FIOS Router - USB Port to Hookup Hard Drive

FIOS includes a Router that has a USB Port that I want to use to hookup a USB Hard Drive to be shared on our Network. My routers before the DIOS had that capability and I would expect that this has the same. I tried plugging it in and it doesn't recognize the drive. There is absolutely nothing in any information on the FIOS Router that includes the use of the USP Port and FIOS Internet Support is completely non-functional. I will get into that in another message. Anyway, could someone contact or email me with instructions on how to setup the Router USB Port to accept my USB Hard Drive? {edited for privacy}

Accepted answers

CaptainSTX

Be careful what you wish for.

USB drives connected to a router result in low speed data transfer connections. 12 Mbps write and 20 Mbps read would be typical. Newer routers with more powerful architecture can do somewhat better. Connecting using WiFi only makes it worse.

If you really want to share files, back up computers, streamj video buy a NAS and plug it into an Ethernet port. NAS devices start in the neighborhood of $100 for the device plus the cost of purchasing the HDs to populate them.

I can understand Verizon's reluctance to add this feature as it would require additional support on their end helping users get the feature working with only a marginal benefit to users.

If you want centralized file storage purchase the correct solution, which is a NAS.

And if you think USB file storage creates problems connecting a printer and getting it to work all the time is an even bigger problem. The best solution is connecting your printer using Ethernet to the router so all devices can print either using their own Ethernet connection or by connecting to the router using WiFi. The next best solution is having a printer that can connect to your router using its own WiFi.

All comments

Anti-Phish1

@vantage wrote:
FIOS includes a Router that has a USB Port that I want to use to hookup a USB Hard Drive to be shared on our Network.
The USB port is not functional, although it is powered and can be used to charge a cell phone.

vantage1

Why am I not surprised.......... This just tops of my experience swith Verizon FIOS....

viafax999

@vantage wrote:
FIOS includes a Router that has a USB Port that I want to use to hookup a USB Hard Drive to be shared on our Network. My routers before the DIOS had that capability and I would expect that this has the same. I tried plugging it in and it doesn't recognize the drive. There is absolutely nothing in any information on the FIOS Router that includes the use of the USP Port and FIOS Internet Support is completely non-functional. I will get into that in another message. Anyway, could someone contact or email me with instructions on how to setup the Router USB Port to accept my USB Hard Drive? {edited for privacy}

Connect your old router to the fios router. There are many methods of doing this. Details of performing this can be found by reading info on this board. Personally I connect my dlink from a lan port on the fios router to the wan port on the dlink, after first changing the subnet used by the dlink to be other than 192.168.1.x

Anti-Phish1

@viafax999 wrote:
Connect your old router to the fios router. There are many methods of doing this. Details of performing this can be found by reading info on this board. Personally I connect my dlink from a lan port on the fios router to the wan port on the dlink, after first changing the subnet used by the dlink to be other than 192.168.1.x
A LAN-to-LAN connection would be better for access to the USB attached drive unless all the devices accessing the drive are behind the second router. With a LAN-to-WAN connection, anything connected to the Actiontec won't see the USB drive on the secondary router.
To create a LAN-to-LAN connection:
Tturn off DHCP server in the second router
Assign it a static addresss on the 192.168.1.x subnet
Connect a cat5 patch cable from an Actiontec LAN port to one of your router's LAN ports.

viafax999

@Anti-Phish wrote:
@viafax999 wrote:
Connect your old router to the fios router. There are many methods of doing this. Details of performing this can be found by reading info on this board. Personally I connect my dlink from a lan port on the fios router to the wan port on the dlink, after first changing the subnet used by the dlink to be other than 192.168.1.x
A LAN-to-LAN connection would be better for access to the USB attached drive unless all the devices accessing the drive are behind the second router. With a LAN-to-WAN connection, anything connected to the Actiontec won't see the USB drive on the secondary router.
To create a LAN-to-LAN connection:
Tturn off DHCP server in the second router
Assign it a static addresss on the 192.168.1.x subnet
Connect a cat5 patch cable from an Actiontec LAN port to one of your router's LAN ports.

Agreed. However the westell or actiontec are typically 100mb routers wheareas my dlink is a 1gb so if I wanted to share the device on the usb port I would have nothing on the fios router, which is in fact the way it is setup as the router is way far away in the basement.

Marky5

I do this with a Time Machine Apple router.

Connect personal router to one of the ethernet ports on the FIOS router

Configure personal router for bridged mode

Turn on wireless from personal router/turn off wireless on FIOS router

Turn DHCP off on personal router, keep DHCP on FIOS router

Connect USB drive to personal router.

Connect via ethernet to personal router or wireless

You'll have faster access to your drive now

Mark

tns

@Anti-Phish wrote:
@vantage wrote:
FIOS includes a Router that has a USB Port that I want to use to hookup a USB Hard Drive to be shared on our Network.
The USB port is not functional, although it is powered and can be used to charge a cell phone.

Actually they have said they intend to enable the port at some future date, but who knows when or if that will occur.

Anti-Phish1

@tns wrote:
Actually they have said they intend to enable the port at some future date, but who knows when or if that will occur.
To be clear, Actiontec has stated that the USB port "could" be enabled with a future firmware upgrade. Verizon has never stated that the USB port would be enabled.
I believe this is due to one or more of the following reasons:
1) Cost. VZ would pay Actiontec additional $$ for the activation of this feature (one time and/or per router).
2) Support. VZ does not want the additional support calls this would entail.
3) Performance. USB is a very inefficient protocol. Routers are designed to move packets efficitently. It makes no sense to bog down the router with thousands of interrupts per second (every 16 bytes) from a high speed drive.

tns

@Anti-Phish wrote:
@tns wrote:
Actually they have said they intend to enable the port at some future date, but who knows when or if that will occur.
To be clear, Actiontec has stated that the USB port "could" be enabled with a future firmware upgrade. Verizon has never stated that the USB port would be enabled.
I believe this is due to one or more of the following reasons:
1) Cost. VZ would pay Actiontec additional $$ for the activation of this feature (one time and/or per router).
2) Support. VZ does not want the additional support calls this would entail.
3) Performance. USB is a very inefficient protocol. Routers are designed to move packets efficitently. It makes no sense to bog down the router with thousands of interrupts per second (every 16 bytes) from a high speed drive.

Actually Verizon has said it. Its even listed in the manual

FiOS Router User Manual

USB (1, 2)

The USB LEDs illuminate when the FiOS Router is connected to a device via one

of its USB ports. These ports are currently inoperational; they will be activated in

a future firmware update.

11D_Universe1

I'm responding from the future. It's 2014 and they've not activated the ports.

BTW, for the guy who is posting in the year 2010, you can unfriend Tom Anderson...