Wireless Hard Drive

[djh3]

I am trying to figure out a way to have a HDD at the home office that can be accessed by different computers. I am running a gateway/router from comcast. It has only 4 cat 5 plugs on it. I have 3 computers hardwired to it and also some sort of booster thing I have to have for the cell phone to work decent at the house. So all plugs are full. It is a wireless router also, so I do have wi-fi available. The wife has her work PC which has all sorts of passwords and encryption on it and is a PIA to try to access if I am doing work for her. So what we have been doing is when I complete a file I copy to jump stick and toss it on her desk. Lately her work PC has not been recognizing the jump stick. I dunno why it works OK on my PC. So for me to access her computer and share files is password protected etc. She can access mine sometimes, but the network dont always see mine from her PC. Thought were to use a wireless HDD, but them are not exactly cheap. Over $100 for 500gb.

Anybody got any ideas? I have seen some kind of dongle thing with a usb plug on one end that is supposed to like make something wireless. Could you plug this up to a "regular" external HDD and make that work? The dongle thing was $25 range and have seen external HDD for $40 or so. Might could swing that.

[FreezyRider]

Checkout DropBox. Install it on your computer, save your files to DropBox (on the web, but encrypted for security). From her computer, she can login to your DropBox account and copy the files down to her computer. No muss, no fuss. And it's free.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/

[bkuhr]

You may not like this, but at our work, our IT department started a new security program that only allows specified, pre approved, usb items to be attached to company computers. The program they installed actually looked at the usb serial number, and if not on approved list blocks all data transfer, read or write. This applies to thumb drives, but also to other devices, such as camera's and usb hard drives, and different kinds of dongles. We had a time for a while getting IT to approve all our items.

 

If wife's computer has similar security, only option may be to get official approval from her IT department.

[SilvrT]

The "dongle thing" is probably just a wireless adapter that makes a computer that doesn't have built-in wireless, wireless. I doubt you could hook that to any "regular" or External HDD and make it work. You would need a "wireless specific" external HDD.

 

If your computers are hard wired they shouldn't be losing sight of each other. Is each one set up on the same WorkGroup? Have you created any Shared folders?

[friesman]

I would suspect that Rick (SilvrT)has it right that you don't have a workgroup set up properly or perhaps you havnt created a folder on one machine to be shared on your network that you can all attach to, and exchange files back and forth.

 

try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRtcW9OHA-k

 

Brian

[djh3]

Yes same home network. I do have a shared folder on my PC. She can usually access it. But me saving something or finding something on her work PC is just about impossible. Guess I will have to try a couple things to maybe simplify the access troubles.

[Wizard765]

Does her work PC belong to her or to a company she is working for? If it is hers then network access can be set up that is dependable and will work like you want without buying anything. If it is a company PC then is most likely has security that will make this more difficult.

[SilvrT]

But me saving something or finding something on her work PC is just about impossible.

 

Is it possible that her filing system is unorganized?

[aharbi]

You have several options. Use a "cloud" (a wireless network drive like Dropbox, Windows Live SkyDrive, Apple iCloud) Most are free and provide upto 500GB. Chances are you have access to one of these but have not registered nor set it up. Or you can purchase and setup your own home "cloud". Don't know where you are shopping but in my area a wireless 500gb drive retails for $49. My wife and I need a common place to share files (mainly pictures). I setup a home cloud to use with our iPhones, iPads, Nook HD+, Laptop, Netbook. Keep in mind a home cloud is only good at home. The Dropbox, Windows, Apple clouds can be used any place you have WiFi access which I use when I travel. Once home I transfer everything to the home cloud freeing up space and being charged for anything over the 500gb.

[midnightventure]

My router has a usb port on it that I have a 1TB hard drive connected to. We download our pictures to it and then the other copies them to their computer. At that point we have 3 copies. Use it mostly for pictures but I do have some other things on it too.

[Flyinfool]

I have an old computer in the closet that is just a home server with a 2Tb drive in it. That drive is formatted with 2 partitions. one partition is very small and has just enough space for the operating system and installed programs to make that computer functional. Then on all of the other computers in the house that actually get used, I have a mapped drive to that monster drive. that is where all of the shared data lives.

 

I also have an external 2T backup on there.