Which cable/adapter/splitter would i need 2 connect my eternal drive 1TB to my router?...

debitcardmayhem

you can't connect an external hdd to a router which has no usb

jamesd

You can't directly do what you're trying to do with your drive. It's not just the cable you need, it's the software inside the external drive case that needs to support a network connection. Drive makers charge a significant amount of extra money for external drives which can do that.

If you're willing to do significant work on setting things up it is possible to buy a cheap computer that has both network and USB sockets, then connect the drive to the computer and the computer to the router. The computer can have the required software loaded on it.

If you want to share on your own local network and have a Windows computer you can plug the drive into that and let users share it, including Android users as well as Windows.

getmore4less

Could go the simple route off the shelf stand alone units like 

https://shop.westerndigital.com/en-gb/products/cloud-storage/wd-my-cloud-home#WDBVXC0020HWT-EESN

refurb cheaper when in stock. 4GB £76 in stock.
https://shop.westerndigital.com/en-gb/products/recertified/cloud-storage/wd-my-cloud-recertified#RWDBCTL0010HWT-EESN


next bit not very helpful 

network & USB  caddy  for existing drive,
  
Year ago(circa 2005) I got something call landisk that had usb and ethernet support still works 
I think it was an of the shelf board that a few companies packaged into enclosures

don't see to be (m)any about on the usual UK places saw one on ebay and the china portals have them.

For an existing USB drive then a USB NAS dongles were also available  but even those seem to have gone AWAL
loads around 10 years ago.

eg.  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Addonics-NAS-Adapter-Ethernet-Hi-Speed/dp/B001OC5J9U

Might find something second hand  or import but most if not all seem to be 10y older tech  


seems the current best options to use existing USB drive are 

Get a router with USB NAS support.
Build a server, raspberry pi seem popular for this sort of task

alykhalil1

all this sound very very much a lot is on a very very infcome...

alykhalil1

by doing this all i am trying to do is transfer my mobile phone files / photos to my external drive........

Neil_Jones

alykhalil1 said:

by doing this all i am trying to do is transfer my mobile phone files / photos to my external drive........

Wouldn't it be just as quick to connect the phone to one USB port on your computer, the drive to another and then copy and paste?

If you only have one port available do it one device at a time - phone to computer, copy/paste to desktop, unplug phone, plug in drive, copy/paste, stop device, disconnect job done.

But the easiest way is your phone is Android is if you set Google sync up then they should all be in your online account @ http://photos.google.com, you can download from there.

You sound like you're trying to crack open a nut with a sledgehammer.

jamesd

For that you don't need any new hardware.

You can probably do it using FE File Explorer which supports moving files back and forth between Windows, iOS and Android. Link to the Android version. You connect the drive to an ordinary computer and create a folder that you use folder sharing settings (properties box in Windows, right click on the folder name to get to Properties). You can then use the FE software to copy files around.

Another free way is Microsoft's Windows Your Phone tool which lets you sync various things.

If you want to connect directly to the phone you'll probably need an On The Go (OTG) USB cable that plugs into the phone and the drive cable pugs into that. USB ports at both ends of this OTG cable it just does a bit of switching inside. You can try directly connecting the drive to the phone first if it has the right size and type of connector.

alykhalil1

great..that you for your answers....

all the above is only because the OTG on my phone is not working for some reason. I have i have used it many many time before not now as soon as i plug a pen drive nothing happened....i tried several different ways...so i thought i would aleast save my files and photos by some how syncing it to my hard drive through the routert...i even tried connecting the cable to the computer but no response, i also activated the USB debugging, no result...i tried amost everything....i am positive there is nothing wrong with my phone charging port as it charges on a fast charge. just the \OTG dont work, also tried several adapters etc....now i will need an app that will allow me to sync everything from my phone to my hard drive which has no USB post.....

also for some reason my google photos should upload automatically but it don't. i have 2 google accounts but it don't upload automatically. My phone is Xiaomi MI MAX 2 android 11.1 MIUI. I factory reset the phone twice, still no luck. had enough of this now. Tried airdroid, dont work, tried SYNS THING, DONT WORK....

Neil_Jones

So are you saying you plug any USB device into the computer and it doesn't respond?  If the computer does not respond to any USB device in any port then that's an issue with the computer.

Re: Google Photos not syncing. The Google Photos app on Android can only upload automatically to one account at a time.If you have two (or more) accounts the account to which it does upload is found under "Backup & Sync" in the settings of Google Photos.

Must question though if you've factory reset the phone and you still have the photos, how does that work?  Are they on an SD card that you've formatted as external?  If that's the case, a card reader will do the job (subject to the first paragraph re: USB ports on a computer).

alykhalil1

.....no i dont have an USb PORT IN PARTIUCLAR in my computer TO do that..i just connect the OTG TO ANy FREE USB PORT.....its seems like climbing mount everest twice and back down....

Ref ~ my google photos i shall remember that if i syncing to 1 google account and if that is full.  ..but will the say 2nd google account remain empty ????. or will the google 1 account (which is full), will transfer the files and videos to the the 2 google account from the 1st google account (which is full).....coz that wont help ?.....i wil never get a google account which is empty ?....gggggrrrrrr....thank you guys....

Ref : syncing, i wound a program called SWEECH...ii can see my computer on ir but notexplored much....