Your photos. Your computer. Your network.

Download the FerroVault installer (see Download below) and run it on the PC that will hold your library — ideally one that stays on and has room to grow.

The installer is self-contained: it brings its own runtime, sets up the Windows service so the vault starts with your PC, and opens the one local-network port it needs. You'll choose a storage folder — point it at the drive with the space (an internal or always-connected external drive).

When setup finishes, the vault's dashboard opens in your browser on the PC. You'll create an admin account (this stays on your machine — there's no FerroVault account anywhere else) and confirm the storage location.

That's the server done. It now waits quietly on your home network for your phone.

Get FerroVault for iPhone (see Download). During the testing period it's delivered through Apple's TestFlight; a public App Store release follows.

Open the app while your phone is on the same Wi-Fi as the PC. It scans the local network and lists your vault by name — tap it to connect. No IP addresses, no certificate prompts.

Sign in with the admin account you made on the dashboard. Grant the app access to your photos when iOS asks.

Choose how much to bring over — everything, or a recent window — and start the sync. Photos and videos copy at full quality straight to your PC. Keep the app open while it runs; it shows live progress and pauses honestly if you switch away, so nothing is ever half-done in secret.

Everything in your vault is browsable from the dashboard on the PC — by date, album, or search — and the files sit in a plain, human-readable folder structure on disk. They're your files; you can open them in Explorer any time.

Leave the PC on and FerroVault keeps catching new photos each time you open the app on your home network. That's the whole rhythm.