Wireless Home Media Storage

[kabir010]

Hi,
I have a lot of content, (movies, music, and documents) on a external hard disk which I want to access it wirelessly within my home network from my laptops and tablets. I would like to watch the movies and play the music wireless via my laptop within my home's wifi network zone. What would be the best solution to have a fast wireless solution for this requirement?

I'm currently using Netgear AC1200 R6220 router for my internet connection.

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

Hi,
I have a lot of content, (movies, music, and documents) on a external hard disk which I want to access it wirelessly within my home network from my laptops and tablets. I would like to watch the movies and play the music wireless via my laptop within my home's wifi network zone. What would be the best solution to have a fast wireless solution for this requirement?

I'm currently using Netgear AC1200 R6220 router for my internet connection.

Chapter 6 of the user manual explains how to attach your hard disk and share content.
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/R6220/202-11443-04_R6220_EN_08Jan2016.pdf

Have you tried this and is it not fast enough, or is there a specific requirement for which you need assistance (e.g. large home, wifi obstructions, crowded wireless spectrum)?

 

[USAFRet]

Your drive or other storage device does not have to be wireless.
Your router does the heavy lifting for that.

Your devices talk to the router via wired or WiFi, the router talks to the storage (HDD or NAS) via a wire.
Seamless.

 

[kabir010]

Hi, thank you for the suggestion. What I had initially tried is to connect the hard disk with the router via the USB port. While this worked, but the speed in terms of usability was quite poor. It would even take several seconds to play and or pause a video when watching wirelessly.

I just need a solution/advise where the data transfer speed is fast enough so that it is usable.

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

Hi, thank you for the suggestion. What I had initially tried is to connect the hard disk with the router via the USB port. While this worked, but the speed in terms of usability was quite poor. It would even take several seconds to play and or pause a video when watching wirelessly.

I just need a solution/advise where the data transfer speed is fast enough so that it is usable.

That depends on the possible cause of the transfer speed problem.

If media playing works fine when close to the router but worsens in rooms further away, then you likely need to consider a wired access point in another area of the house. Wifi enabled powerline adapters may also help in your situation. If wireless media streaming is important to you, well placed access points are essential to streaming performance.

Also, in my opinion, routers do not make the best media servers. That could be part of the problem you are experiencing. If wifi doesn't seem to be the problem, you might need to look at upgrading to a NAS or other dedicated server.

 

[kabir010]

Hi, thank you for the suggestion. What I had initially tried is to connect the hard disk with the router via the USB port. While this worked, but the speed in terms of usability was quite poor. It would even take several seconds to play and or pause a video when watching wirelessly.

I just need a solution/advise where the data transfer speed is fast enough so that it is usable.

That depends on the possible cause of the transfer speed problem.

If media playing works fine when close to the router but worsens in rooms further away, then you likely need to consider a wired access point in another area of the house. Wifi enabled powerline adapters may also help in your situation. If wireless media streaming is important to you, well placed access points are essential to streaming performance.

Also, in my opinion, routers do not make the best media servers. That could be part of the problem you are experiencing. If wifi doesn't seem to be the problem, you might need to look at upgrading to a NAS or other dedicated server.

Actually I experienced the current issue when I was using it in the same room as my router. Can you suggest a NAS which would be best for my solution?

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

Actually I experienced the current issue when I was using it in the same room as my router. Can you suggest a NAS which would be best for my solution?

You mentioned poor speeds and delays when playing or pausing media. Do you have trouble with buffering / frequent interruptions in media playback? Have you tried with a PC directly connected to the router? What speeds are achieved when transferring large files?

I believe a NAS is a better solution over the router's USB sharing. If you can post the size requirement and budget, someone may be able to suggest a particular model. NAS devices from QNAP and Synology are the ones usually recommended by users here.

 

[USAFRet]

I have a Qnap TS-453A for my main media storage. Movies and music.
Wired to the router, but all the devices connect wired or WiFi to the router.

No "several seconds to play and or pause a video".

I have a dedicated HTPC to deliver to the TV, but I just tried it with a low end Asus Transformer.
WiFi, connecting to the Movie folder in the NAS box...ISO or .mp4.
Plays pretty seamlessly. Start, pause, resume...pretty rapid.

My recipe book also lives in that NAS, accessed from a little 7" tablet via WiFi. Again, quick and seamless.

The NAS, however, is not an inexpensive solution.