diff --git a/src/db/index.ts b/src/db/index.ts
index 93323d8..e713ea3 100644
--- a/src/db/index.ts
+++ b/src/db/index.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import PouchDB from 'pouchdb';
 import uri from '../lib/ids';
+import { toHex } from '../lib/to-hex';
 import {
   getAccountById,
   getAccounts,
@@ -81,38 +82,47 @@ export const initDb = async (params: any) => {
   }
   //await await db.compact();
 
-  // const sync = PouchDB.sync(
-  //   'dyomedea',
-  //   'http://admin:password@localhost:5984/dyomedea',
-  //   {
-  //     live: true,
-  //     retry: true,
-  //   }
-  // )
-  //   .on('change', function (info) {
-  //     // handle change
-  //     console.log({ caller: 'Sync / change', info });
-  //   })
-  //   .on('paused', function (err) {
-  //     // replication paused (e.g. replication up to date, user went offline)
-  //     console.log({ caller: 'Sync / paused', err });
-  //   })
-  //   .on('active', function () {
-  //     // replicate resumed (e.g. new changes replicating, user went back online)
-  //     console.log({ caller: 'Sync / active' });
-  //   })
-  //   .on('denied', function (err) {
-  //     // a document failed to replicate (e.g. due to permissions)
-  //     console.error({ caller: 'Sync / denied', err });
-  //   })
-  //   .on('complete', function (info) {
-  //     // handle complete
-  //     console.log({ caller: 'Sync / complete', info });
-  //   })
-  //   .on('error', function (err) {
-  //     // handle error
-  //     console.error({ caller: 'Sync / error', err });
-  //   });
+  if (currentAccount.remoteDbServer) {
+    const url = `${currentAccount.remoteDbServer}/userdb-${toHex(
+      currentAccount.remoteDbUser
+    )}`;
+
+    const remoteDb = new PouchDB(url, {
+      auth: {
+        username: currentAccount.remoteDbUser,
+        password: currentAccount.remoteDbPassword,
+      },
+      skip_setup: true,
+    });
+    const sync = PouchDB.sync(db, remoteDb, {
+      live: true,
+      retry: true,
+    })
+      .on('change', function (info) {
+        // handle change
+        console.log({ caller: 'Sync / change', info });
+      })
+      .on('paused', function (err) {
+        // replication paused (e.g. replication up to date, user went offline)
+        console.log({ caller: 'Sync / paused', err });
+      })
+      .on('active', function () {
+        // replicate resumed (e.g. new changes replicating, user went back online)
+        console.log({ caller: 'Sync / active' });
+      })
+      .on('denied', function (err) {
+        // a document failed to replicate (e.g. due to permissions)
+        console.error({ caller: 'Sync / denied', err });
+      })
+      .on('complete', function (info) {
+        // handle complete
+        console.log({ caller: 'Sync / complete', info });
+      })
+      .on('error', function (err) {
+        // handle error
+        console.error({ caller: 'Sync / error', err });
+      });
+  }
 
   // console.log({ caller: 'initDb / before db.changes' });
 
diff --git a/src/lib/to-hex.ts b/src/lib/to-hex.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b560480
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/to-hex.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// see https://9to5answer.com/javascript-unicode-string-to-hex
+
+export const toHex = (str: string) => {
+  let hex;
+  try {
+    hex = unescape(encodeURIComponent(str))
+      .split('')
+      .map(function (v) {
+        return v.charCodeAt(0).toString(16);
+      })
+      .join('');
+  } catch (e) {
+    hex = str;
+    console.log('invalid text input: ' + str);
+  }
+  return hex;
+};