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Linksys EA-Series
18
Overview
You can attach most USB drives (including a thumb drive or a high-capacity
external drive) to the USB port on your router. You can then use the drive as
networked storage, as a media server (for media-enabled devices such as a
networked TV), and as an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server. You can also specify
which users can access the content on the drive. Menus are subject to change.
To view the status and settings of your attached drive:
1.
Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart Wi-
Fi” on page 7.
2.
Click
USB Storage
under
Apps
. The
Status
tab displays information such
as:
Drive capacity and use
Secured folder access status
Addresses for accessing shared folders, the FTP server, and media
server
How to attach a USB drive
If a USB drive is already connected to the router, and you want to attach a
different drive to that USB port, you should safely disconnect the old drive first.
To safely remove a USB drive from the router:
1.
Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi, then click
USB Storage
under
Apps
.
2.
In the
Status
tab, click
Safely remove drive
.
3.
Disconnect the old drive from the router.
To attach a USB drive to the router:
1.
Connect the USB drive to an available USB port on the back of your
router. Your router detects the drive.
2.
To update the
USB Storage
screen, you may need to click
Refresh
.
Using an External Drive
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Linksys EA-Series
How to use secured folder access
Why would I need to use secured folder access?
By default, when you
connect a USB drive to your router, the entire contents of the drive are available
for read and write access to anyone on your local network (no login credentials
are required). However, you can also make the drive and its folders secure, so
that only authorized users can access the drive’s contents.
TIP
When Secure Folder Access is on, the entire USB drive is secured.
How to set up authorized users and shared folders
To enable access to shared folders:
1.
Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart Wi-
Fi” on page 7.
2.
Click
USB Storage
under
Apps
, then click the
Folder Access
tab.
3.
Click the setting for
Secure Folder Access
to turn it on.
The
Authorized users
list appears.
4.
In the
Authorized users
list, type a
Username
and
Password
for each new
user.
TIP
Two accounts,
Admin
and
Guest
, are already set up and cannot be
deleted.
5.
Select the permissions to give the user.
Read Only
lets the user read (open) the file.
Read & Write
lets the user read, rename, overwrite, or delete the file.
The user can also save new files to the folder.
6.
Click
Select Share
. The
Select Existing Share
dialog box opens.
7.
If you already have the shared folder set up:
a.
Select the check box next to each share you want to grant access to,
then click
OK
.
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Linksys EA-Series
8.
If you need to set up the shared folder:
a.
Click
Create new share
. The
Create New Share
dialog box opens.
b.
Click the button next to the folder that you want to share.
To view subfolders, click the
icon next to the folder name.
To return to a parent folder, click the
icon at the top of the list.
To select the entire drive, select
Share entire storage device
.
TIPS
The share name automatically changes to the name of
the folder you selected.
You cannot select more than one folder for each share.
To use a different share name, type the name in the
Share name
field.
c.
Click
OK
.
d.
Select the check box next to each share you want to grant access to,
then click
OK
.
9.
Click
Add User
.
10.
In the
Authorized users
list, you can also:
Click
Edit
to change a user’s credentials.
Click
Shares
to change the shares that a user can access.
Click
Delete
to delete the user account.
How to access shared folders
To access shared folders while on your network:
1.
While in Linksys Smart Wi-Fi, click
USB Storage
under
Apps
.
2.
In the
Status
tab, note the information under
Folder Access
. This is the
address you will need to access the shared folders from a file manager.
3.
Enter the access address into your file manager.
TIP
You can also usually locate the folder by browsing through your
computer’s file manager.
4.
Enter your user account name and password. The drive’s contents (files
and folders) appear in a window.
5.
Use the file manager to open, copy, or view the folder’s contents.
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Linksys EA-Series
TIPS
File managers display content in many ways, but you can usually
use these common actions to navigate through folders:
Click or double-click a folder name to open it.
Click, double-click, or right-click a file to open, copy, or view it.
Drag a file from another window and drop it into the shared
folder’s window to copy it to the shared folder. (To copy a
file to the shared folder, your user account must have write
access.)
How to set up your router as a media
server
What is a media server and how would I use it?
A media server lets you share
media content across your network. Your router can act as a media server if it
has a USB drive attached and if you have UPnP AV (Audio and Video)-enabled
or DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)-certified devices in your home.
Examples of UPnP AV-enabled devices include digital media players, gaming
consoles with a built-in media player, and digital picture frames.
For example, if you have a digital media adapter that sends content to your
entertainment system, and if your router’s set up as a media server, then the
digital media adapter can access your router’s attached USB drive.
You can specify which folders are used by the media server, add and delete
folders, and specify how often the folders are scanned for new content.
NOTE
The EA3500 does not support the media server feature.
To configure your router as a media server:
1.
Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart Wi-
Fi” on page 7.
2.
Click
USB Storage
under
Apps
. The
USB Storage
screen opens.
3.
Click the
Media Access
tab.
4.
Click the setting for
Enable Media Server
to turn it on.
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Linksys EA-Series
5.
Click
Add New Folder
. The
Add a new folder
dialog box opens.
6.
Click the button next to the folder that you want to share, then click
OK
.
To view subfolders, click the
icon next to the folder name.
To return to a parent folder, click the
icon at the top of the list.
TIPS
The share name automatically changes to the name of the
folder you selected.
You cannot select more than one folder at a time.
7.
Click
OK
again to save changes.
How to connect your UPnP device to the media server
After you set up your router’s media server, you need to connect an UPnP-
compatible device (such as an UPnP-compatible game console or digital media
player) to the network so that you can play the media server’s content.
To connect an UPnP device to your router’s media server:
1.
Connect your UPnP device to your home network with wired (Ethernet
cable) or wireless networking. If you are connecting wirelessly, you
need to know your network’s name and password. See your device’s
documentation for help.
2.
On your UPnP device, change the media source to the media server
name you specified on your router. (See “How to set up your router as a
media server” on page 21)
3.
See your UPnP device’s documentation for help with playing media on
the device.
How to remotely access storage
Why would I need to access my router’s storage remotely?
After you enable
the router’s FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server, you can access the attached
drive’s files from anywhere by using either a web browser or FTP software.
To set up the FTP server:
1.
Log into Linksys Smart Wi-Fi. (See “How to connect to Linksys Smart Wi-
Fi” on page 7.
2.
Click
USB Storage
under
Apps
. The
USB Storage
screen opens.
3.
Click the
FTP Server
tab.

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