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Forum Discussion
Cookinjh53
Oct 13, 2022Follower
RBR750 and RBS 750 Satellite
RBR 750 Router and RBS 750 Satellite The RBR 750 Router does not have USB ports so how do I connect a printer or an external hard drive with a USB connection or other devices which have USB conne...
CrimpOn
Oct 13, 2022Guru - Experienced User
Cookinjh53 wrote:
The RBR 750 Router does not have USB ports so how do I connect a printer or an external hard drive with a USB connection or other devices which have USB connections.
The short answer is, "Can't be done."
Back in 2016, when Netgear announced the Orbi product, the hardware included a USB 2.0 port and Bluetooth radio. There was a clear expectation that the product would "soon" support Netgear's ReadyShare for USB hard drives and printers. That was (and remains) a common feature of consumer routers. However, that capability never materialized and subsequent Orbi products no longer include a USB port at all.
It remains a mystery why Netgear never included ReadyShare in their mesh product line. The "latest and greatest" Nighthawk RAXE500 now has two USB 3.0 ports: https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RAXE500/RAXE500_DS.pdf
This leaves consumers who purchased Orbi systems in a bit of a pickle. Unlike printers, which have protocols for connecting across networks, USB hard drives rely on a host system for the "smarts" to make data storage work. That is what host computers do when USB drives are connected. The host computer knows how to allocate disk sectors to individual files, keep track of errors, etc. etc. ReadyShare is the software that manages a USB hard drive when connected to a router.
My internet searches for "print server" never seem to come up with any indication of being used to connect hard drives. I'm not claiming that it is impossible. Only that it looks doubtful.
People with desktop computers can connect the USB hard drive to the computer and then "share" the hard drive. This is obviously impractical if there are only laptops and tablets available.
FURRYe38
Oct 13, 2022Guru - Experienced User