2TB HDD on AC68U USB3 port: Optimal Setup

[cdikland]

The above drive will mostly be accessed by Windows users for storage and file sharing. Is there a preferred/optimal disk format (currently NTFS) to use?

I have a choice where I connect this drive to. Currently, it is connected to the main router (AC68U) however it could be connected to the AC66U AP router if that would deliver beter results.

If the above questions are difficult to answer can you suggest SW I can use to test different configurations?

 

[IanEnc]

The above drive will mostly be accessed by Windows users for storage and file sharing. Is there a preferred/optimal disk format (currently NTFS) to use?

I have a choice where I connect this drive to. Currently, it is connected to the main router (AC68U) however it could be connected to the AC66U AP router if that would deliver beter results.

If the above questions are difficult to answer can you suggest SW I can use to test different configurations?

If the drive will only remain on the router, the best format to use is ext4 in order to get optimal speed.

This is a Linux drive format; however, you can format your drive to this in Windows using MiniTool from Partition Wizard (Freeware for Home use).

You would then set up Samba sharing on your router, and your Windows clients will be able to access the files from your drive.

From what I have read on the forums, this is the best course of action.

If you plan to swap the external HDD from router to computer, then leaving it at NTFS is your only option.

By the way, ext4 is only supported on AC68. I may be mistaken, but I do not believe you would have the capability of adding a drive to your network using the AC66 is setup as an AP only. If you are able to, AC66 supports ext3 which can be formatted with the software mentioned previously.