Port Hub On Router

I have an Asus RTN66U router with Tomato Shibby firmware installed. There are two USB ports on the router to function as Network Attached Storage. Does anyone see anything objectionable to plugging a USB hub into one of the router ports - thus providing 4 to 6 more ports of NAS accessibility???

 

I don't see where it will cause any harm. I just don't see where it will work. I think the router will see the hub, not the devices connected to the hub. Or the router will only see one device connected to the hub, not all.

But I also think it may depend on the router and it's software - so again, I don't see where it will cause harm to try it and see what happens.

Just ensure it is a self-powered hub (has its own external power supply).

I am curious to hear what you discover. Keep us posted.

 

Is that like ketchup?
I couldn't resist...

 

Almost, but no tomato!

 

That part I hadn't thought about. It makes some sense though. USB's are resource intensive. Routers are not known for massive processors. That said, It would definitely be a plus for the hub to be powered, thus putting less demand on the router processor.

I think I might venture into this. I have 3 external HDD's and some thumb drives. I want to do a Standalone NAS but here's my current thought about saving money if I can. I have a few non powered hubs; so I'll have to buy a powered one. There are some WORD and Excel files involved. Using the router to NAS those is no biggie.

However, I make screen capture videos for my wife; they train her how to use a computer and various software. Saves me the stress of standing over her shoulder while I manually teach her. She can watch a training video at any time without my participation.

I am very curious to see if playing the videos places any strain on the router processor -or- whether the strain is placed upon the PC (used for playback of the videos) via VLC media playback software. That said, I'm not really sure how to test for those readings other than seeing if there is or is not a buffering problem during video playback.

Hmmm. On the other hand - I don't want to blow the router processor either. Took forever to get KETCHUP installed on the router.

 

It has nothing to do with processor power. In fact it has nothing to do with router function at all. It is simply that the router's voltage regulator circuits and router power supplies are designed to support router functions only. And those functions are really just "passing" (routing) data. Not powering external electrical devices.

So powering connected USB devices (like a hub) is not something routers or their power supplies are designed to do.

Got an old computer laying around? Stock it full of drives, connect it via Ethernet (or wireless) to your network and viola! You have a NAS.

 

I'm just a wee bit confused here. Does it make a positive difference if the hub is not powered but the Ext. HDD is powered? Or, does the hub ALSO have to be powered even if the USB device itself is powered (like a WD External HDD)? Sorry for the confusion - chances are I'm just caught in the jargon.

I was definitely going to go that route at one time last year with an old dual core processor computer and FreeNAS software for the server end of things. But, then I got freaked out over the FreeNAS forum scares and online articles of how wrong it would be to do the configuration without ECC memory. I tossed the idea because I didn't want to buy a motherboard and new ECC Ram. It was all kinda upsetting to scrap the idea. Since then I just converted that old PC into a slow running Windows 10 desktop PC for the basement.

 

If the hub is not powered, any device connected to it will be isolated and not work.

You don't need to run NAS software to make a NAS out of the computer. You just need to open up sharing so your other computers can see it. Then you just manually drag and drop, or copy and paste your back-up files to it.

 

Yeah. That's what I do all the time while running a peer to peer. Now you got me thinking. What exactly is the point in a NAS server for basic file and media backup? Why is there a big issue made out of NAS servers? I realize that's a loaded question and I honestly don't mean to strike out on a massive learning session. I'm just wondering now as to why I was so focused, at one time, trying to make a NAS server when really all that seems to be involved is a peer to peer operation of drag and drop. I would like to hear the skinny (nothing complex needed) on a NAS server vs peer to peer drag and drop; it still pertains to my original post - so I don't think I'm going off topic here. Thanks forum.

 

The main problem being the slow usb data interface, you would be much better off with an ethernet connected NAS system as mentioned previous.......plus, router cpu's are not really designed to serve huge amounts of data in file extentions other than basic network protocols such as tcp, udp etc.

It may function, but you wont be impressed with performance!

 

I agree with Relicator and speed is one of the key factors. Another is no reliance on the unreliable USB interface. Other advantages is the NAS device can be located anywhere there is a network connection; down in the basement, in a closet or anywhere out of the way. USB connected external storage devices have to be located close to the host computer or router. Also, NAS devices are much more easily accessible to multiple computers/users on the network.

There is also a "physical" security issue. USB backup drives are typically located next to the host computer. If a bad guy breaks into your home and steals your computer, he/she will likely grab the external drive as well - taking your backups with him/her. If your NAS is located out of the way, it may escape being stolen.

 

What I have done here at the house is run everything hard wired. The only time I use WiFi is for smartphones. I have a modem, router and a 24 port switch that keeps everything connected. I have computers upstairs, downstairs, and in the bathroom (No, just kidding, not the bathroom, mice don't like water!) So, It's no problem to hook up another PC somewhere in the house; and I fully understand the file sharing via that concept. However, I'm trying to discern the advantages/disadvantages of something like a Synology NAS box versus a PC that doesn't have ECC Ram (something that FreeNAS forum participants make a big deal of.) The only other thing that I know of that separates a NAS box from a standalone PC is the power consumption. Does anybody know of any other pros and cons of a Synology type NAS box versus a PC with HDD's?

 

A lot of dedicated (factory made) NAS products come with special software to automagically run backups.

I don't see power consumption much a problem either. You can configure most motherboards to "Wake on LAN" so the NAS PC can sleep most of the time - and without a monitor or power hungry graphics card too. And reading/writing tasks are not very demanding so you don't need a big horsepower CPU either.

 

Yeah. That all makes sense. I guess the only feature of those NAS boxes is some proprietary deployment software and backup software, ECC Ram, some special HDD's, possible hot swap capabilities, and a standalone box that doesn't require a monitor because of the network accessed OS interface . . . Also, they serve as a nice environment for server software(s). Other than actual configuration there probably isn't much difference, if any at all, in file sharing concept or file access concept.

 

If you are in an office environment where several people need regular access to shared files, a dedicated NAS device acting as a file server and backup storage may be ideal. But for a home environment, they are probably overkill.

 

Yep, I think that's what I'm also concluding. Thanks to you and the forum for your assistance along the way on this topic.

 

Hey, I just found this link (actually yesterday, but just now reading it). This sheds some interesting light on things. Thought the forum might enjoy it's summary; it's is a very interesting/enticing article. I like the idea of a personal cloud and email server. Kinda cool thoughts.
https://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/setup-personal-cloud-storage/

 

Yeah, there are several tutorials like that around. It just depends on how fancy you want to get. Me? I just want a location that is not on this computer where I can drag a image file for full backup, and a copy of all my documents, and my Outlook .pst file too for partial backups. Nothing fancy, but effective.

For off-site storage (in case my house burns down or is blown away by a tornado, I occasionally make an image copy and dump it in the safe deposit box at my bank.

 

Yep, I too, exercise some your same precautions.