Chances are you’ll already know easy methods to use a USB port in your laptop or sensible TV, however what concerning the one in your router? It may well flip your router right into a media hub, a private cloud server, a backup machine, and extra.
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Flip a USB Drive Into Community Storage
Sharing information with relations or colleagues is one thing now we have to do sometimes. However as an alternative of regularly emailing paperwork, swapping round flash drives, or utilizing cloud storage, you’ll be able to flip your router right into a NAS (Community Hooked up Storage).
To set this up, you simply must plug a USB flash drive or exhausting drive into your router. Your router ought to robotically detect it and make the storage out there over your Wi-Fi community. From there, you’ll be able to map it as a community drive in your laptop, or entry it by means of your smartphone or pill.
It is like having your personal private cloud, besides it is free and completely non-public. Plus, it is method quicker to switch giant information over your private home community than importing and downloading them through the web.
Some routers even assist distant entry, so you’ll be able to seize these information when you’re out and about, similar to you’d with Dropbox or Google Drive. That is additionally an effective way to repurpose an previous router.
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Backup Your Gadgets Mechanically
Backing up your units is a kind of issues everybody is aware of they need to be doing often, however really maintaining with it’s a totally different story. Handbook backups are tedious, and whereas cloud storage is a superb choice for computerized backups, the associated fee can add up quick, particularly if you happen to’re making an attempt to maintain a number of units backed up.
As an alternative, you’ll be able to join a USB drive or perhaps a full exterior exhausting drive to your router and switch it right into a easy, always-on backup hub. Some routers even embody built-in instruments that allow you to schedule and handle backups proper from their admin panel. If yours would not, you’ll be able to nonetheless use the File Historical past characteristic in Home windows to robotically again up information to the community drive your router creates from the linked storage.
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Make a Wired Printer Work Wirelessly
A printer is a kind of shared units that everybody in the home or workplace wants entry to. And in case your printer is wired, chances are high it is buried in some nook, linked to a single laptop. That often means sending information to that laptop simply to print one thing.
Nevertheless, in case your router has a USB port, you’ll be able to join your wired printer on to it. This successfully makes your wired printer wi-fi; anybody linked to your Wi-Fi community can print with no need a direct cable connection.
Most trendy routers assist this characteristic out of the field. All it’s a must to do is log into your router’s admin panel (often by typing its IP handle into your net browser) and allow printer sharing.
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Cost Smaller Gadgets
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That lonely USB port on the again of your router may double as a charging station to your units. In fact, it will not ship quick charging like a wall adapter, nevertheless it’s greater than sufficient to juice up low-power units like health trackers, wi-fi earbuds, smartwatches, and even your Bluetooth mice.
These sorts of units do not want a lot energy and often cost slowly anyway, which makes your router’s USB port a surprisingly sensible backup choice. It is particularly helpful in case your laptop’s USB ports are already occupied, or you do not have an additional wall adapter helpful.
In case your router helps DLNA (Digital Residing Community Alliance) or an analogous media-sharing protocol, you’ll be able to flip it right into a media hub for streaming content material all through your private home.
It is really fairly easy. You first must plug a USB drive loaded along with your favourite films, music, or pictures into your router’s USB port. Then, head into your router’s settings and allow the media server characteristic.
As soon as enabled, your router acts as an always-on streaming hub. Gadgets like sensible TVs, gaming consoles, tablets, and even smartphones linked to your private home Wi-Fi can simply entry and stream your media library.
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Use Cellular Web as a Backup
Web outages all the time appear to occur on the worst doable time—however even then, your router can nonetheless turn out to be useful. Many trendy routers assist USB tethering, permitting you to attach your smartphone (or a USB cell broadband dongle) on to the router. You may then allow USB tethering in your telephone and configure your router to deal with it as a backup WAN connection.
This is probably not supreme if you happen to’re on a restricted cell knowledge plan, however in a pinch, it may be a lifesaver. It is particularly helpful if you happen to work remotely and wish to maintain your units on-line throughout an web outage.
So there you’ve gotten it. Your router’s humble USB port is not only for present. Most routers include just one USB port, perhaps two if you happen to’re fortunate, so you will not be capable of check out each concept directly. Nonetheless, placing only one or two of those to make use of can unlock some severely helpful hidden potential.
