Basic network storage

[Turin39789]

I'm looking for a low-cost and easy way to have a common storage/backup location on my home network. I don't need a media server - just a central location that all of the computers on my network can access and share files on.

I have a router with a usb connection, and was thinking I'd tuck the router, modem, and an external hard drive into the closet and be good to go. One initial large dump of photos and docs, then occasional backups. Probably get a second drive to intermittently backup to and store at work.

For the router attached drive, does it matter what kind? I was looking at WD, they have the 2.5 my passport line work no power brick needed, or the My Book 3.5 desktop drive. Would one be more reliable as an always plugged in, tucked into closet drive? Are the portable drives meant more for occasional work?

Thanks for anyone's help!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Either type of drive would be fine and/or equally reliable. I would get a 3.5" device because it'll generally be cheaper per TB, and since it's not moving, portability isn't a big deal.

 

[Turin39789]

Thanks Dave!

That was my plan but ran by Costco and they don't carry the WD in store, and I was really wanting to get this setup as a surprise for my wife today. They had a Seagate 1.5TB portable drive on sale for $70, and the desktop WD was running $120 locally for 3TB.

I'm also on a Nighthawk R7000 router and read some reports of people having issues with the desktop drives connected directly.

Anyway, came home, ran a new electric outlet to tuck the router and modem into a hall closet and plugged the drive into the router straight from the packaging. Mapped it and I was off and running. Only issue now is that it is capping out at 4 MB/S +/-. Internet is running through at 15+, so issue may be between the drive and the router.

May not be a large issue long term for use as a network storage drive, but could get annoying. In the process of dumping 40GB of photos over the network. Day to day should be less, but there also should be more speed there.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Thanks Dave!

That was my plan but ran by Costco and they don't carry the WD in store, and I was really wanting to get this setup as a surprise for my wife today. They had a Seagate 1.5TB portable drive on sale for $70, and the desktop WD was running $120 locally for 3TB.

I'm also on a Nighthawk R7000 router and read some reports of people having issues with the desktop drives connected directly.

Anyway, came home, ran a new electric outlet to tuck the router and modem into a hall closet and plugged the drive into the router straight from the packaging. Mapped it and I was off and running. Only issue now is that it is capping out at 4 MB/S +/-. Internet is running through at 15+, so issue may be between the drive and the router.

May not be a large issue long term for use as a network storage drive, but could get annoying. In the process of dumping 40GB of photos over the network. Day to day should be less, but there also should be more speed there.

4MB/sec seems slow.

That said, HDs attached to routers via USB are often very, very slow, mostly because the CPUs in most routers are barely adequate for the routing jobs they need to do, and adding "file server" to the list of demands pushes them over the edge. I could never eke more than 10MB/sec out of mine, and that was considered normal.

OTOH, you have a pretty beefy router. Might just be a config problem - double check on the Netgear forums, maybe open a support ticket. See what other users see as "normal."

Is your internet running at 15Megabits or 15MegaBytes? (that would be 120 Megabits, and very atypical.) 4 MB/sec is about twice as fast as 15 Mb/sec.

If you want faster access speeds, you might need to return the HD and get one of those toaster-sized NAS enclosures instead. Even the cheap ones are good for 30-50MB/sec these days. (Say, the Synology DS214se.) Or even a lot more, depending on the model. Very expensive compared to your current solution though.

If you're just pained by the initial load, hook the drive up to your computer, copy the files over, and then plug it into your router.

 

[XavierMace]

For the router attached drive, does it matter what kind? I was looking at WD, they have the 2.5 my passport line work no power brick needed, or the My Book 3.5 desktop drive. Would one be more reliable as an always plugged in, tucked into closet drive? Are the portable drives meant more for occasional work?

Thanks for anyone's help!

My only concern with that would be checking if the router supplies enough power to it's USB port to power a drive. It SHOULD, but I would check to be safe.