Connecting an external HDD to a network

Oscar_The_Grouch

Hi all

Stupid question I know, but if I have an external HDD that uses USB to coonect to a PC, can I use one of THESE to connect it to my router and access it wirelessly?

Thanks

exup

its not a stupid question - I havent done much with external HDDs so it will be interesting to see the response :cool:

Cat695

I was reading up on this the other day

you have a number of ways you can do it (some I have no idea how)

One way is to connect it to your router (i.e. BT home hub etc) but that would be very very slow (most routers USB are 1.1) pain in the bum to set up.

You could buy a network HD enclosure and remove the HD from the one its in now and do it that way (means paying out cash)

Or you could plug it into one PC and share that harddrive on your network (so every PC can see it) this is by far the easiest way (especially if all your PC's are Windows)

Setting it up though all depends on what operating system you are running on all the PC's.

I've done the third option as I had a couple of external drives sat around (I have Win 7 on two of my PC's and a Macbook...I also connect to a PS3 s I can stream films to the TV) win 7 is damn easy to set it up.

Oscar_The_Grouch

Thanks Cat.

I don't want to connect the HDD to a machine. I'm sharing a drive on a PC at the mo and want I wanted to do is close that down and have the content on an "always on" external drive that we can all access over the network.

I appreciate that it will be fairly slow, but it's only going to hold music and a few AVI files so nothing that's going to be affected by slower output.

My router does not have USB on it, so what I wanted to do was connect it via an ethernet port. Would the adaptor highlighted in my first post work for that, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks

Cat695

Oscar_The_Grouch wrote: »

Thanks Cat.

I don't want to connect the HDD to a machine. I'm sharing a drive on a PC at the mo and want I wanted to do is close that down and have the content on an "always on" external drive that we can all access over the network.

I appreciate that it will be fairly slow, but it's only going to hold music and a few AVI files so nothing that's going to be affected by slower output.

My router does not have USB on it, so what I wanted to do was connect it via an ethernet port. Would the adaptor highlighted in my first post work for that, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks

Mate I couldn't say on those connectors but as long as your router can issue an IP address for the HD then shouldn't be a problem.....however doesn't a device need a MAC address to be issued an IP address on a network? something a HD doesn't have (as a simple external HD).

I can't help you with that sorry.

closed

You need a usb to nas adapter (even then it will be slow, and may not allow 2 people to access at the same time), that thing won't work.

Alternatively there a network ready media players (for TV) that you can plug external drives into

Cat695

Infact Aldi was selling a thing the other day that you could connect any USB into it and it would be shared over a network (like a hub with lots of USB's) I did some research on it and as Closed says only one person can access it at a time (hence why I didn't buy it) and obviously slow

Hence why I sick with just sharing a drive.

Slartibardfast_2

Something like this NAS adapter is what you need.. http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductID=890475&source=froogle

Oscar_The_Grouch

Thanks guys. Looking at the price of the NAS adaptors, I think I'd be better off getting the network enclosure as suggested by Cat originally!!

Thanks for all your help anyway.