Can a LAN sub for NAS?

[Okla]

Hello LAN Board,

As we're generally short on funds, it was decided to make the best out what we have to create an audio "digital jukebox." Those who aren't short on funds tend to utilize NAS to store their digital music - especially those with large music collections - but we were thinking that it may be possible to utilize a USB 3.0 Disk Dock, that's bought and paid for, and our Asus RT-AX86U router to create a small-scale internal LAN (no internet connection) and utilize the video network interface in our old Oppo 105 DAC/Player to both manage and play back the digital audio files.

After we got the Asus router set up, we connected the Oppo player - with an HDMI connection to our TV to accommodate the Oppo video network interface - to one of its ethernet ports and plugged a USB thumb drive (TD) containing FLAC audio files to one of the router's USB ports. As we were able to play the audio files via the USB TD, we thought we were on our way...but after pulling the USB TD out of the Asus router and subbing in the USB Dock Drive, the network interface would no longer detect/discover anything via the same USB port.

Why would a simple USB thumb drive be "discovered" on our simple LAN, while our USB (dual-drive) Disk Dock cannot be detected by the LAN?

Here's a link to the Disk Dock I'm referring to herein: OWC USB 3.0 Disk Dock

Thank you kindly for your time...

 

[L&LD]

One reason is that a router isn't a computer and doesn't have the capability to install any needed drivers that a Windows install may have by default.

 

[degrub]

what size and format are the two usb drives ?
are they both usb3 ?
is the port usb3 or 2 ?
does it require FAT32 or NTFS ?

 

[Okla]

what size and format are the two usb drives ?
are they both usb3 ?
is the port usb3 or 2 ?
does it require FAT32 or NTFS ?

I was thinking about the formatting of the two USB devices in question this morning. I know that the USB thumb drive (TD) is an older device, so I'm pretty sure that it's not a USB 3.0 version. I am sure, however, that it's formatted for the FAT32 file system. Both of the USB ports on the Asus RT-AX86U router are USB 3.0...but I'm not sure how the drive in the USB 3.0 Drive Dock was formatted. I'll definitely check into that and get back to the thread about it. Thank you for the thoughtful post.

 

[degrub]

Plug-n-Share Disks Compatibility List

Section 3.1.3 and 3.7.2 in the manual as well.

 

[Okla]

degrub .... Thanks for the information. The Plug-n-Play Disks Compatibility List was particularly informative because the Disk Dock I linked the thread to in the OP has now been connected to one of MBPs and was found to be formatted for ex-FAT, which, according to the list, is not supported by the Asus RT-AX86U router.

As for the manual...I've gone through everything we got with the router -- in September of 2021 -- and there is nothing but several versions of "Quick Start" guides and posters in the file. Did you get an actual manual with your router or did you find it on the internet?

 

[Piotrek]

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/wireless/RT-AX86S/E19942_RT-AX86S_UM_WEB.pdf

 

[degrub]

Asus support website.
search for your router, go to that page on asus site, then select “support”, then “manual” to download.