iPad and iPhone are happy enough to grab the latest version on command. When it comes to getting my Windows PC to update it's a little trickier - Box appear to have recently added a feature where Mac packages are silently zipped on sync to PC machines, so 1Password for Windows can't immediately open the sync'ed vault. A manual unzip step gets it going, but of course that breaks synchronisation. Nonetheless, provided I treat the Windows vault as read only (I keep a second "work" vault for things I want to add) it's a workable solution. I have a thread open with Box to see if things can be improved, but for the most part I'm happy!
Thanks for your help.
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I'm glad to hear you've found a system that works for you. Hopefully it'll run smoothly (excluding that blip about zipping packages).
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