What options exist for a NAS with USB too?

[Invincible Sugar]

Hi! I've tried googling this a few different ways but I keep finding listings that have USB support for attaching additional external hard drives. But that is not what I want to do. I have very poor internet where I live, and I must frequently switch my computer between three or four different options to connect to the internet. So if I'm going to have a NAS I will want to be able to connect to it directly with USB to my computer, in addition to local network options.

 

I do not want to have to pick between internet and network storage. If I can connect it to my computer with USB than I can still switch my network choice between the various options while using the external storage, but also have a functioning NAS for my laptop and other devices in the house.

 

I know beggars can't be choosers, but if this is actually a fairly common set up and I just don't know the right term to search for it on Google then I would prefer something with four or more drive bays. Ideally it would have six. If this is a more niche need then I guess I'll just be happy with whatever you guys know about. Either way, thank you! 

[Electronics Wizardy]

You can just do a point to point network to your pc, and that link will work with no internet, just on a point to point network. Any nas can do this.

 

[Invincible Sugar]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

You can just do a point to point network to your pc, and that link will work with no internet, just on a point to point network. Any nas can do this.

 

I don't know anything about how that works. Would I just be plugging the Ethernet from The Naz directly into my PC? if I do that, wouldn't that just be a fancy external storage option? How would other devices on the home network access it?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Invincible Sugar said:

I don't know anything about how that works. Would I just be plugging the Ethernet from The Naz directly into my PC? if I do that, wouldn't that just be a fancy external storage option? How would other devices on the home network access it?

Whta does your home network look like? Can you make a diagram?

 

NOrmally you just plug your nas into you lan, and it will work fine with no internet, just over your lan. 

 

 

[Invincible Sugar]

I have a wireless network with 6 nodes, which is getting internet from a slow DSL connection. This is the primary Network for the whole house. And it is a network I was planning on connecting the NAS to. There are also multiple hot spots at one time, usually from smartphones. I do have a single T-Mobile LTE modem with ethernet but it does not connect to any kind of network, I just plug it directly into one device at a time.

 

for a current example if I want to print something I have two options and both the laser printer and inkjet are on that wireless 6 note Network so if the DSL is particularly slow or not working I have to forego internet for a few minutes and connect to the home network to print.

 

Ideally my nas would be connected to that home network, each of the nodes has ethernet for that purpose, but also connected directly via USB into my computer.

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Invincible Sugar said:

I have a wireless network with 6 nodes, which is getting internet from a slow DSL connection. This is the primary Network for the whole house. And it is a network I was planning on connecting the NAS to. There are also multiple hot spots at one time, usually from smartphones. I do have a single T-Mobile LTE modem with ethernet but it does not connect to any kind of network, I just plug it directly into one device at a time.

 

for a current example if I want to print something I have two options and both the laser printer and inkjet are on that wireless 6 note Network so if the DSL is particularly slow or not working I have to forego internet for a few minutes and connect to the home network to print.

 

Ideally my nas would be connected to that home network, each of the nodes has ethernet for that purpose, but also connected directly via USB into my computer.

You can connect a system to multiple networks at once, so to the nas and the wifi hotspot.

 

If you want your desktop to always access the nas, just run a cable between them. The nas can connect to your pc directly and the rest of the network. This would work basically the same as a usb cable

 

Why not connect the differnt modems to the main router, so you don't have to switch networks?

[Invincible Sugar]

10 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

You can connect a system to multiple networks at once, so to the nas and the wifi hotspot.

 

If you want your desktop to always access the nas, just run a cable between them. The nas can connect to your pc directly and the rest of the network. This would work basically the same as a usb cable

 

Why not connect the differnt modems to the main router, so you don't have to switch networks?

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're suggesting a NAS with two ethernet connections? One directly to my PC and one to the Network? 

 

Every connection available is low bandwidth. The DSL connection get something like 20 megabits down and 1/2 a megabit up, which for downloads is the best of all options. my Sprint hotspot usually gets about 7 megabits down and two megabits up, but it's limited to 20 gigabytes per month so I'm much more frequent use case for me is mirror casting that Sprint phone to my smart TV so I can watch video off of my unlimited data cap instead of using a hotspot which only gets 20 GB.

 

my T-Mobile phones typically get about three to four megabits down and one up, and my AT&T phone gets about 1 to 2 megabits down and half a megabit up. 

 

other than the DSL connection no other options are good enough to connect to the home network. they are barely good enough to power one connected device, they definitely cannot handle two smart TVs three computers and half a dozen Google homes.

 

everyone in the household has at least one smartphone with a hotspot option which they will typically use with their computer or TV or whatever, and the DSL is more what we use when we aren't actively using a computer, it would default back to that DSL connection, or for devices like the Google homes and the printers and whatnot that don't need a ton of bandwidth. but Cellular connections aren't that good either, there's a mountain right by our house. So sometimes we have to use the DSL.

[Invincible Sugar]

It is not uncommon for me to take my LTE laptop and drives about 6 or 7 minutes out of the neighborhood to the circle k, because that is right on the highway and the best place to upload files larger than a couple of megabytes. My slow T-Mobile connection at home works pretty well in public places along the highway.

[Electronics Wizardy]

3 minutes ago, Invincible Sugar said:

If I'm understanding you correctly, you're suggesting a NAS with two ethernet connections? One directly to my PC and one to the Network? 

Yep thats what id do. It would do the same thing as the usb, but would support any nas

[Invincible Sugar]

sorry for any grammatical errors, I am currently communicating off a phone with a cracked screen so I can't type. I have to dictate everything and it's not perfect

[Invincible Sugar]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

Yep thats what id do. It would do the same thing as the usb, but would support any nas

do I have to do anything special to configure it to? Or is it literally just plug and play? And my computer will be smart enough to use the Wi-Fi connection for internet, whichever one I have it set to, and the ethernet connection for The NAS?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Invincible Sugar said:

do I have to do anything special to configure it to? Or is it literally just plug and play? And my computer will be smart enough to use the Wi-Fi connection for internet, whichever one I have it set to, and the ethernet connection for The NAS?

You have to setup the network, so setup a ip on both devices on the same subnet, then connect via the ip

 

Just now, Invincible Sugar said:

will be smart enough to use the Wi-Fi connection for internet, whichever one I have it set to, and the ethernet connection for The NAS?

Don't give this network a gateway, and it can only use the wifi for internet, and won't try to use the nas for internet.

[Invincible Sugar]

1 hour ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

You have to setup the network, so setup a ip on both devices on the same subnet, then connect via the ip

 

Don't give this network a gateway, and it can only use the wifi for internet, and won't try to use the nas for internet.

I don't know what any of that means... you've surpassed my knowledge on networking and ethernet. 

[Electronics Wizardy]

7 minutes ago, Invincible Sugar said:

I don't know what any of that means... you've surpassed my knowledge on networking and ethernet. 

Ltt has a guide, about 3:20 with this video 

 

 

[Invincible Sugar]

15 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Ltt has a guide, about 3:20 with this video 

 

 

Thank you!

[paddy-stone]

Sorry for butting in here, but I'm kinda confused. Wouldn't just having a USB SSD/HDD on the main pc, and then setting up a network share do the same thing?  would be a lot cheaper if that's the case.

[The_Ellimist]

Sounds like you could benefit from a router that can load balance and do QoS on the connection based on throughput each month.