Looking for a good way to share files from my home internet connection?
Looking for a good way to share files from my home internet connection?
Connecting an external USB drive to a router is labeled as a feature by some sellers. But in reality, this often makes your internet slower because routers aren't really meant to store things. That port usually gets used very rarely, maybe just once or twice for emergencies. There probably isn't any real damage doing it with a standard drive and router, but you might not get the best speed with that setup. It depends on how well it works with your computer, hard drive, and network. Just be prepared to take it out if things go wrong. Read the official manual for rules and details too. Always save your files somewhere else just in case!
I'm still trying to figure it out, but if my guess is correct, we only connect things to the USB port to move movies onto a portable drive so you can travel with them. That sounds good then? I don't plan on using external drives plugged in through the USB port for home use either.
Your USB port does not matter at all. If you have lots of space, get the NAS because it's better. Just remember, you don't need gigabytes for streaming video inside your house. So save money on expensive speeds you won't use. About 25 Mbs is plenty for a 4k stream! An old connection that goes up to 100 Mbs can handle multiple 4k streams at once.
A good thing about having a dedicated NAS is this: it lets you use different kinds of sharing methods at once. You can hit SMB for Windows, NFS for Linux, or DLNA if your TV or media player needs to see the files too. It comes built-in. The same file shows up when you try those different ways to connect.