46

5

5.

USB Storage

Accessing and configuring a USB storage drive

This chapter describes how to access and configure a USB storage drive attached to your router.

Be aware that the USB port on the router can be used only to connect USB storage devices like

flash drives or hard drives. Do not connect computers, USB modems, CD drives, or DVD drives

to the router USB port.

This chapter contains the following sections:

•

USB Drive Requirements

•

ReadySHARE Access

•

File-Sharing Scenarios

•

Basic Settings

•

USB Storage Advanced Settings

•

Safely Remove a USB Drive

•

Specify Approved USB Devices

•

Connect to the USB Drive from a Remote Computer

USB Storage

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N300 Wireless Gigabit Router WNR3500Lv2

USB Drive Requirements

The router works with 1.0 and 1.1 (USB Full Speed) and 2.0 (USB High Speed) standards.

The approximate USB bus speeds are shown in the following table. Actual bus speeds can

vary, depending on the CPU speed, memory, speed of the network, and other variables.

Table 3.

USB drive speeds

Bus

Speed/Sec

USB 1.1

12 Mbits

USB 2.0

480 Mbits

The router should work with most USB-compliant external flash and hard drives. For the most

up-to-date list of USB drives supported by the router, go to:

The router supports both read and write for FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, and Linux file systems

(EXT2 and EXT3).

Note:

Some USB external hard drives and flash drives require drivers to

be loaded in to the PC before the PC can access the USB device.

Such USB devices will not work with the router.

ReadySHARE Access

Once you have set up your router, you can connect any USB storage device and share the

contents with other users on your network. When you attach a USB storage device, the

router automatically scans it for files.

You can access your USB device in any of the following ways:

•

On Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 2000 systems, select

Start >

Run

and enter

\\readyshare

in the dialog box. Click

OK

.

•

On Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 2000 systems, open Internet

Explorer, and enter

\\readyshare

in the address bar.

•

On Mac OS X (version 10.2 or later), enter

smb://readyshare

in the address bar.

•

In My Network Places, enter

\\readyshare

in the address bar.

USB Storage

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N300 Wireless Gigabit Router WNR3500Lv2

File-Sharing Scenarios

You can share files on the USB drive for a wide variety of business and recreational

purposes. The files can be any PC, Mac, or Linux file type including text files, Word,

PowerPoint, Excel, MP3, pictures, and multimedia. USB drive applications include:

•

Sharing multimedia with friends and family such as MP3 files, pictures, and other

multimedia with local and remote users.

•

Sharing resources on your network. You might want to store files in a central location so

that you do not have to power up a computer to perform local sharing. In addition, you

can share files between Macintosh, Linux, and PC computers by using the USB drive as

a go-between across the systems.

•

Sharing files such as Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and text files with

remote users.

A few common uses are described in the following sections.

Sharing Photos

You can create your own central storage location for photos and multimedia. This eliminates

the need to log in to (and pay for) an external photo-sharing site.



To share files with your friends and family:

1.

Insert your USB drive into the USB port on the router either directly or with a USB cable.

Computers on your local area network (LAN) can automatically access this USB drive

using a web browser or Microsoft Networking.

2.

If you want to specify read-only access or to allow access from the Internet, see

USB

Storage Advanced Settings

on page 51.

Storing Files in a Central Location for Printing

This scenario is for a family that has one high-quality color printer directly attached to a

computer, but not shared on the local area network (LAN). This family does not have a print

server.

•

One family member has photos on a Macintosh computer that she wants to print.

•

The photo-capable color printer is directly attached to a PC, but not shared on the

network.

•

The Mac and PC are not visible to each other on the network.



To print photos from a Mac on the printer attached to a PC:

1.

On the Mac, access the USB drive by typing

\\readyshare

in the address field of a web

browser. Then copy the photos to the USB drive.

2.

On the PC, use a web browser or Microsoft Networking to copy the files from the USB drive

to the PC. Then print the files.

USB Storage

49

N300 Wireless Gigabit Router WNR3500Lv2

Sharing Large Files over the Internet

Sending files that are larger than 5 MB can pose a problem for many email systems. The

router allows you to share very large files such as PowerPoint presentations or .zip files over

the Internet. FTP can be used to easily download shared files from the router.

Sharing files with a remote colleague involves the following considerations:

•

There are two user accounts: admin and guest. The password for admin is the same one

that you use to access the router. By default, it is

password

. The guest user account has

no password.

•

On the FTP site, the person receiving the files should use the guest user account and

enter any password (FTP requires that you type something in the password field).

•

Be sure to select the

FTP (via Internet)

check box in the USB Storage Advanced

Settings screen. This option supports both downloading and uploading of files.

Note:

You can enable the HTTP (via Internet) option on the Advanced

USB Storage screen to share large files. This option supports

downloading files only.

Basic Settings

You can view or edit basic settings for the USB storage device attached to your router.

You can access this feature by selecting

Basic > ReadySHARE

, or through

Advanced >

USB Storage > ReadySHARE

.

The USB Storage (Basic Settings) screen displays:

USB Storage

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N300 Wireless Gigabit Router WNR3500Lv2

By default, the USB storage device is available to all computers on your local area network

(LAN).

Add or Edit a Network Folder

1.

You can access this feature by selecting

Basic > ReadySHARE > Edit

, or

Advanced >

USB Storage > Advanced Settings

.

2.

Specify the changes that you want to make:

•

To add a folder, click

Create Network Folder

.

•

To edit a folder, select its radio button, and then click

Edit

.

3.

You can use this screen to select a folder, to change the share name, or to change the read

access or write access from All

–

no password to

admin

.

The user name (account name) for All – no password is guest. The password for admin is

the same one that is used to log in to the router. By default, it is password.

4.

Click

Apply

for your changes to take effect.