Infuse access AirDisk anywhere

[UhFive]

I have a drive attached to my AirPort Extreme (5th Gen, I think)...anyways I want to setup the infuse app to access that drive anywhere. Currently I can only access it while on the same WiFi network.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[sjinsjca]

First, this has grave potential security consequences that you'll need to have your eyes open about.

Do you have a static IP address? If so then if you set your not then you'll need a service such as DynDNS running on some machine on your LAN so your access attempts can be routed to whatever your IP address happens to be at the moment.

(If that paragraph doesn't make sense to you, stop right now.)

Then go to Airport Utility and check mark the "Share disks over WAN" option in the Disks tab. Be sure to set a strong password and manually encrypt anything of value on that disk... or any other disk you have attached, including your Time Machine backups, as all disks will be shared.

 

[Farsider]

I assume you're trying to steam video to the Infuse App(?) Unless you've got a good upstream link on your broadband (probably 1-2Mbit/sec minimum) you'll struggle to get something you're happy with unless the bit rate is low.

Have you looked at other streaming solutions (like Plex)? These will be a much slicker solution not to mention more secure than opening up your Airport Extreme disk completely to the Internet.

 

[UhFive]

First, this has grave potential security consequences that you'll need to have your eyes open about.

Do you have a static IP address? If so then if you set your not then you'll need a service such as DynDNS running on some machine on your LAN so your access attempts can be routed to whatever your IP address happens to be at the moment.

(If that paragraph doesn't make sense to you, stop right now.)

Then go to Airport Utility and check mark the "Share disks over WAN" option in the Disks tab. Be sure to set a strong password and manually encrypt anything of value on that disk... or any other disk you have attached, including your Time Machine backups, as all disks will be shared.

I understand what the first paragraph is saying, but have never actually setup a machine that way.
Really what I was trying to avoid was having a dedicated machine setup just to run a PLEX server...it seems like that is the most economical/safest route to go though.

 

[UhFive]

I assume you're trying to steam video to the Infuse App(?) Unless you've got a good upstream link on your broadband (probably 1-2Mbit/sec minimum) you'll struggle to get something you're happy with unless the bit rate is low.

Have you looked at other streaming solutions (like Plex)? These will be a much slicker solution not to mention more secure than opening up your Airport Extreme disk completely to the Internet.

Unfortunately I don't know much about this Plex stuff and every time I read up about it I get more confused..."you need this CPU for transcoding on the fly" or this one for this, and this...Basically I rip all my Blu-rays and want to be able to access them anywhere over an iPad when traveling (keep the kid/wife entertained on long drives), if possible I would also like to be able to save content for offline viewing later (although not as important).
I've got 10/mbps upload...although my average is in between 12-13mbps (100mbps down for reference averaging 115mbps)

 

[Farsider]

If you have enough space on your iPad, Infuse can copy your content locally for offline viewing.

If not, Plex will do everything you've asked for. But if you really don't want to run that, maybe a steaming solution like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc would be better for you and there is no complexity involved.

 

[UhFive]

If you have enough space on your iPad, Infuse can copy your content locally for offline viewing.

If not, Plex will do everything you've asked for. But if you really don't want to run that, maybe a steaming solution like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc would be better for you and there is no complexity involved.

I wasn't aware Infuse could do that, I've got the free space on my devices. Got to get the family to decide in advance on the movies. I've got Netflix and Prime...they're alright for TV shows, but really lack in movie selection. My wife/kid is mostly interested in the big blockbuster movies.
As much as I hate to have an always on device just to run PLEX, it looks like that is the best solution for on streaming my own content.

Now...can anyone suggest the best device for this? I would prefer a NAS option so I can partition it for my time machine. I will likely use the official PLEX apps on my devices (simplex on my new Apple TV until the official app drops), and I rip most of my movies w/ Make MKV then convert to MP4 w/ Handbrake. I don't know much about this whole "transcoding" on the fly crap, so any help in that area is appreciated. I would be willing to spend around the $400 mark and need at LEAST 3TB, but would prefer 4TB to future proof it for at the next two years. Something with swappable HDD is preferred so I can just replace the drives as my collection expands.

 

[sjinsjca]

If you don't mind geeking out a bit, you can set up a Plex server using a $35 Raspberry Pi 2, with a USB disk (connected to a powered hub) to hold your media. Works a treat. It'll be a project to get it going, but a fun one if you're a bit of a nerd at heart.

 

[UhFive]

If you don't mind geeking out a bit, you can set up a Plex server using a $35 Raspberry Pi 2, with a USB disk (connected to a powered hub) to hold your media. Works a treat. It'll be a project to get it going, but a fun one if you're a bit of a nerd at heart.

I've looked into this but due to the CPU constraints of the Pi 2 it isn't capable of transcoding and is best suited for serving up content locally.
I am considering using a Pi as a client in one of my rooms though as I don't need a full blown Apple TV there.

 

[sjinsjca]

I've looked into this but due to the CPU constraints of the Pi 2 it isn't capable of transcoding and is best suited for serving up content locally.
I am considering using a Pi as a client in one of my rooms though as I don't need a full blown Apple TV there.

True, you can't do transcoding with the Pi2, but it's pretty functional altogether, and you can't beat the price.

http://www.htpcguides.com/install-plex-media-server-on-raspberry-pi-2/ has more info.