What is the difference between a Remote Drive and Network Drive?

🌐 Network Drive

A network drive is typically a shared storage location on a local network (like in an office or home setup). It’s often mapped to a drive letter (like Z:) on your computer, so it feels like a local drive, but the data lives on another machine or server within the same network. It’s ideal for:

• Team collaboration
• Centralized file storage
• Fast access within a local network

Think of it like a shared folder on your office server that everyone can access when connected to the same Wi-Fi.

☁️ Remote Drive

A remote drive usually refers to storage you access over the internet or a wide-area network (WAN). This could be:

• A cloud service (like Google Drive or Dropbox)
• A personal NAS (like your Amber X!) accessed from outside your home
• A VPN-connected drive from your workplace

It’s designed for accessing files from anywhere, not just when you're on the same network.