Help! Setup USB Drive on ASUS RT86U Router.

[Formaleins]

I don't have much hair left these days, most of it is getting pulled out due to the ASUS router I have just bought, which I am trying to do what should be a simple task, sharing an USB drive plugged into the router USB 3 port.

Well, it is not working out simple at all - let me explain what is happening at the moment.

Firstly, after plugging in my drive the router sees it no problem and is detected and listed in the router firmware. Go into windows and there is nothing there.

So, on to step 2 - For basic sharing there is a number of options, FTP, NFS, SAMBA and Media Server. None of these are really what I want, as all I want to do is to be able to read and write files from my LOCAL network PC's to this drive. No need to access from internet or anything like that, no need for an Media Server as I already use PLEX.

So, the only choices I seem to have is to enable the Media Server and the SAMBA option (I enclose a couple of screenshots) you can see the choices available.

 

Anyway, after enabling these options (it does not matter if I enable one or the other or both - the results are the same)

Once enabled, I go into Win 10 using file explorer, there is an icon which is basically the Windows style icon for the media server. If I double click on it or right click and OPEN, all that happens is the screen flashes and it takes me to my browser and the log in page for the router.

 

The is no Computer (My computer style) icon that shows up that would normally allow you to open and view directories and then map the network drive. All that is showing is this media server icon which I can do nothing with at all.

 

When I tried setting this up last week, I did in fact manage to get the computer icon, which opened up and I was able to see the three directories created by the ASUS router, Video, Pictures and Music - however I was never able to move files across from my PC to the drive. Then, after a short while, that icon no longer shows up anymore.

This is a new router, it is the 86 model not the 66, nut setup is almost identical - I have followed the ASUS setup guide and a number of other guides on YouTube, but it just does not work at all.

 

If Anyone has any ideas as to what needs to be done, I would love to hear from you as this is driving me crazy.

 

All I want to do is have my USB drive connected to the router, visible on the local network and be able to read and write files from my local PC's - Is it asking too much?

[coops]

"For basic sharing there is a number of options, FTP, NFS, SAMBA and Media Server. None of these are really what I want, as all I want to do is to be able to read and write files from my LOCAL network PC's to this drive" - Wrong... these (FTP, NFS or Samba) are precisely what you do want and need, but not 'media server'.

 

These are the network protocols from which you'll choose one flavour/varietry to send/receive files between a computer and the router and hard disk.

 

This should point you in the right direction even if it isn't Asus specific...

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/share-usb-drive-wi-fi-router/

 

It seems Windows 10 file explorer can do ftp ok - so that's probably the best option. 

 

before you start, best to also check your Asus router admin page and ensure the firmware is up to date.

 

Also page here about what format drives are ok - mind you, it's from 2009 (!) so should be even wider compatibility now

http://event.asus.com/2009/networks/disksupport/

[Formaleins]

10 minutes ago, coops said:

"For basic sharing there is a number of options, FTP, NFS, SAMBA and Media Server. None of these are really what I want, as all I want to do is to be able to read and write files from my LOCAL network PC's to this drive" - Wrong... these (FTP, NFS or Samba) are precisely what you do want and need, but not 'media server'.

 

These are the network protocols from which you'll choose one flavour/varietry to send/receive files between a computer and the router and hard disk.

 

This should point you in the right direction even if it isn't Asus specific...

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/share-usb-drive-wi-fi-router/

 

It seems Windows 10 file explorer can do ftp ok - so that's probably the best option. 

 

before you start, best to also check your Asus router admin page and ensure the firmware is up to date.

 

Also page here about what format drives are ok - mind you, it's from 2009 (!) so should be even wider compatibility now

http://event.asus.com/2009/networks/disksupport/

Cheers,

I went through that setup for Linksys last night, it just does not work the same, you cannot get the file explorer to display the computer icons, only the media server icon. I will check out the FTP server, but it really should not need to be setup like that, probably just down to shit Asus software yet again. If I type in the address in file explorer as detailed in that link, I just end up back at the login page of the router within my browser!

Edited July 10, 2018 by Formaleins

[coops]

Asus software is pretty good really, but first:

 

Are you clicking on the Network folder first in File Explorer and then the ip address?

Or might require to specify the port - which will be specified in the Asus setup... so in file explorer then enter something like

yourrouteripaddress:yourportnumberon Asus such as:-

192.168.2.1:2021    (where 2021 is the port number) 

 

I'm not at home where my own Asus router lives, but I'll be checking a couple of youtube Asus specific clips in a moment... well, might be a while as gulf of thailand oil rig internet is not too speedy...

Edited July 10, 2018 by coops

[coops]

This the youtube clip for you

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWLKECTNy_Q