4 Things You Can Do With Your Router’s USB Ports
The routers are generally installed once or twice, then they are seated in a corner somewhere until a parameter must be modified, or the router is replaced. However, they are mini-mockers capable of doing much more than we normally use them. Here are some good to try.
Storage attached to the network (USB discs, USB HDD, USB SSD)
If something as completely worked as a decided NAS is not for you, you are lucky: there are often simpler options.
Most routers allow you to connect a USB storage device directly to the USB port. This storage device will then be visible on the network, a bit like a very basic NAS.
There are generally not many limitations on what you can use, but the router can only deliver 15 watts of a regular USB port of type A. This means that you will need a separate power supply if you want to connect a regular hard drive.
On the other hand, USB flash players and external SSDs tend to consume less energy, and they are roughly plug and play.
Most routers will allow you to use one of the main file formats. I would recommend something that works with several operating systems, such as exfat, just in case you need or want to connect the reader to a PC in the future. Options like NTFS, this is what Windows generally uses, can Be connected to a Mac or Linux PC, but there are additional considerations involved. It is best to completely avoid the problem.
Some routers will also allow you to configure the storage device as a backup location of the time machine, which is excellent if you have a Mac.
A cable printer
Wireless printers can be practical, but if possible, I prefer to connect mine via Ethernet or USB.
To make your router connect to your USB printer, it must have a print server function you can activate. Not all routers do, you will have to check your specific model.
If your router does not support this function, unfortunately, you are unlucky and you will have to log into Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
If you try to understand how to easily connect an older and USB printer to your modern network, you can always configure a Raspberry Pi as a print server instead. It takes a little preparation, but it is quite reliable once you have done it. You don’t need anything powerful either – even a raspberry Pi 0 W2 will work.
A cellular hotspot or a telephone hotspot
Some routers allow you to connect a cellular hotspot to the USB port of your router to share a 4G or 5G connection. As a rule, the performance you get will not be high speed or fiber, but it is a great way to put your network in the event of an impractical breakdown.
If your router supports this feature, you can probably also use your phone in the same way. You will just need to define the Hotspot mode of your phone in the USB attachment mode.
Low -power IoT devices
There is a million and an excellent projects that you can perform on a low -power device like a raspberry Pi 0 W (or later).
If your router has a USB port, you can easily use the USB port to provide Raspberry Pi power supply, which guarantees that you will get a solid wireless signal if you connect wirelessly, or if you don’t need to go away if you connect to a wired connection.
My favorite example of this was a pihole, but you are only really limited by your imagination and the computing power of monomodes with low power (SBC).
I hosted a small Wireguard VPN on my network using a Raspberry Pi 0 W powered by the USB port of my router for a few years without major problems. It is not the fastest device in the world, but I don’t need it to do so much, and it consumes next to no power.
The possibility of creating your own mini-network storage device is quite common, and the one that everyone should use if its router supports it. A basic backup of your important files is essential.
