Accessing some photos while remote?

I'll be traveling for an extended period of time and won't have my entire library of photos on a local hard drive with me, but I will have my more recent photos+LR catalog with me.

I won't need to access my older photos regularly, but absolutely will need to access a couple here, 1 there, etc. etc.

They're all stored on a Synology NAS which can be accessed remotely, though internet connectivity may be spotty.

The few solutions I've thought of is:
1) Generate smart/lower-res previews for my entire catalog (and how can I ensure they do NOT get discarded?). Then I can at least use LR to differentiate which file is which, and just copy that one or two files locally once I've determined what I need
2) Use Synology's photo station (or similar?) to remotely browse my older/entire library. Never used this before so not sure how it would go.
3) Leave my computer on here and remote connect to it with a local copy of the LR catalog which could easily browse/work with all my photos... as long as bandwidth could make doing that remotely screensharing feasible...
4)

What are your setups or workflows for when you may need to both a) find an older/specific photo; and b) get that photo to yourself?

I would create a new library on the laptop for photos taken on the trip. Remotely access the home computer if/when needed. Merge the laptop's catalog into the main catalog when you get home.

mike_d wrote in post #18466094
I would create a new library on the laptop for photos taken on the trip. Remotely access the home computer if/when needed. Merge the laptop's catalog into the main catalog when you get home.

Never tried merging catalogs before and it sounds a little scary!

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #18466136
Never tried merging catalogs before and it sounds a little scary!

I cant remember the details right now but I've done it a couple of times and it's easy. Just do a youtube search on it.

I've no idea how extensive your photo library is, but if you are spending quite a long time away from home is it not easier to pack a copy of it on an extra hard disk which you can access anytime without having to rely on fancy solutions. Having done this for years with a 280-gram, 2TB hardisk, I have saved a lot of time trying to connect to anything remote because of either a total lack of internet connection, lousy bandwidth, horrendous connection prices or very unreliable connections abroad. Jiust a side note: I'm away from home about five to six months a year.

I agree unless your talking several Terabytes just grab an external hard drive or thumb drive and move your catalog, or make a copy to use while on the go.