[jstbuch]

ROOKIE ALERT

I am pretty new to this. I bought an Amazon Fire box with Kodi loaded. I loved it but given my AT&T internet isn't great so I run into buffering issues a lot. I have attempted a number of solutions but, while it has improved a great deal, slow internet is slow internet. I also felt like I wasn't using Kodi to its fullest. So I have an older unused laptop with a cracked screen. Today, I reformatted and did a fresh install of Windows, cleaned it out, and loaded Kodi onto it. Tomorrow, I am going to set up Usenet and Sickbeard. I have no experience with either. I figure I am better off downloading the shows to avoid sluggish buffering and shows can download while I am at work.

So, after I get Sickbeard up and running, I will need additional storage. I am unsure of the advantages of an NAS over a simple external hard drive. I understand that with an NAS all the computers in my house and all the devices could potentially access all the files but isn't it also possible for me to network the external hard drive if it is attached to a dedicated machine that is nearly always running? Maybe I am thinking about it wrong so I am hoping someone can clarify. If it helps, I live alone. I don't game or anything like that. I really only use my work laptop to do stuff but obviously I am now setting up a second machine for media purposes. I would love to be able to use my laptop on one tv and the fire on another tv but it isn't an absolute must if there is a faster/better set up using the laptop for one thing and the Amazon Fire as the actual machine running Kodi to my main tv (no clue if it is or not but I am throwing that out there). While I consider myself computer literate, I don't want to take on something overly complicated.

I might be overthinking this I guess but please help clarify and potentially recommend what might be the best use of my current equipment.

[Shryp]

First off, you might want to remove or reword your first paragraph.

Second off, you can use either. Generally a NAS is used for redundancy. They store extra data that allows data recovery should your drive fail. I use a standard desktop with several hard drives and no redundancy and it has worked for me. Though, if I loose a drive it won't kill me, just be annoying. Either will work for you. Just know that if the external drive is connected to the laptop then the laptop will always need to be on to access the files.

Another option is connect the drive to your router. A lot of routers these days have USB ports for that same reason. Be warned though, a lot of routers have bugs and bad settings which make said drive available to the whole internet.

For sharing you can use UPNP or MySQL and sync your databases so both the laptop and the fire stick can access the same data as well as keep your watched statuses.

There is also something called OpenElec which people are using for dedicated appliances. Basically it is Kodi and a small linux build designed only to run Kodi. You won't get all the benefits of having Windows on there, but it should run faster and boot faster.

[shabuboy]

Digital storage basics, Part 3: Backup vs. redundancy


Also, Network Access Storage (NAS) is is just shares over the network, that can be a dedicated NAS device, or any system (desktop, laptop etc, WIndows, Linux, etc) with network shares (either local or USB drives)

[andytseng]

I've been running Kodi for some time on a dedicated HTPC that has a small SSD for the OS and programs, and a larger HDD that has all my media. I recently upgraded my router to an Asus RT-AC68U (from a Linksys WRT54GL).

Now that I have a router that has USB ports, can I just buy any usb 3.0-enabled HDD enclosure, move my HDD into that, and plug that into my router to have my media accessible to my HTPC and other computers on the network?

i.e. something as simple as this Rosewill enclosure: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817182347

Is there anything else I need to watch out for when making the transition from an internal HDD, to a network-shared external HDD? Like, will my network speeds be fast enough to keep up with whatever process? My HTPC is wired in, so I'm not too worried about that.