modem router with USB

vince3

vince3

vince3

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Joined
13 Jun 2005
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292
Location
Hampshire
I have a very simple (I think) network requirement:
I want a modem/router with a USB socket to attach a storage device - HDD or memory stick, so that it can be accessed by my main desktop PC (wired to router is OK) and a wireless laptop. I just want to use files without having to have both PCs running. In fact as a sole user I don't envisage simultaneous file sharing at all.
I can only find a couple of products - the Belkin N+ F5D8635 and the FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7140. With the Belkin Windows sees a connected USB drive as just another disk, but the FRITZ!... seems to use FTP which isn't what I have in mind.
The Belkin has very mixed reviews and I wonder if anybody has experience of this piece of kit or knows of any alternatives. I just don't have the need for a WAP, which would mean yet another box and more expense.

Linksys have a router with USB capability, but no modem and my current ADSL modem wouldn't be any use as it only has a USB interface.

I can of course jut connect the external storage to the PC in use but if the Belkin is really OK it's a neater solution for an external HDD.

I'll be very grateful for any help and advice and other users experience.

Thanks.
 
Thank you for your reply. The ethernet drive certainly look a good solution but could be a bit 'overkill' for my requirements. But it prompted to look at other adaptors and Belkin (again!) Network USB Hub popped up. This looks as if it might do the trick with my existing HDD for about £50 and let me network a USB printer too.
It seems a bit odd that Belkin seem to be the only people who are thinking along the lines of networking USB devices at present. It seems such an obvious idea.
 
Loads of people have done it, but the major advantage of a NAS device like the WD thing I linked to is that it will talk with just about anything that you're likely to plug into your network without the need for extra software / drivers as it uses standard network protocols.

You can also just "map" the network location to a drive in my computer and it would be listed there just like an external HDD.
 
The USB storage device you plug into the Belkin N+ F5D8635 doesn't show up as a hard disk, but then I didn't use the storage manager software which may do that for you. If you dont want to install additional software, the USB device shows up as a network share you can map to via the router's ip address.
I did find out that the USB port can only be used for storage devices and not printers though. If you want to future proof yourself, pricey as it may seem, I would get a Draytek if I was buying another modem/router.
PS. You cannot set security on the share, so if thats a concern, maybe go down the NAS route.
 
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Thank you for replies everyone. I checked the Draytek products and the 2710 seems to have nearly identical function to the Belkin F5D8635 so could fit the bill. I happen to have a USB 4-port powered hub so it seems I could connect my mobile HD and printer OK.
One question though (I'm totally inexperienced in network stuff), the Draytek manual says: "As well as FTP, file sharing is available as a Windows 'network drive'. Using Internet Explorer, you can access, read and write the contents of the USB drive."
So despite the IE comment, am I right in thinking that a network drive can be accessed(read / written) by any program on a PC on the network - Photoshop for example? I just want a means to use files on the drive from either of two PCs, not at the same time.
 
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