Advice on connection a portable hdd to...

Hightower · 06 December 2014, 00:53

...home network please.

Is it best to buy a new router with usb3 or are there better and cheaper alternatives?

Peter_C · 06 December 2014, 01:29

Depends what you are backing up too and how many gigs/tb. Do you want something that automatically backs up? Or are you just looking to manually do it? Once everything is uploaded to the drive changes are generally pretty small, even if you are a photographer. The big one is video and they say everyone will want a few tb's in a couple of years. We're you looking for a mirrored drive like Raid 1?

Synology builds quality stuff that works for $$$.

The bottle neck of usb 2 might be pretty minor if it is on a wireless connection. There are a lot of variables. Best bet is to hook it up and see what kind of upload download speeds you get.

SPR · 06 December 2014, 02:12

Netgear Ready NAS Duo

Netgear ReadyNAS 102 2 Bay Network Attached Storage (No Disk): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

I would suggest 2 x Hard Drives - Mirroring but back up NAS too, with external or second Unit.

S.

Chris · 06 December 2014, 08:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPR

Netgear Ready NAS Duo

Netgear ReadyNAS 102 2 Bay Network Attached Storage (No Disk): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

I would suggest 2 x Hard Drives - Mirroring but back up NAS too, with external or second Unit.

S.

Yep agreed, I have a Dlink twin 2TB NAS. Its got an itunes library built in and has been sat under my wifes desk running for three years without a problem. If one of the disks fails it sends me an email to warn me so I can replace the drive. Marvellous bit of kit.

Pikey Dave · 06 December 2014, 09:45

Had one of these for a couple of months now, 3tb mirrored drive, remote access, iOs & Android app, media streaming, USB/Ethernet yada yada..... Does what it says on the tin, fit & forget.

MatFromPoland · 06 December 2014, 14:31

Vote for Synology. I have 2 ds411 slim and forgot about them ... very small. Min are in storeroom. Connected by Ethernet cable to WiFi/DSL router.

In fact that they are connected to router - accessible from any device at home (TV, laptop, smartphone). You can make private "cloud" and use it

[youtube]=

Peter_C · 06 December 2014, 20:23

Just some info for you. Western Digital Red Drives are awesome! They are one of the most stable, reliable drives out there. When mirrored what was a 4tb drive is actually a 2tb drive. They use two 2tb drives to create the 4tb. So when you mirror them you only get 2tb of data storage.

Hightower · 07 December 2014, 09:58

Thanks for your suggestions guys. Lovely bits of kit you've suggested, I probably didn't explain myself properly but I already have a portable 2tb WD drive I am using that I'd like integrating in to the network.

At the moment we just plug my portable in to whatever device we want to use it on. It's primarily for storing films, video, pictures and music on.

Now the family are using it more and more, no more than one person can use it at any one time. This is where I'm at now.

So the time has come to find a better (cost effective) solution that enables multiple access from one location whilst still using my portable.

ShinyShoe · 07 December 2014, 10:22

Strikes me this has Raspi and samba written all over it..

Hightower · 07 December 2014, 10:27

Whats fruit and dancing?

SPR · 07 December 2014, 11:05

have you got s back up of your usb drive ? if not I would worry ! even
NAS configuration - you should still have a backup of the files either on another usb drive or online backup service.

A usb enabled router/modem is a solution
Windose file sharing it.

Pi & samba is solution too - but you need son tech skills bordering geek ...

www.firstaidatsea.co.uk
www.SPRmarine.co.uk

Pikey Dave · 07 December 2014, 12:01

Most of the NAS I have used have had a USB socket that you can plug an external drive into & share it on the network. The Current WD Mycloud that I have, has USB3 which enables you to share. The external USB appears as a separate network drive that can be mapped. My daughter recently moved out into her own flat & the NAS (or Toaster as it's fondly called) which is in my office, is still mapped on her laptop & she accesses it seamlessly.

Hightower · 07 December 2014, 12:22

Buying a new NAS drive to plug in and use a portable HDD seems like a bit of an overkill to me and to be honest if I where forced to do this then I wouldn't use the portable at all.

SPR's suggestion of buying a Router with a facility to plug in storage sound like an option. My current Talk Talk Router could do with replacement and upgrading anyway.

I've been searching the web and come up with these: Addonics-NAS-Network-Adapter

Not very good reviews but seems like an affordable option, anyone had experience on this type of thing?

ShinyShoe · 07 December 2014, 18:11

Raspberry Pi is a development board intended to get kids programming and controlling stuff but it has a million uses. Foot print about size of credit card. Powered from 1amp USB Micro supply. You can get a B+ for about £25, power £5, case £6, micro SD £5. So all in £41. Shop around and you could do it for £35.

Plugging those bits together takes 5 minutes. Install raspabian 10mins if you have decent net connection.

Samba is a Linux service that you run to share a windows folder (your USB drive) on a windows network (your home network) from a Linux server (the pi).

Been a long time since I had to config it. It was a pain in the rrrrs in 2001. I suspect its improved a lot in 13 years. But I could be wrong.

Probably no cheaper than what you've found and more hassle.

Personally having used USB routers I'm no longer a fan. The router is almost maxed out doing the err... Routing... Then you ask it to do other stuff in my experience you risk pushing it over the edge. Hence I'm about to drop the USB functions from one of our routers to RasPi.

Peter_C · 07 December 2014, 18:21

The portable drives tend to run hot since they do not have a fan. I have an enclosure for both sizes of hard drives and both are good for temporary service but I would not leave the plugged in 24/7. Just something to think about. Use a temp gun and check your temps. Hard drives do not like heat.

I use a Netgear N600 router to make my old USB only HP scanner/printer function wirelessly including from our iPhones, and iPad. *Shrugs* works.

Need to get a NAS, but we have been backing up to the cloud and I have a desktop set up RAID 1 for my photos. Just bought a MacBook Pro last week, and can no longer backup the way I used too. *Sigh* there goes another $500+ for a Synology NAS.

chris.moody · 10 December 2014, 10:21

If you use a NAS box make sure you have the files backed up on another device as well (e.g. an external hard drive). We see lots of cases where the NAS box breaks and the data is difficult (and therefore expensive) to recover off the RAID hard drives. My personal preference is to put an old desktop PC or an old laptop in a cupboard out of sight, with a big internal hard drive, and share that on your home network.

MatFromPoland · 10 December 2014, 15:19

I still suggest SYNOLOGY DS411slim. You can put inside one 2,5" HDD and connect your 2TB via USB to Synology. It will be visible by all your devices. You can contact SYNOLOGY support and ask if you can use this device without any HDD inside it (only your current 2TB HD via USB). But I do really suggest to put inside it 2x1TB 2'5" and make a mirror (you will have 1TB in mirror) it will be for most important Family files (in fact that it is in mirror). What Family do when this 2TB HD stop to work and you lose some Family pictures etc.

MatFromPoland · 11 December 2014, 14:01

Do you have router in a house to share internet by WiFi/Ethernet cable ?
Most of them have USB port and you can connect external HDD to this port and share it. But still recommend simple but good NAS like SYNOLOGY DS411slim (I do not work for SYNOLOGY ...)

chris.moody · 11 December 2014, 14:08

Matt, if you take your drives out of the NAS device and connect one of them to a PC are the files visible? Some of our clients have had the problem where the disk contents are unreadable once the disk is removed from the device. That may only occur when using RAID striping instead of mirroring. It's worth checking as we have had customers find their data is not retrievable after a NAS box has failed.

MatFromPoland · 11 December 2014, 14:24

It is true, when you put HDD's INTO NAS you have to format it.
If NAS failed (I mean one of the HDD) you have to replace invalid HDD in NAS and proceed strictly by procedure provided by NAS developer.

But when you connect EXTERNAL HDD (I mean HD in envelope having USB interface) to NAS like SYNOLOGY DS411slim or to router (like Linksys routers) nothing has been change. NAS or router simply share your HDD without formatting it.