looking for a cheap yet reliable way to incorporate USB wireless

Ok, been looking at NAS adapters, routers with USB ports, etc, etc. I
already have a router and didn't want to buy a new one just to have USB
wireless; also the NAS adapter seem to get so-so views unless you buy an
expensive one. What about the tiny USB wireless plugs often seen for
laptop adaptation to a wireless network? Instead of using the standard
USB male connect cord attached to a USB drive, switch to a female end
and plug in the tiny USB wireless adapter, would this work?

Cy Ence writted thus:

Ok, been looking at NAS adapters, routers with USB ports, etc, etc. I
already have a router and didn't want to buy a new one just to have USB
wireless; also the NAS adapter seem to get so-so views unless you buy an
expensive one. What about the tiny USB wireless plugs often seen for
laptop adaptation to a wireless network? Instead of using the standard
USB male connect cord attached to a USB drive, switch to a female end
and plug in the tiny USB wireless adapter, would this work?

Works for us, I use several TP-LINK 150Mbps TL-WN725N wireless N Nano USB
adapters on our desktops, one even on a 5m usb extension. No dropouts,
easy Windows install (although Ubuntu moaned a bit until I found and
compiled a driver).

only £9.99 each at Argos...
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/1427448.htm

On 02/18/2014 12:54 PM, tigger wrote:
Cy Ence writted thus:

Ok, been looking at NAS adapters, routers with USB ports, etc, etc. I
already have a router and didn't want to buy a new one just to have USB
wireless; also the NAS adapter seem to get so-so views unless you buy an
expensive one. What about the tiny USB wireless plugs often seen for
laptop adaptation to a wireless network? Instead of using the standard
USB male connect cord attached to a USB drive, switch to a female end
and plug in the tiny USB wireless adapter, would this work?

Works for us, I use several TP-LINK 150Mbps TL-WN725N wireless N Nano USB
adapters on our desktops, one even on a 5m usb extension. No dropouts,
easy Windows install (although Ubuntu moaned a bit until I found and
compiled a driver).

only £9.99 each at Argos...
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/1427448.htm

Thanks, but just to clarify/ confirm, are you saying that I can
successfully use an adapter like the one shown he http://bit.do/hXPe

with the male B side plugged into my external hard drive and the female
A side serving as receptacle for the Argos device or similar you linked
to.... and operate the resulting combination as a wireless hard drive
channelled to my router or pc wireless card? If this combination is
feasible, I suppose the only limitation is that the external hard drive
must be on external DC.

On Tue, 18 Feb 2014 13:35:36 -0500, Cy Ence wrote:

On 02/18/2014 12:54 PM, tigger wrote:
Cy Ence writted thus:

Ok, been looking at NAS adapters, routers with USB ports, etc, etc. I
already have a router and didn't want to buy a new one just to have USB
wireless; also the NAS adapter seem to get so-so views unless you buy an
expensive one. What about the tiny USB wireless plugs often seen for
laptop adaptation to a wireless network? Instead of using the standard
USB male connect cord attached to a USB drive, switch to a female end
and plug in the tiny USB wireless adapter, would this work?

Works for us, I use several TP-LINK 150Mbps TL-WN725N wireless N Nano USB
adapters on our desktops, one even on a 5m usb extension. No dropouts,
easy Windows install (although Ubuntu moaned a bit until I found and
compiled a driver).

only £9.99 each at Argos...
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/1427448.htm

Thanks, but just to clarify/ confirm, are you saying that I can
successfully use an adapter like the one shown he http://bit.do/hXPe

with the male B side plugged into my external hard drive and the female
A side serving as receptacle for the Argos device or similar you linked
to.... and operate the resulting combination as a wireless hard drive
channelled to my router or pc wireless card? If this combination is
feasible, I suppose the only limitation is that the external hard drive
must be on external DC.

If you chain those bits together and expect to end up with a working
"wireless hard drive", I'll fall out of my chair.

(I don't expect to be falling out of my chair.)

If you have a plain old external hard drive with a USB connector, no amount
of WiFi is going to get it connected to your network. You need a PC, for
example, to bridge the gap between the hard drive and the wireless adapter.
OTOH, if you have a NAS, you should be able to connect it to a wireless
client and have it work as expected. I haven't checked, but I doubt that the
USB adapter linked above will have a client mode. I'm thinking more along
the lines of a wireless router, where you'd look for a Client mode, Client
Bridge mode, or similar. If available, it will be in the area of the GUI
where you decide that the wireless router will be an access point, a client,
a bridged client, or perhaps a WDS (mesh) member.

To get a better answer, please tell us exactly what you want to do and what
equipment you have available. Bonus points for make, model, hardware
revision, software version, etc.

--

Char Jackson

On 02/18/2014 03:01 PM, Char Jackson wrote:
On Tue, 18 Feb 2014 13:35:36 -0500, Cy Ence wrote:

On 02/18/2014 12:54 PM, tigger wrote:
Cy Ence writted thus:

Ok, been looking at NAS adapters, routers with USB ports, etc, etc. I
already have a router and didn't want to buy a new one just to have USB
wireless; also the NAS adapter seem to get so-so views unless you buy an
expensive one. What about the tiny USB wireless plugs often seen for
laptop adaptation to a wireless network? Instead of using the standard
USB male connect cord attached to a USB drive, switch to a female end
and plug in the tiny USB wireless adapter, would this work?

Works for us, I use several TP-LINK 150Mbps TL-WN725N wireless N Nano USB
adapters on our desktops, one even on a 5m usb extension. No dropouts,
easy Windows install (although Ubuntu moaned a bit until I found and
compiled a driver).

only £9.99 each at Argos...
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/1427448.htm

Thanks, but just to clarify/ confirm, are you saying that I can
successfully use an adapter like the one shown he http://bit.do/hXPe

with the male B side plugged into my external hard drive and the female
A side serving as receptacle for the Argos device or similar you linked
to.... and operate the resulting combination as a wireless hard drive
channelled to my router or pc wireless card? If this combination is
feasible, I suppose the only limitation is that the external hard drive
must be on external DC.

If you chain those bits together and expect to end up with a working
"wireless hard drive", I'll fall out of my chair.

I'd be surprised myself and was curious to find out more info from
tigger. I do have a WiFi USB stick, but lack the proper gender changer
for the hard drive to USB.

(I don't expect to be falling out of my chair.)

If you have a plain old external hard drive with a USB connector, no amount
of WiFi is going to get it connected to your network. You need a PC, for
example, to bridge the gap between the hard drive and the wireless adapter.
OTOH, if you have a NAS, you should be able to connect it to a wireless
client and have it work as expected. I haven't checked, but I doubt that the
USB adapter linked above will have a client mode. I'm thinking more along
the lines of a wireless router, where you'd look for a Client mode, Client
Bridge mode, or similar. If available, it will be in the area of the GUI
where you decide that the wireless router will be an access point, a client,
a bridged client, or perhaps a WDS (mesh) member.

To get a better answer, please tell us exactly what you want to do and what
equipment you have available. Bonus points for make, model, hardware
revision, software version, etc.

Well, I have a *bunch* of external hard drives, some DC powered and some
by USB, and they are all kept in one central location. I was thinking
of trying to make several of them simultaneously wirelessly available to
either the laptops or desktop, all of which have WiFi cards. I also have
a wireless router and I suppose I could channel the output of whatever
hard drive wireless signal emitter device I obtain into the router. I'm
trying to keep costs down though because if it's too high, I could just
leave the desktop running and plug the drives into that. I had hoped
for drive access without the PC though. So say 5 external hard drives
wirelessly available to laptop or PC at any time with no PC needed.

On 2/18/2014 4:14 PM, Hugh Neak wrote:
version, etc.

Well, I have a *bunch* of external hard drives, some DC powered and some
by USB, and they are all kept in one central location. I was thinking
of trying to make several of them simultaneously wirelessly available to
either the laptops or desktop, all of which have WiFi cards. I also have
a wireless router and I suppose I could channel the output of whatever
hard drive wireless signal emitter device I obtain into the router. I'm
trying to keep costs down though because if it's too high, I could just
leave the desktop running and plug the drives into that. I had hoped
for drive access without the PC though. So say 5 external hard drives
wirelessly available to laptop or PC at any time with no PC needed.



]


No, that will not work.

On Tue, 18 Feb 2014 17:14:12 -0500, Hugh Neak wrote:

On 02/18/2014 03:01 PM, Char Jackson wrote:

To get a better answer, please tell us exactly what you want to do and what
equipment you have available. Bonus points for make, model, hardware
revision, software version, etc.

Oh, hey, Hugh. I didn't recognize you.

Well, I have a *bunch* of external hard drives, some DC powered and some
by USB, and they are all kept in one central location. I was thinking
of trying to make several of them simultaneously wirelessly available to
either the laptops or desktop, all of which have WiFi cards. I also have
a wireless router and I suppose I could channel the output of whatever
hard drive wireless signal emitter device I obtain into the router. I'm
trying to keep costs down though because if it's too high, I could just
leave the desktop running and plug the drives into that. I had hoped
for drive access without the PC though. So say 5 external hard drives
wirelessly available to laptop or PC at any time with no PC needed.

Your best bet is going to be to connect your drives to a PC.

--

Char Jackson

On 02/18/2014 09:12 PM, Char Jackson wrote:
On Tue, 18 Feb 2014 17:14:12 -0500, Hugh Neak wrote:

On 02/18/2014 03:01 PM, Char Jackson wrote:

To get a better answer, please tell us exactly what you want to do and what
equipment you have available. Bonus points for make, model, hardware
revision, software version, etc.

Oh, hey, Hugh. I didn't recognize you.

Well, I have a *bunch* of external hard drives, some DC powered and some
by USB, and they are all kept in one central location. I was thinking
of trying to make several of them simultaneously wirelessly available to
either the laptops or desktop, all of which have WiFi cards. I also have
a wireless router and I suppose I could channel the output of whatever
hard drive wireless signal emitter device I obtain into the router. I'm
trying to keep costs down though because if it's too high, I could just
leave the desktop running and plug the drives into that. I had hoped
for drive access without the PC though. So say 5 external hard drives
wirelessly available to laptop or PC at any time with no PC needed.

Your best bet is going to be to connect your drives to a PC.

That's what I thought. Thanks, Char and all.