NAS or router + USB HDD?

[Baldy18]

I'm looking for a cheap and effective way to automatically backup and share files between two laptops. These files don't need to be accessed from any other location but need to be available if one of the laptops is off/off premises.

To get more specific I want to make sure music files and a few other files get backed up automatically and I want the laptops to be able to share a MS Money file.

Right now I am hosting the Money file in a shared folder on a desktop. However, having the desktop running all the time just for this purpose seems like a waste and accessing it is very slow. I was considering either getting a cheap NAS or getting a new router (probably do this no matter what) that I can plug a USB HDD into.

I should also say both laptops and my current router are 802.11g and current router has neither gigabit ports or USB ports.

So what are the pros and cons of each? Which would be easier? Also cost is a big factor so which would be cheaper?

 

[JackMDS]

Very few Routers have USB port.

This is one of the few, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833320023

 

[junkyardDawg]

If speed is a consideration you might want to go with NAS. I've got the asus mentioned above and it's been a good router but usb file transfers are painfully slow, less than 1MB/s.

 

[tnt118]

I just got the Netgear WNDR3700, and it does have the USB port. Reviews say (and I haven't tested this myself) that transfer speeds are pretty poor, and also the ability to make access controls is lacking. As far a routers go, this one isn't cheap.

I also have a WD Sharespace NAS. While this is far from the speediest of the NAS's available, it is far from unimpressive. It also is significantly more expensive than a router. There are a lot of nice features that (may be) included on a NAS (such as iTunes server, DLNA server, FTP). Also, you have some data redundancy if you configure it as RAID5.

If speed, size and access controls are important to you, I strongly believe you will find it worthwhile (cost-wise) to get a dedicated NAS. If this truly is for small files only, or infrequent transfers of large files, you'd probably not be disappointed with a router/usb.

----------------------------------

Edit:

As for cost, I ballpark that the WNDR3700 and a 1.5TB usb drive will probably run somewhere about $360, give or take. A 2TB Sharespace (about 1.4TB in RAID5) is $400, and a 4TB (about 2.7TB in RAID5) is $550.

 

[beginner99]

I also have the wndr3700 and usb access is slow. I use it to watch video on my tv via wireless there the wndr3700 is very handy too because you can have 2 networks and dedicated one for video.

Anyway file transfer is slow. I download to my pc and then unrar to that external usb hdd. takes forever with 10 gb hd movies. So for me this is more like a temporary solution.
it's actually alot faster to attached the hdd to my pc, unrar and then carry it over to my tv. (= manual approach without network). So it is not the hdd itself that is slow.

A NAS is sure one of my next investments once this hd is filled.

About access. You can assing different privileges to different folders but there is only the router admin user. So anyone needing access needs the router credentials with the wndr3700.
That's at least how i understood the "feature". didnt really look into it.

I don't think the wndr3700 + 1.5tb hdd costs 360$? I paid less and I live in a country were things usually are more expensive than in us or rest of the world.
I paied about 300$. But then usb-port of the router wasn't my main buying reason.

 

[RebateMonger]

I'm looking for a cheap and effective way to automatically backup and share files between two laptops.

I'm missing where the "automatically backup..." part comes in. Moving key data to a NAS or other device, even if the device includes some sort of disk redundancy, definitely doesn't obviate the need for separate backups.

No matter where you keep your important files and no matter how much (if any) built-in redundancy is claimed, keep a second (or third or fouth) backup copy someplace else.

 

[tnt118]

I don't think the wndr3700 + 1.5tb hdd costs 360$?

You are right, I ballparked the cost a little high. (Maybe prices came down since I last looked? It doesn't matter).

That combo is currently about $290 on newegg.

 

[JackMDS]

Given the prices of Entry-level hardware these days, in the name of savings, people end up wasting the same money that they would pay on good sound solution.

One of the main culprits are these "lovely" Combo Routers.

They do Routing, they do wireless, they have USB ports, and their switch is Giga.

They pretend to deliver the world, but they do very little.

In addition, since they are combos, every time one part of them is Not suitable any more (either broke, or gets outdated) the whole thing have to be thrown away.

You want Giga? Buy a decent Giga switch with Jumbo Frames (it less than $30).

You want Network Server, buy or build an Energy saving small computer with WHS or any other type of Server OS that you like.

A Giga switch and Network Server will be good for the next few years, the Draft Combo Routers will not.

Mean time you can keep using your 802.11g cause the Wireless Draft one do not worth a penny to begin with.

 

[ccbadd]

If you go the route of a NAS (preferable) take a look at the Intel SS4200E. Unlike many of the cheap embedded devices you can buy, you can get some real performance from them and they have been going on sale a lot lately for under $200, but you have to add drives still. Most of the single or even dual drive embedded NAS devices are almost as slow as the usb drives connected to a router.