Connect USB hard drive to wireless router on RJ45 port? Possible?

just a quick story behind. I was trying to set up wireless networked hard drive at home. My wireless router doesn't take USB. I am considering few options.

First i was considering to get something like WD My Cloud. My router is an old one provided by service provider. It only has 10/100 Ethernet. WD My Cloud has Gigabit interface. So unless i changed a new router, data transfer will be slow.

So upgrading the router is a must if i want fast transfer speed. Plus I already own an external hard drive with USB 3.0 interface. So if I get a router like Netgear D6300, i can get a decent speed wireless shared drive at home. And i can use my existing HDD instead of WD My Cloud. But the router isn't cheap so I am saving up for that.

In the meantime I found out the existence of USB to RJ45 adaptor. I read the reviews and some say it works for them and for some don't. They didn't really say what they were trying to do so I'm confused.

So if i bought an adaptor like this, can i connect my existing HDD (USB) with my existing router (RJ45) and use it as a shared drive for data transfer? I know it will be slow as the adaptor will only have USB 2.0 and 10/100 for Ethernet. But it's fine as it's for temporary until i got my new router.

Answer

Those adapters will almost certainly not work. They look like they will simply use a USB cable to send the signal from an RJ45, not CONVERT USB to Ethernet (what you are trying to achieve).

There are a couple of solutions to your query:

1. Get one of those WD My Cloud devices, as you have said - this will also enable your device to be accessible from the Internet easily;


2. Upgrade your router to include a USB mass storage capability - I wouldn't hold your hopes up it being USB 3.0, however;


3. Set up a computer on your network that is on all the time and "share" the drive. Or;


4. Get a USB to NAS device. This might be your saviour.