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chalmers4three

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 15, 2012
87
18
ok, so here is what I am looking to do. Currently i have a macbook air and use an external hard drive to store my music, pictures, movies, etc. I do not like having to constantly attach my external hard drive to the laptop (it is not very convenient and not very portable). I would like to have my external hard drive attached to my wi-fi network so i no longer have to physically plug it into my computer. I currently have a wi-fi router but it does not have a place to plug in a USB hard drive. It is my understanding i could use an airport extreme in place of my wi-fi router and attach my hard drive to it to access my files via the network..... is this correct? is this the best option or does anybody have any other recommendations? thanks for the help!
 
If you want/need a new router anyway, AirPort Express is a good way to go.

If your router is OK and you'd just like to add the disk storage, theSynology USB Station 2 is a nice choice.
 
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I had the same dilemma, I ended up returning the AirPort Extreme because it's almost 2 years old and instead opted for the Asus RT-N66U which has many more features, 2 USB ports and faster wireless access.

You can also add custom firmware to it for additional features (this is tacitly supported by Asus)

Try looking on Amazon for it.

Oh, you can also set up a VPN and access your media files from anywhere in the world (provided your ip is static). I've not tried that out yet but will definitely be experimenting with it.
 
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