connect external hard drive to range extender or router?
Hello everyone, looking for some advice for the best/correct way to connect a home media server and ensure I have optimized my home network. For my original setup I had an external usb hard drive(media server) connected to a netgear ac router. The signal wasn’t very strong so I subsequently purchased the nighthawk ac1900 range extender. The signal subsequently improved and now I’m utilizing the 5g extended frequency for streaming pictures, etc,. Question is … which device should I connect my usb external hard drive … directly to the pc… the ac router or the range extender? It’s presently connected to the router as per my original setup … but is that the most efficient? Also the settings menu for the range extender only seem accessible from a wireless device such as a laptop or Ipad and not the pc wired to the modem and router… should that be correct? And what is the easiest way to transfer content to the external hard drive ... particularly if it's attached to the extender ... Thanks for any input. Regards.
Re: connect external hard drive to range extender or router?
It kinda hard to recommend a placement for your USB hard drive because you didn't describe where your other devices are located. Your PC probably has the fastest I/O performance but it might have a slow network card and keeping it on continuously would run up your electricity bill. Or maybe the majority of your devices are joined to the extender, so connecting the hard drive to the extender would make sense. Or maybe the most important devices are wired to the router.
Personally, I am not a big fan of using the USB ports on either routers or extenders. I would install a dedicated, low power NAS appliance with a robust file system.
As far as accessing the settings menu for the extender, the wired PC can reach it by IP address. Log into the extender with your laptop and write down the IP address. I think you will find it in Settings > WiFi Settings. Enter this IP address into your PC's browser.
Re: connect external hard drive to range extender or router?
Thank you very much for the prompt reply and info, greatly appreciated. I figure I have enough money tied up into the ac router and extender so I probably won’t go the nas route. The pictures and videos on the external hard drive are mostly viewed on the television. I’m thinking I’ve probably overly complicated this whole home network stuff and I’m probably best served to load content onto the external drive by directly attaching it to the desktop. And when I want to view the content on the television, just plug it into the tv’s usb port ... lol... perhaps not the most tech solution but I think it will work without too much fuss.
