Is Dean laughing at me for being too cheap?

More for being unrealistic.

What do you intend to use the NAS for?

Porn
















and to share pictures, music, etc with my wifes laptop without having to use thumb drives.

Didn't you just get a large HD? Just share it and she can access it just like a NAS. I can help if you need it.

Well, duh. :P But are you going to connect it to your wireless router or something?

Cheaper alternatives (assuming preexisting equipment) to a NAS would be:

1. An external HDD that you connect to one laptop at a time.
2. An external HDD that you connect to a wireless router with a USB port ("NAS ready router")
3. A computer networked to your router to function as a file server

Option 3 covers many configurations including simply networking the computers together. If they share the same router and they're all Windows, you can share folders (or entire hard drives, exernal or internal) on each computer and keep all the files you might like to share in those shared folders. If you have enough HDD space, you can even back up to eachother's computers over the network. You can stream video from one computer to the other, etc.

Just making sure you really need a NAS. :)

A true NAS is really almost over-complicating things unless there is a dire need for real-time redundancy and several different people that will be working off of it.

The router with a USB is probably the best way to go, and hopefully would have the highest access speed. Simple is good on the home network.

USB is slow, and router HW is typically slow as well. Share an internal or eSATA drive from a PC should be much faster, even an older IDE desktop drive will outperform a USB router drive.

USB is certainly not too slow if they're just using it for sharing pictures and MP3s or something. It's not like they're booting windows off it.

Plus using the router as their NAS means they can turn off their PCs when not in use instead of leaving one on all the time as the file-share.

I believe that USB2 will not bottleneck 802.11G or fast ethernet (100MBps). However, it will bottleneck gigabyte ethernet (1000MBps) (as most IDE drives even bottleneck gigabyte) and possibly 802.11 Draft N. Not a deal breaker, just something to consider. G is plenty fast to share pics, music, and even most video.

Good points. USB and router HW are only slow relatively speaking for local or Gb wired access really, though I have seen slow performance from similar drives when shared USB vs. IDE/SATA disks on the same system. Wireless to a notebook, there should be no difference.

I'd just hate to see somebody buy a USB enabled router or a NAS if they already have a desktop that is on most of the time.

I want to do this, will google when I get home.
I'm sure I can get an external HD for <$100.

That's a great way to go (for previously stated reasons), but only a few specific routers have that feature.

I have this
http://www.netgear.com/Products/Rout...Specifications

That router does not appear to have the external HDD functionality. You can shop for a new one that does and sell that one (or maybe use it as a wirless bridge to connect your PS3 wirelessly and get a faster connection for things like streaming video from Tversity, etc.) or just get the NAS if you don't like the simple Workgroup file sharing idea.

Found a NAS enclosure that is good to at least a 750GB drive for only $30. Might be way cheaper than a USB router.

http://www.pacificgeek.com/product.a...&ID=106473&P=F

Otherwise they are up in the $60 range which is why I laughed in the first place for on with a drive for $80.

Doesn't look like it has USB... :(

Sweet Deal! It's even gigabit and SATA. That won't be any faster than megabit connected to Van's specific router, but it's still sweet.

Awesome deal! $30.99 for something that doesn't exist anymore! :P

I swear it wasn't when I linked to it.

Oh well, back to the $60 range unfortunately.

You can go crazy bidding on different ebay options, or Buy it Now...

IDE drive NAS case $33

Dual IDE NAS case $35

There are also a number of twin port USB<->Ethernet adapters which claim to support NAS functions for around $40.

I just bought a 250 gb Hitachi USB external drive at Costco for $40. http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-SimpleDrive-Portable-SDM-250RW/dp/B002CMEIUM If you need more space they had other drives for $60 and up.

Edit: Sorry, I missed the part about your router not having USB.

For some reason I found this very amusing...

:lol: :lol: Amazon has Saved by the Bell Season 1&2, Season 3&4 or Season 5 DVD Set for $10 :lol: :lol:

But wait!!! It gets better!!!


Buy all three and get Free Super Saver Shipping. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

OK, Screech :p