Connecting External Hard Drive to Wireless Network

JP181818

I have a set of 3 TP-Link Deco M5s and I am looking to see if there is a way to be able to connect my 8 TB external hard drive to my home network that would make it visable to all 3 laptops in the house so I can use the network to backup the important files on each rather than having to plug each laptop in every so often and doing it manually. There is no USB port on the M5 and I do not have a desktop or laptop that stays in one place to connect it to. Could I plug a separate router that has a USB port into one of the beacons with a network cable and use that to connect the hard drive without causing any issues with the network? I still have the Tenda AC15 that I replaced with the Deco units laying around. Any other ideas that may work?

PowerSpec_MikeW

There are a couple of ways to address this. First you can buy an NAS adapter, and you'll just connect the external to via USB and the adapter to your router via ethernet. We don't stock these currently.

Second option is to buy an NAS enclosure. You can remove the drive and install it in the new enclosure. Becareful with the drive and check the specifications. Some drives, like the WD MyBook's use an encryption chip on the PCB inside the enclosure. You won't be able to access the data on the drive without having that part inline. 

Third option is to connect it to a computer, preferably a desktop connected directly to the router. Then you'll just share the drive from there. It's just a basic workgroup setup from that point.

Fourth option, reinstall the Tenda AC15. You can connect the external to it via the USB 3.0 port. Then use your Deco's behind the Tenda as access points to further expand your network. This article addresses switching the Deco's to AP mode: https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1842/