I hope you can help me. I might be smart in some ways, but I don't know much about networks.
Right now, I have Spectrum/Time Warner for internet only (no cable TV). Their cable connects to the ARRIS CM550A. It provides one ethernet port (no wi-fi), which I plug in to the Linksys WRT-AC1200 (gives wi-fi). I placed an SSD inside a USB enclosure and plugged it into the back of the Linksys for network storage. After years of struggle, starting with the EIDE Travan-4 tape drive (expensive for what I got IMHO), I finally found a great solution for backup and file access!
But because of bad communication and billing mistakes, I am getting rid of Spectrum/Time Warner.
Today, I had AT&T Fiber installed in my home. Their BGW320-500 has a USB port, so I thought I could plug my USB hard drive into it. No, that USB port is restricted in firmware to charging USB devices and supporting AT&T's diagnostic testing.
I can plug the USB drive into my Windows 7 machine for now. But I would like to have the network storage set up like I had with Time Warner. Some people tell how to "set the BGW320-500 in bridge mode" -- will this let the Linksys assign IP addresses and support the USB SSD? Other people suggest buying something from, say, Synology. Others might suggest using an 8.5 cm by 8.5 cm fanless mini-ITX board (I have a couple that can run off a laptop adapter) to install a Linux file server.
Networking is hard for me because if it doesn't work I have no idea why (unlike Pascal or Basic where the compiler can maybe single-step through the code and I *_might_* possibly figure out my mistake -- note that it could take hours and might still be unsuccessful). Any advice?
Right now, I have Spectrum/Time Warner for internet only (no cable TV). Their cable connects to the ARRIS CM550A. It provides one ethernet port (no wi-fi), which I plug in to the Linksys WRT-AC1200 (gives wi-fi). I placed an SSD inside a USB enclosure and plugged it into the back of the Linksys for network storage. After years of struggle, starting with the EIDE Travan-4 tape drive (expensive for what I got IMHO), I finally found a great solution for backup and file access!
But because of bad communication and billing mistakes, I am getting rid of Spectrum/Time Warner.
Today, I had AT&T Fiber installed in my home. Their BGW320-500 has a USB port, so I thought I could plug my USB hard drive into it. No, that USB port is restricted in firmware to charging USB devices and supporting AT&T's diagnostic testing.
I can plug the USB drive into my Windows 7 machine for now. But I would like to have the network storage set up like I had with Time Warner. Some people tell how to "set the BGW320-500 in bridge mode" -- will this let the Linksys assign IP addresses and support the USB SSD? Other people suggest buying something from, say, Synology. Others might suggest using an 8.5 cm by 8.5 cm fanless mini-ITX board (I have a couple that can run off a laptop adapter) to install a Linux file server.
Networking is hard for me because if it doesn't work I have no idea why (unlike Pascal or Basic where the compiler can maybe single-step through the code and I *_might_* possibly figure out my mistake -- note that it could take hours and might still be unsuccessful). Any advice?
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