On Monday, 20 July 2020 19:33:49 UTC+1, polygonum_on_google wrote:
On Monday, 20 July 2020 18:52:55 UTC+1, Graeme wrote:
My router, supplied by Zen, is a Fritzbox 7530 and, looking at the
manual, appears to be capable of more than I use it for, which is just
as a router.

For example, I can apparently connect an external hard drive to the
router by USB, said drive then being visible and usable by anyone on our
home network. That we be great for sharing the countless films, photos,
mp3s etc. we have accumulated.

Q1 Has anyone actually done this, and does it work well?

q2 Recommended drive? Thinking 1 or perhaps 2TB. Any names to go for,
or avoid? WD, Seagate, Toshiba, Verbatim etc.

Thanks!

Not with your router, but with others.

It can work OK. But I'd always treat it as a copy of data with the prime version somewhere else.

Have used both real hard drives (just small USB 2.5" or whatever devices) and USB sticks. If I wanted to do it now, I'd choose a USB stick of some sort. But I would have no need or reason to reach 1 to 2 TB so cost wouldn't be an issue to me like it might be for you.

Check how it handles locking and clashes. Think through your backup procedures. Will you update on the router-attached drive and need to back it up?

Meant to say, check the file systems it will support - the choice could imply limitations on total capacity.