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Netgear Nighthawk MR1100 M1 NAS storage problem
I want to use this wifi modem for NAS, and have plugged in a USB thumb drive, FAT32. When I look at the home page under "My Media" I get an error. I also tried a Toshiba external hard drive, 2TB. It'...
The idea that Netgear's routers gag on 2TB USB drives is an interesting suggestion. There certainly have been issues raised here about "big" drives, but 2TB drives are rarely, if ever, in those concerns.
Big usually means >4TB. We have even had 16TB drives thrown into the chatter. But they were multi-disk "USB arrays", which, funnily enough, their owners don't describe as NAS, perhaps because they understand that it is confusing to describe them as such.
If the format is right, it usually boils down to USB drives that need special drivers or that are too new for Netgear to have written them into its firmware.
It may not apply to the hardware in question, but this article may offer some clues:
ReadySHARE USB Drives Compatibility List | Answer | NETGEAR Support
Ignore the list of supported devices, read the rubric.
All Routers should work with most USB-compliant external flash and hard drives. Do NOT connect computers, USB modems, CD or DVD drives to the router's USB port. Please note, some USB drives require software to be installed into the PC or are password protected or are encrypted. Such USB devices will NOT work with the Router/Extender. Please also note, this is not a comprehensive list. The USB drives listed below are only the drives that NETGEAR has tested. If your USB device is not listed below it does not mean it will not work with ReadySHARE it just means that the USB device has not been tested by NETGEAR.
Of course that's for ReadyShare. So I think you are on to something when you talk of consulting Netgear support.
You have one of those bits of kit that is not common. Nor have there been any discussions of getting it to work with USB drives. So there is not much in the way of collective wisdom that you can draw on.
To gather more information to throw at them, if you haven't done so already, mess around with a bog-standard empty USB stick, try all the format options you can think of and see if you can get anywhere. After all, two drives is hardly a thorough test.
If you do get help from the support team, it would be great of you came back with the results. It could benefit others who hit the same brick wall.
scammer68 wrote:I want to use this wifi modem for NAS
For a start, NAS usually refers to Ethernet attached storage. It does not include USB drives. So if you are searching for solutions, you should avoid looking for NAS.
Did you read the section in the manual about USB storage?
There is a manual for your device somewhere at the end of this link:
>>> MR1100 | Product | Support | NETGEAR <<<
See page 55.
scammer68 wrote:When I look at the home page under "My Media" I get an error.
What error? What is on these USB devices?
michaelkenward wrote:
scammer68 wrote:I want to use this wifi modem for NAS
For a start, NAS usually refers to Ethernet attached storage. It does not include USB drives. So if you are searching for solutions, you should avoid looking for NAS.
Did you read the section in the manual about USB storage?
There is a manual for your device somewhere at the end of this link:
>>> MR1100 | Product | Support | NETGEAR <<<
See page 55.
scammer68 wrote:When I look at the home page under "My Media" I get an error.
What error? What is on these USB devices?
Product data for this model specifically mentions that you can use it for NAS/Media streaming, via USB, not Ethernet.
Yes I have read the manual, here's a quote:
"You can insert a USB storage device in the mobile router USB type A port and you can install a micro SD
card in the mobile router.You can access the files and folders on these devices from computers and mobile
devices that are connected to the mobile router network."
sounds to me like Network Attached Storage.
Here's the message (previously mentioned)
"To use MyMedia, please ensure a compatible micro SD drive or USB is inserted to your router. Only NTFS, HFS+, HFS, FAT32 and FAT16 formatted media is supported."
So it *should* be as simple as inserting a USB drive (type A) and streaming media from it. I don't understand why I get that message, given that my media meets the criteria.
scammer68 wrote:sounds to me like Network Attached Storage.
Like I said, thinking of it in those terms, and seeking solutions to problems with Network Attached Storage, will lead you down the wrong path.
Network-attached storage - Wikipedia
You may not be the only one who thinks that adding a USB device to a router creates NAS, but you are in a tiny minority. Everyone else will assume that you are talking about an Ethernet box.
Feel free to call it what you like, but don't expect to find answers to your USB problems.
What are you using to try to view these media files?
A browser? An app for a mobile device?
I appreciate you trying to help, but I have a specific problem with a particular router which does have file sharing and media streaming via USB. I don't know how it has been marketed in the US, but here in Australia "NAS" is on all the product documentation.
I was hoping someone with knowledge of the router would assist, but I might try Netgear Support directly.
scammer68 wrote:I was hoping someone with knowledge of the router would assist, but I might try Netgear Support directly.
That's a good move. You have 90 days of "free" support. Do not take up any offers to pay for a support contract. That is a well known Netgear scam.
When you do talk to them, you might like to have an answer to the questions that I posed earlier:
What are you using to try to view these media files? A browser? An app for a mobile device?
You didn't answer. They might find them important.
scammer68 wrote:I don't know how it has been marketed in the US, but here in Australia "NAS" is on all the product documentation.
That's odd. None of the literature on the support pages for this device mentions that. The data sheet does say that it is:
"Micro SD with Media Server/ NAS capabilities"
But that may just mean that you can plug a real NAS into its Ethernet port. The key there is the "media server". This is what I was trying to figure out. You sometimes have to set this up before anything will show up in media files.