Router USB Port Explained: What Can You Do With It

Video Description

In this video, I discuss what the USB port on your router can be used for. I also provide an example of how to use your router to share files on your home network. For more content on similar topics, check out my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs-hXDMwqs1Ri9Yh9QRgaqQ If you would like to read about other ways to improve your home network, check out my blog: https://www.network-from-home.com 1:08 What the USB port on your router is meant to be used for 4:16 How to share files using your router’s USB port 10:21 Security considerations when sharing files through your router This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you choose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link. The router I used in this video is a TP-Link Archer A7 router: https://amzn.to/3ZMgvnn Other equipment I used in this video: 🎥: https://amzn.to/4nkDDV3 🎙️: https://amzn.to/4kU1SXU What is the USB port on your router for? The USB port on your router was designed to be used in a few different ways. The downside of this is that some of the intended functionality of the USB port on your router is no longer useful. That’s why many newer routers today don’t have USB ports anymore. If your router has a USB port, however, it can be used to provide the following functionality: --Providing your home network with a networked printer: before printers had wireless capabilities, you could connect your printer to the USB port on your router. This allowed all the devices connected to your home network to use the printer. With that said, all printers now have wireless capabilities, so this use case isn’t really useful unless you have a really old printer without wireless functionality --Update your router’s firmware: Using the USB port on your router, you can download updated firmware onto a USB stick and transfer it to your router through a USB. This use case also isn’t very helpful today, because routers can be updated either by accessing the router’s settings directly, or remotely using a mobile device --Share files with devices in your home network: If you connect a USB to the USB port on your router, you can share the files on the USB with the devices in your home network. This is a use case that is still viable today, even though there are other options available for sharing files (via cloud, network attached storage, etc.). For example, you may have pictures, media, or account usernames and passwords that you want to make available to anyone on your home network. Your router allows you to do this easily with its USB port Conclusion If you have any questions about how you can use the USB port on your router, please leave a comment below.