Storage Solutions Always-on HDD - Internal or External?

T

Tron05

Adept
I intend to get a Asus RT-N16 or RT-N13U router and want to have a network storage. So would connect a HDD to the router. Since the router is ON for 24 hrs, so would the HDD.

I am looking at 2TB drives. As my Modem+Router+HDD would be stacked on top of a showcase and barely noticeable, looks doesnt have a major significance. Budget upto 5k

Options considering now:
1. Internal+ USB casing
2. External

Which one would be ideal for my setup?
 
Get an internal, as no extra power supply will be required. Also before buying the HDD, check out supported FS and R/W capabilities.
 
external would be better any day compared with the internal+USB casing, unless you are getting higher end stuff like LaCie type casings.

Drive speed & connectivity options become important if you are looking at NAS. Check those thoroughly before the buy.

If you are looking at 24x7 DL then there is a thread somewhere in TE on the subject, post your query there.
 
Thanks guys, I was initially planning for the internal Seagate 2TB green HDD, but wen i saw the prices of 2TB external HDD only about 1k more than the internals, i was really confused.

1. I intend to use this Router + HDD as my media server and access them from any of my PCs/Laptops. Since the bottleneck would be the wifi network itself, i guess any HDD in terms of drive speed should work in this case.

2. Since i would be placing both of them on top of a showcase, i will not be able to access them and this setup would be always ON. Would there be any issues if the external HDDs are kept ON 24/7 ?
 
Just dont look the price difference.. If 2 TBs are in an infant stage then the chances of the hdd getting bricked are more IMO... Just an advice...
 
Multiple things off the top of my mind.

1. Go with a open source solution like OpenWRT or DD-WRT if you want a 24/7 server that is stable and shares files and downloads torrents. Look up my blog for more info.

2. If you want to keep your HDD on all the time, I would recommend a external green drive that puts the HDD to sleep "automatically" after a certain amount of time of no access. This will prolong the life of the HDD immeasurably.

3. If you are going to use a internal drive with a external enclosure, I suggest you make sure that the enclosure is compatible with hd-idle in openwrt or dd-wrt. You can use the hd-idle package to put the drive to sleep after a hour of no access and again will help you a lot.

Having said all the above, I suggest a simpler solution. I bought a IR controlled power adaptor from dealextreme for a few hundred bucks and it works like a charm. Put your router and HDD in whatever showcase you want and connect them to this IR power adaptor. When you want to switch on power, just point and click your TV remote at the adaptor and switch them on !

Tron05 said:
Thanks guys, I was initially planning for the internal Seagate 2TB green HDD, but wen i saw the prices of 2TB external HDD only about 1k more than the internals, i was really confused.

1. I intend to use this Router + HDD as my media server and access them from any of my PCs/Laptops. Since the bottleneck would be the wifi network itself, i guess any HDD in terms of drive speed should work in this case.

2. Since i would be placing both of them on top of a showcase, i will not be able to access them and this setup would be always ON. Would there be any issues if the external HDDs are kept ON 24/7 ?
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This is what I got.
 
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