Project Name: Space Monkey: Taking the cloud out of the datacenter(Opens in a new window)
Category: Technology
Goal: $100,000
Currently funded: $233,729 and counting
Deadline for pledging: May 17, 2013

Anyone who’s used an online file synching service likely finds it indispensable. The problem is that it doesn’t take long to outgrow the free storage that many services offer. And when you need extra storage it can get really expensive really quickly. Dropbox doles out 2GB for free, for example, but then charges $9.99 a month (or $99 a year) for an extra 100GB.

Space Monkey offers 10 times that—one terabyte —for the same price. And it’s more than just a sync service: you also get a Space Monkey device with local storage. Connect it to your home network and it becomes the central repository for anything placed in the Space Monkey folder you install on all your home computers.

The device takes care of all the uploading/downloading to the Internet, putting less of a burden on your computer(s). It’s also fast; the company claims you can transfer data between 15 and 60 times faster than services like Dropbox, Google Drive, SkyDrive, or iCloud.

Where it’s really unique is that your files are uploaded and distributed to all the other Space Monkey devices out there. There’s no datacenter, which keeps the cost low, plus all your data is available even after a disaster because it’s so widely distributed. It’s like a BitTorrent backup. That data is encrypted, so no one else ever gets your files.

If you don’t like the service, the company will stop charging you when you ship back the hardware.

Space Monkey is set to debut with software for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux. The system will also have mobile apps (Android to start, with iOS in the works) so you can access your files from anywhere.

With the Kickstarter campaign already fully funded and the hardware designed and ready, you can get one as soon as July 2013 if you pledge $119 today (the $99 option has sold out), which includes the first 12 months of service.