You are tired of having to move your portable hard drive from PC to TV every time to watch a movie "> Once this important check has been carried out, you can continue with the guide.
Connect hard disk or USB stick to the router
Connect the external hard drive or USB stick with the files to share to the router's USB port.
Usually you don't need to do anything else, but if your disk is particularly demanding in terms of electricity (especially if it is a 3.5-inch PC disk) the USB port may not provide enough energy for correct operation, in particular if you have a USB 2.0 port (3.0 provides more power but may still not be enough).
In these cases, be sure to use a separate power supply hard drive case, so you won't have any power problems when connecting the hard drive to your router. Among the many models of 3.5-inch disk cases on offer, I suggest you take a look at the model shown here -> UGREEN External Case for 3.5 ”Hard Disk (€ 29)
If, on the other hand, you have a 2.5-inch disk (those for laptops) that you want to use as an external hard disk, I suggest you take a look at the 2.5-inch disk case present here -> AUKEY External Case for 2.5 "Hard Disk (€ 11)
READ ALSO: Best portable external hard drives of 2 TB or more
The services to be activated
Once the hard disk or USB stick has been connected to the router, all you have to do is access the configuration panel of your router from a browser of any connected device, to check if it can be used to share files on the network.
The IP addresses most used by routers are as follows:
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.0.1
Try these addresses and see if the access window to the router appears; if you see the window appear enter username (usually admin) and password (usually admin or empty, just do not write anything). In case of problems, it is better to refer to the router manual or check the label located on the bottom or rear of the device, so as to be able to verify the access address and credentials to be used (as well as ex-factory).
READ ALSO: How to enter the router to access settings easily
Once inside the router look for the items File sharing, Samba, Disk sharing, FTP, USB, USB configuration, Hard disk or similar to access the functions reserved for sharing files on the network.
The voices and screens change according to the model of router you have, but the features are almost the same everywhere.
In particular you can enable:
1) DLNA : with this service the router will check the presence of multimedia files (video, audio, images) on the unit you have connected, so as to make them visible to any other device on the network. If you have a Smart TV, you can access the disc via WiFi or Ethernet and immediately see all the movies that you have saved on the disc.
2) File Sharing : with this service you will make the entire connected unit visible to other devices on the network, which will be able to read, modify and create new files or folders as if it were a unit present in the system.
Some router models also have support for printers (Print Server), very useful for making printing available to all devices on the network without using WiFi or the Ethernet cable (not all printers support these features).
Which routers to buy
Your router does not have USB ports or does not support the services listed above ">
With this inexpensive router you can share the files on your USB disk quickly and easily, using the USB port on the back. It has 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, Wireless N up to 450 Mbps and 3 adjustable antennas to reach every point of the house.
You can view this router here -> TP-Link Archer C50 Router (35 €)
Asus RT-AC1200GPLUS
A good mid-range router that you can buy to take advantage of DLNA or network file sharing is the Asus RT-AC1200GPLUS. Just connect the disk to the port and enable the sharing functions inside the control panel. In addition to this, it offers Dual Band WiFi connection with transmission speeds of up to 1167 Mbps, 4 adjustable antennas, 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports and AirRadar system to improve WiFi coverage.
This model is available on offer here -> Asus RT-AC1200GPLUS (62 €)
AVM FRITZ! Box 4040
Among the high-end routers the best you can try are AVMs, with FRITZ! Box to be the absolute master. The proposed model allows file sharing and offers DLNA support, so you can share anything on the network. In addition to this feature, you can find remote FTP access to the disk connected via USB, Wireless Dual Band up to 1300 Mbps, Wireless Guest Network, LAN with Captive Portal, dynamic DNS service included, VPN configuration and band management service to manage the better traffic for games and streaming.
This high-end router is available at a reasonable price, as seen here -> AVM FRITZ! Box 4040 (€ 85)
READ ALSO: Best WiFi Routers to connect all wireless devices in the house
