Sometimes, with the right router, a good portable drive is the only other thing you need for a viable network storage setup. Dong Ngo/CNET Generally, for network storage needs, I would recommend getting a dedicated NAS server, such as the Synology DiskStation DS1511+. However, if your needs are limited to casual usage, such as sharing documents and streaming music and photos, then a router with built-in network storage capability - one that comes with internal storage or can host an external storage device and shares that with the rest of the network - fits the bill better. While much inferior to a NAS server in terms of features and especially performance, some routers actually have more to offer, in terms of storage, than one might expect and may just be what you need. In any case, getting a router of this type plus an external hard drive is a lot cheaper than a dedicated NAS server. Following is a list of five top routers with built-in support for network storage that I've reviewed in recent years. Dong Ngo/CNET The WD My Net N900 Central is a derivative of the WD My Net N900 HD, with up to 2TB of built-in storage space.

This is the only router that made this list that comes with internal storage, and is basically a superior alternative to Apple's Time Capsule. The My Net Central can do all that the Time Capsule can (it supports Time Machine natively) and a lot more, including streaming digital content not just to local devices but also over the Internet via a browser or mobile apps. In addition to the internal hard drive (available in 1TB and 2TB capacities), the router can host more storage via a USB port.

Most importantly, the router's storage performance was very good in my testing. On top of that, the device is also an exciting N900 router. Dong Ngo/CNET Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router EA4500 The Linksys EA4500 N900 router represents a new breed of Wi-Fi routers belonging to Cisco's latest EA series, thanks to its advanced (and controversial) Cisco Connect Cloud concept. The router has one USB port for hosting an external hard drive and it makes this list thanks to the fact that its network storage performance, when coupled with an external hard drive, is among the best, almost as fast as that of a dedicated NAS server. Apart from sharing the data stored on a connected external hard drive with the rest of the network, with advanced sharing options - where you can restrict access (Read-only, Read/Write and no access) to share folders based on user accounts - the router can also stream digital content to network media players. In the future, Cisco Conect Cloud, which is available to mobile devices, will likely also make possible streaming content over the Internet. Note that the EA4500 is not the only router from Cisco that offers excellent network storage performance.

This type of performance has been available starting with the Linksys E4200 and Linksys E4200v2, which are also great network storage-capable routers. They didn't make this list simply because the Linksys EA4500 is intended to replace them. Dong Ngo/CNET D-Link DIR-857 HD Media Router 3000 The DIR-857 N900 router is the latest in D-Link's family of media routers.

It's the only router on this list with a USB 3.0 port (the rest only have USB 2.0) and, when coupled with an external hard drive, it offers an extensive amount of storage-related features, including digital streaming. It's also an all-around great Wi-Fi router. Dong Ngo/CNET The Asus RT-N66U is my favorite N900 router.

It makes a great upgrade to the already excellent and is still somewhat better than the newer RT-AC66U router, at least for now. The router has two USB ports, meaning you can use up to two external hard drives with it at the same time, and offers a lot of storage-based features, including sharing data over the Internet (via its AiDisk feature) and download data by itself (via the Download Master feature). On top of that, the router boasts a robust Web interface, and offers features not found in others, such as up to six guest networks (three on each band) and a built-in VPN server for business customers. James Martin/CNET Netgear WNDR3800 The Netgear WNDR3800 is the only N600 router on this list and is the only one from Netgear that offers storage features normally available only in the company's ReadyNAS NAS servers. Once coupled with an external hard drive, the router provides VPN-like remote access, so remote users can access data stored on the connected hard drive the way a local user can, and do such things as making a mapped network drive, (similar to what the WD My Net N900 Central has to offer).

On top of that the router also offers great Wi-Fi performance with excellent range, and support for Gigabit Ethernet. Currently, the WNDR3800 is still one of the best routers from Netgear and it's the most affordable on this list.

Step 1: Connect to the Network Drive & Save Your Login Info Before you can instruct your Mac to automatically connect to a network drive, you first need to connect to the drive manually and allow OS X to save your user name and password for that drive. To do this, select Finder and choose Go Connect to Server from the Menu Bar. Problems with steam update : steam for mac. In the server connection window that appears, enter the IP address or local name of the network drive you’d like to configure to automatically mount. Click Connect to begin the connection to the network drive.

Access To Usm Networked Storage For Macbook Pro

If the drive or volume requires a user account and password, select Registered User and enter the required credentials. Before you press Connect again, however, make sure that Remember this password in my keychain is checked. This will let your Mac save and submit your account name and password when attempting to automatically connect to the network drive. Without it, you’ll be prompted to enter this information each time you log in, eliminating at least half of the purpose of setting up an automatic network drive connection in the first place. When you’re ready, press Connect a second time and the drive will mount if all information was entered correctly. You can now close any open Finder windows but don’t yet unmount the network drive; we’ll use it next.

Step 2: Add Network Drive to User Login Items The network drive has been manually connected and the required user account information has been saved. Now it’s time to configure OS X to connect to this network drive automatically when you log in. Head to System Preferences Users & Groups. Select your user account from the list on the left and click the Login Items tab on the right side of the window. This shows you all of the apps, scripts, documents, and user services that are configured to launch automatically when your user account logs in. To add your network drive to this list, simply locate the network drive’s icon on your Desktop, and then drag and drop it into the Login Items list.

By default, whenever a Mac connects to a network drive it opens a Finder window to display the drive’s contents. If you don’t want this to happen with your automatically mounted network drive, just check the Hide box after you add it to the Login Items list. This will allow the network drive to mount quietly in the background, so that it’s ready and waiting for you when you need it. To test your new setup, either reboot your Mac or log out and then log back in.

The exact timing will depend on your network connection and the availability of your network drive, but you should see the drive appear in Finder and your Desktop within a few seconds of logging in to your OS X user account. If you ever want to stop your Mac from automatically connecting to a network drive, just head back to the Login Items tab in System Preferences, highlight the network drive, and click the minus button at the bottom of the list.

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