In this guide I will explain step by step how Share movies with a hard drive connected to the router. I am going to talk about the requirements that you must meet and the necessary configuration for this to be possible. In a way, I teach you to create your own low -cost NAS. In fact, you may not have to buy and that everything you need to have it at home.
Requirements for sharing films with a hard drive connected to the router
There is two requirements that you must fulfill before getting to work. These are:
- Have a router with the file sharing function and a USB port.
- An external hard drive or a USB memory.
Of course, another implicit requirement is that you have enough space in the unit to copy all the movies you want to see. When you have assured that you meet these points, you already have everything about to get to work.
How to have a hard drive connected to the router
The first thing you should do is establish the physical connection between the router and the hard drive. This has no mystery. Simply connect the disc the USB port of the router. So, go to your computer or mobile and Connect to the Router IP addresswhich is usually 192,168.1.1. It is the same that is used to change the Wi -Fi password.
Enter the Credentials to access the control panel. The user and password are printed on the router label, unless you have modified them. Each router has a different control panel. This is how mine looks:
As you can see, the USB album has already detected, as shown in the corresponding section. If this does not happen in your case, make sure have it formatted with a compatible file system. It is best to opt for NTFS or FAT32.
Next, you need to activate the function File sharing. I cannot tell you where you will find it in your case, since the structure of your router's panel will be different. Now, it is important that you find it and the habilites. It is also common for the router to have DLNA supportbecoming a multimedia server.
Once you have Set both optionsestablishing the name of the device on the network and adding user and password to access the files, you will be able to access your multimedia files from other devices. So you can do it:
- Windows. Writes \\ 192.168.1.1 \ In the file explorer. Enter the user and password you have established before. In addition, if you visit the section Grid From the file explorer, you will be able to access the content of the USB by DLNA.
- Mac. If you have a Mac, open safari and write SMB: //192.168.1.1/. Then, let the Finder open and log in with the data you have configured. If the album has more than one partition, the Finder will allow you to choose which one you want to open.
Following these simple steps, you will be able Explore all hard drive movies connected to the router on your PC and your Mac. In addition, it is possible to interact with the unit, adding content or eliminating it. In fact, knowing how to connect your computer to the router not only serves to see the files, but for manage them without having to disconnect the unit.
How to access the hard drive connected to the router from other devices
Any device that is compatible with the Samba protocol that has applications compatible with it will allow you to explore the Hard disk content connected to the router. In fact, I personally have been able to check it with an Apple TV and the VLC player. How have I achieved it?
After installing VLC, I have pressed in Connect to server.
Next, I have used the connection data using the SMB (Samba) option. In my case, I have had to Specify the partition Because the USB I used for this test had two partitions. The normal thing is that this is not necessary in your case.
After putting the user and password, in addition to the Router IP, I have been able to reproduce the films I had on the device directly from the Apple TV.
In my case, I have followed these steps from Apple TV because it was the device I had at hand. However, if you have a Android TVall you should do is install VLC and follow exactly the same steps. The interesting thing is that, even in a device as restrictive as the Apple TV, it is enough to have an application like VLC to play anything you have saved on your hard drive connected to the router.
And you, are you taking advantage of this function? Leave me your comments below. We read!
