Hello all,

MY Holdem Manager DB (actually the postgres SQL folder) is getting pretty large and actually taking up a good portion of my hard drive. It's taking up almost half of my hard drive and my other files (videos, pictures, etc...) are taking up almost the other half. So I need to figure out something to free up some space.

Is there a way to connect an external hard drive to my router and have access to the contents of that external hard drive wirelessly from my laptop?

This would obviously help free up some hard drive space as I could then move all the files and folders I don't use everyday to that external hard drive and free up a great deal of my laptop's hard drive.

I'm hoping I could then access the files and folders when I need them on this external hard drive from my laptop without having to actually connect my laptop directly to the external hard drive.


My set up:
I only have the one laptop on my wireless network (no desktop)
My laptop is running Vista
My wireless router is a dlink 8.02.11n
My laptop has a wirless 8.02.11n wireless card
Poker if it matters; I'm using Holdem Manager and mostly play on FT


What external hard drives out there would you suggest for what I'm looking to accomplish

Depends on what router you're using.

I have an ASUS wifi router that has this capability of connecting a usb drive to it and accessing it from the network.

You need a network storage. The only problem with them is they are slower then a hard drive connected to your computer due to the network speed.

I have a NAS with two 500 GB hard drives and also use it as a print server.

http://www.newegg.com/store/SubCateg...ry=124&Tpk=NAS

Thanks Margaud and Gigdom,

I don't really need too much (only the one laptop on my network, anything 160GB+ of hard drive space will be fine, etc...) so I'm looking to keep cost down as much as possible. The ASUS WL700ge looks like it will do just what I'm looking for, but is in the $300 ballpark. Is this the one you are using Margaud?

Does anyone know of a device or a way to accomplish what I'm looking to accomplish for a little less $$$.


Thanks.

Yeah, what you're looking for is a NAS box. You can get one with a 320GB drive installed for fairly good money. The Buffalo ones are very reliable, but they're far from the only option out there. If you don't know, NAS stands for Network Attached Storage, and a NAS box is basically an external hard drive that has a network connector on it rather than a USB connector (for example). The idea is that you plug the drive into a spare port on your router, and you can then access the contents of it over the network. Be aware that to do this you will need a free ethernet port on your router. It is also strongly advisable for your network connections to be running at Gigabit speeds, otherwise you will proably struggle to get decent speeds from the drive. It goes without saying that if you are connecting to it wirelessly, things will be even slower.


Keep your HEM database on your local drive, obv.

Hey Gazillion,

Thanks for the info on the NAS box, but that seems a bit more complicated and expensive then the ASUS wirleess router (that margaud mentioned) with the built in Hard Drive. Would the NAS Box have other features that I would need that the ASUS doesn't have?

Just trying to find out why you think the NAS box might be a better option for my needs.


Thanks again.

It depends on what router Margaud has. If he means the 600G (i think that's what it was called) I was looking at one of these the other day. It has a USB port on it that allows you to connect a hard drive, but the model I was checking only allows you to access the contents of that hard drive via FTP, which means that it wouldn't just appear on your desktop as another device that you could treat like any old drive. Generally NAS boxes have a few things going for them - they can employ multiple network protocols such as ftp, smb, upnpav (not strictly a protocol) etc, which can be handy depending on how you want to access the files. Secondly, the good ones have a mini computer in them that allows you to for example run a bitorrent client that downloads torrents while your computer is turned off. Many also offer media server and itunes support, allowing you to stream music and movies to many computers, although this may not appeal to you. Finally, some also have USB ports on them that allow you to add extra drives to them which also then get shared over the network.

Not putting the router option down by any means, and it might well be just want you want, but you should know that there is less flexibility by going down this route.

there is a single-drive nas unit called simpleshare.

look it up.

This simpleshare sounded good at first glance. After looking into it, it's not wireless and doesn't work well with Vista at this point. I guess some security features within Vista prevent access to key funcionality of the simpleshare drive.

So I guess I'm back to either the ASUS WL700ge for about $300 or a NAS Box which I assume will be at least that much and a little more complicated to get up and running.

Any other suggestions out there from anyone?


Thanks.


GAZILLION,
If I went with the NAS option, which would you suggest for a very basic one laptop network? I'm trying to keep cost down, but still make sure I will have wireless acess to the contents of this externallly staored data.

FWIW, my router is the Asus 500W

I haven't tried the usb hard drive option yet so I'm not sure what protocols it supports.

I only bought this because the price was ok and I wasn't able to find my favourite linksys wrt54g when I moved and was in a rush to get a router setup.

you don't need the unit to be wireless.

you need to plug it into your router, then you can access it from any computer on the network.

looking for a wireless nas is a bad idea.

Thanks Freakin,

I called and asked the support person about the product. When I asked if I could access the contents of the simpleshare from my laptop wirelessly he said NO and that I would need to connect it directly to the simpleshare device to gain access to the contents. I thought this defeated the entire purpose of the device, but took him at his word. Maybe their was some miscommunication as it did sound odd to me.

He also confirmed that simpleshare doesn't work well with Vista right now. Since my laptop is running Vista the simpleshare isn't really an option for me. I wish it did work with Vista as it looked just the thing I'm looking for at a reasonable price.



In case interested, here's one of the FAQ's on the site about the issue with Vista:


Does the SimpleShare work with Vista?
A: There is currently limited compatibility between the SimpleShare and Windows Vista. Microsoft added new security features that have caused issues with the Linux base of the SimpleShare. While most users have been able to get basic data access, the advanced features of the SimpleShare are not working in Vista. This applies most specifically to the password protection options in the SimpleShare. This feature cannot be enabled if you would like to access the SimpleShare from Vista.

Simple network storage should not be affected by vista. I am reasonably confident that simpleshare is exactly what you need.

You would just plug it into your router/switch, assign it an IP address and hostname, and access it by \\HOSTNAME in start-->run

Hey Freakin,

Thanks a bunch for the info. I really hope you are correct as the price is right for this device.

Why do you think simpletech has this statement about the simpleshare device not working well with Vista on their website?


Are you confident enough to suggest I just make the purchase and hope it works?


Thanks again for all the help.

Wow, I seem more confused then when I started...lol.

I now have three options to consider.

1.) Buy a new wireless router with USB capabilities (ASUS 500W for about $100). Also buy the simpleshare external hard drive ($100) that can plug into the ASUS router.
Total cost $200

2.) Purchase the ASUS 700ge (about $300). This does everything I'm looking for in one easy to set up and use device.
Total cost $300

3.) Upgrade the capacity of my laptop's internal hard drive. Purchase a new larger internal hard drive (about $150). Purchase a cloning kit to easily clone my current hard drive to the new lager hard drive ($40)
Total cost $200


What the heck would you do???

Option 1 - most versatile as you can use the external hdd on other computers, take it a friends house, etc. easily replaceable

Option 2 - easiest to setup but as with all bundled products, hardware failure means you replace everything

Option 3 - most mobile solution but you might still consider an external hdd for backup purposes

I would do 1, but you don't have to replace your router to use it. The simpleshare just takes a network plug, so you can plug it into ANY router.

If you get that Asus router w/ a USB plug, then you can theoretically get any USB external drive and plug it in.

As far as Vista goes, you may have problems if you use password authentication with the Simpleshare because of the level of encryption vista requires.

Without a password, it should be no issue.

If you want to use a password, you have to force Vista to use the older encryption methods

http://www.jimmah.com/vista/Networking/ntlm.aspx

People definitely use simpleshare w/ Vista.

Thanks again,

It looks like option #1 seems the best, but with that I need to make sure I get the right devices that are capatible of working properly together.


My current Dlink router does not have any USB inputs so I will need to purchase a new wireless router that I can plug this external hard (maybe the simpleshare) into. Will just about any wireless router with USB inputs work fine? Would the ASUS 500W be better then others?

In regards to the Hard Drive, what will the simpleshare do that another external hard drive capable of plugging into the wireless routers USB port won't?


What do I need to make sure of before deciding on which devices to purchase to make sure they are capatable with each other?


Should I be fine buying the ASUS 500W wireless router and the simpleshare.


Thanks again for al the help.

For the record, I am not recommending you buy the 500W. It works most of the time for me but I've had a huge problem finding updated firmware to flash it with. Sometimes, my laptop's connection to the router goes on and off repeatedly...a reboot of the router fixes the problem but I have no idea as to what causes the problem. If I did it again, I'd have bought my favorite Linksys router and buy a NAS (like simpleshare) for network storage. I prefer Linksys routers because you can flash some of them with open source linux based firmware.


First of all, if you buy the simpleshare you do NOT have to buy the 500W router for it's USB ports. The Simpleshare will plug into any router that takes ethernet cable jacks (i.e. routers/switches but not pure WiFi Access Points). The simpleshare will work with the 500W just as it would with your existing router.

What does the Simpleshare offer over a normal external usb hard drive? It has print server functions (plug a print server into the back and access the printer from any computer on your network). It has 2 USB ports so you can add more USB devices (i.e. daisy chain more hard drives to it).

Thanks so much to everyone for helping me clear all this up.