USB flash drive over Wireless Network

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Mithrandir107

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Aug 28, 2014
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Hi,
I have an interesting problem. I want to share a USB flash drive over my wireless network, so that any computer can access the files at any time. I know this can be done with simple sharing via windows, but will only work when the host PC is on. I want to plug a USB flash drive into my router and have the files be accessed there. I know that some routers have USB ports for this exact purpose, however, mine does not. Is there an adapter anyone could recommend that I could just plug into the ethernet port in my router, and share my flash drive from there?
 
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If you are on adventurous side - get an RaspberryPI, and build a NAS for yourself. You can make it for like $40, and you won't even need the USB key.

But - if you are going to spend these money, you will probably just get new USB-enabled router. Or switch completely to cloud-based email which will keep all message at a central place.
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Ralston18

Ralston18

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Hello Mithrandir,


You may wish to consider one of Addonics's adapters per the following link:

http://www.addonics.com/products/nas40esu.php

The adapter is plugged into the router with an ethernet cable and can be administratively accessed via your browser.

I used the older NAS30U2 model (sharing it) for quite awhile before getting a router with a USB 3.0 port. Worked well although I do remember some problems when using older flash drives - formatting I think. I also connected hard drives using a IDE or SATA to USB adapter from time to time. Recovered data from old HDDs.

Handy little device.

Take care,

Ralston18

 
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Mithrandir107

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Sorry, didn't see the last post. Anyway, the NAS looks like an option, however, is there anything a little less pricy out there? I don't need a lot of advanced functionality, just a shared storage that will store a small amount of data. Anyone else out there have info on this?
 
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BuddhaSkoota

BuddhaSkoota

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Unfortunately you can't use a low cost adapter. There are a few USB-over-IP device servers available, but they are a bit pricey for just sharing a thumb drive over a network.

Edit: corrected link
 
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Ralston18

Ralston18

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Mithrandir,

Do not know what your budget is .....

Here is the summary NAS adapter product page:

http://www.addonics.com/category/nas_adapter.php

The adapter I have used is the discontinued model but I paid around $80 US when I purchased it some years ago. May have included some shipping charges - just do not remember.

I am in agreement with BuddhaSkoota to some extent, a lower cost adapter may not be viable/useable as you intend. However, I think that for home network use as you describe/require such adapters would be fine: commercial, larger scale, or more intensive use could be problematic.

My follow-up suggestion, then, is that you download the respective product User Guides (any candidate product) to read about setups, configurations, capabilities, etc.. Then you can balance the available adapter options and your requirements against the price.

Take care,

Ralston18

 
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giantbucket

giantbucket

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why not just go with Dropbox or Google Drive or something like that? enough space, minimal setup effort, and you can use it when you're on the road as well.

or yeah, a different router. should be able to score one for $50 or so that has the functionality.
 
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Mithrandir107

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I've already tried using MS OneDrive, but that did not work, because this is a rather odd circumstance.
The whole reason I want shared storage is because I want to store the Stream.Autocomplete file which handles the saved email cache in MS Outlook. I have 2 PCs and the Autocomplete is different for each. I want them to stay in sync with each other, so that if I email one person, their email is saved in the Autocomplete cache, and is accessible from both PCs. I have tried creating a symbolic link on each PC to access the file on my website, and that worked, but it allows read/write for the entire web, and I do not want to expose all my friends emails to roaming crawler bots. So, I thought of the idea of a shared file on the network, but that will only work if both PCs are on, which is not always the case. Then, the idea of a flash drive connected to the network 24/7 followed. Does anybody have any ideas for this situation?
 
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Alabalcho

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If you are on adventurous side - get an RaspberryPI, and build a NAS for yourself. You can make it for like $40, and you won't even need the USB key.

But - if you are going to spend these money, you will probably just get new USB-enabled router. Or switch completely to cloud-based email which will keep all message at a central place.
 
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Mithrandir107

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Actually, I have a Raspberry Pi, but never use it, so that idea is perfect! I guess I'll have to sit down one of these days and figure out how to use it.
Thanks to all you guys for the great ideas and advice!
Mithrandir
 
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