[Q] NAS service for Android? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys,
I'd like to attach permanently a hard drive to my Android on a Stick, and have it work as the home NAS. How well would this work? Do you know of any reliable app that could work with either NTFS or EXT3/4? I don't mind which format as long as it can handle large files with no issues. I would like to copy torrents/movies to that hard drive so they can be played from the Android device or shared to any other device in the home.
Thank you!

Related

Stream Videos to Tab from external HDD

I did not write this up, so a thanks goes to the original author of this... Ahmad Rafiq from HACKSlurp. I just thought it was very useful, and may be worth adding to this forum, so enjoy!
Do you have a large collection of movies and pictures stored in your external hard drive and you just can’t decide which stuff you want to move to your Android tablet’s 32GB SD card especially when you are traveling? You can actually stream data directly from your portable hard drive to your tablet essentially increasing the storage capacity of your tablet beyond SD card.
Here is how you can do it!
Step 1
You need to prepare your external HDD by formatting it to FAT32. If you have stuff in your hard drive, which is in NTFS state, you should move it temporarily to some other media while you prepare your hard drive.
This is perhaps the only downside to this procedure. But depending on your usage you can make this step worth your effort. This is just a one time only step so don’t be afraid to carry out the arduous task of moving your items from and to your HDD.
Step 2
Connect your portable HDD to your tablet.
Step 3
Make sure your USB switch state is set to ‘Host’. Get this free USB Mode Switcher app (requires ROOT access) if you don’t know how to do it.
Step 4
Switch to your file manager app and wait for it to detect your hard drive. It might take sometime for the app to detect your external drive during which time you should keep refreshing, but once it has detected, the streaming is flawless.
If you have followed the above steps properly you should now be able to watch your HD movies on the go!
The same procedure can also be applied to nearly any USB device like pocket drives etc. This can really come handy as you can transfer your documents from your pen drive to your tablet and edit them on the move!
I work full time, so I havent been able to test this on the sony S, but I plan to this coming weekend (tomorrow), I will add notes as to what I discover, after paying around with it a bit. I know it works on my Acer Iconia, lets keep our fingers crossed!
You say you need root access in order to do it successfully. I don't think anyone's made an exploit to obtain root access for the Tablet S yet. If I'm wrong, you better be sure to tell me how to obtain!! So many things I want to do once I get root!
Good luck though, i'm highly interested in this idea of external hard drives and thumb drives.
Yeah that root access part kinda threw me too. Im gonna try it this weeken, and will report back. I am also going to see what I can do to root this bad boy! I hope I can make something work.
Ok I've just hooked I'm my usb hard drive and so far i'm having mixed success.
Firstly the usb powered option did not work. The light on my HDD came on but i couldn't feel it spinning.
I attached a mains connections to it and it started to spin. A message popped up on the tablet saying "Recognising media" it asked if i wanted to open the Sony data transfer app that comes pre-installed. I declined and tried to view the files via a couple of different file managers but couldn't seem to find the HDD in either of them.
So i went to the Sony data transfer app and it recognised it fine. from there i can either stream from the HDD of transfer the files to the tablet. All the files tested were 720p TV & BD rips and they worked fine with MX Video player.
Sorry this so long winded but hope it helps.
I did all this without going through targazzi's method.
Probably not what you are after but if you have a nas drive you can connect to it wirelessly very easily using built in dlna app. It plays mp4 3gp etc videos no problem and i imagine other files will be supported as long as you have an app to deal with them properly. Another option is file expert app from the market - i mapped same drive as a network drive in it and can see all files. Haven,t bothered putting an sd card yet
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Tapatalk
ps3taker said:
Probably not what you are after but if you have a nas drive you can connect to it wirelessly very easily using built in dlna app. It plays mp4 3gp etc videos no problem and i imagine other files will be supported as long as you have an app to deal with them properly. Another option is file expert app from the market - i mapped same drive as a network drive in it and can see all files. Haven,t bothered putting an sd card yet
Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to connect my PCH using dlna and I could see all my files but couldn't play most of them and the ones that I could play were stuttering.
Vinny1967 said:
I was able to connect my PCH using dlna and I could see all my files but couldn't play most of them and the ones that I could play were stuttering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to have an issue with my DLNA server as the videos either have no sound or the video is stuttering. After several trial and errors, I was able to find the right setting for most of my DLNA devices. I use Freemake video converter (it's free, Google it)... then use Freemake to convert the videos to MP4 with bitrate not more than 1400 kbps, and AAC (stereo) audio format. Hope this helps.
well i didnt get a chance to play around with it over the weekend, I ran outta money before I could buy the USB cable for it. (Sad seeing as how its only $14, but thats life when your married with kids, and in the military, dumping your money into stuff to prepare to go to a field excercise for a few weeks)
requires ROOT access?
So your Sony Tablet S been rooted already?
Tergazzi said:
I did not write this up, so a thanks goes to the original author of this... Ahmad Rafiq from HACKSlurp. I just thought it was very useful, and may be worth adding to this forum, so enjoy!
Do you have a large collection of movies and pictures stored in your external hard drive and you just can’t decide which stuff you want to move to your Android tablet’s 32GB SD card especially when you are traveling? You can actually stream data directly from your portable hard drive to your tablet essentially increasing the storage capacity of your tablet beyond SD card.
Here is how you can do it!
Step 1
You need to prepare your external HDD by formatting it to FAT32. If you have stuff in your hard drive, which is in NTFS state, you should move it temporarily to some other media while you prepare your hard drive.
This is perhaps the only downside to this procedure. But depending on your usage you can make this step worth your effort. This is just a one time only step so don’t be afraid to carry out the arduous task of moving your items from and to your HDD.
Step 2
Connect your portable HDD to your tablet.
Step 3
Make sure your USB switch state is set to ‘Host’. Get this free USB Mode Switcher app (requires ROOT access) if you don’t know how to do it.
Step 4
Switch to your file manager app and wait for it to detect your hard drive. It might take sometime for the app to detect your external drive during which time you should keep refreshing, but once it has detected, the streaming is flawless.
If you have followed the above steps properly you should now be able to watch your HD movies on the go!
The same procedure can also be applied to nearly any USB device like pocket drives etc. This can really come handy as you can transfer your documents from your pen drive to your tablet and edit them on the move!
I work full time, so I havent been able to test this on the sony S, but I plan to this coming weekend (tomorrow), I will add notes as to what I discover, after paying around with it a bit. I know it works on my Acer Iconia, lets keep our fingers crossed!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] android to wii streaming?

hi all I was just wondering if anyone knew how to get videos from android to the wii (hacked of course). I have tried to just plug in a usb cord in the back like I do for my psp but every time I go into an app for watching movies it wont show my phone. I know I can just take the sd card out but its a real pain to take the back off my phone and the case I have on it too. anyone have any ideas (besides taking out the sd)?
i'm wondering the same thing, they both have bluetooth, so maybe there's a way to stream music/video from android onto it that way? even if that isn't possible, is there a way to trick the wii into thinking it's a linux computer, and stream via wifi? (wiimc should be able to identify it at that point, no?)
i doubt anyone's going to bother trying to get this to work : (
What about a dlna server and wiimc? Does it work?
Or set up samba filesharing on android and connect from wiimc?
greenskull13 said:
hi all I was just wondering if anyone knew how to get videos from android to the wii (hacked of course). I have tried to just plug in a usb cord in the back like I do for my psp but every time I go into an app for watching movies it wont show my phone. I know I can just take the sd card out but its a real pain to take the back off my phone and the case I have on it too. anyone have any ideas (besides taking out the sd)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it's completely possible (and without wires) to stream videos off your rooted Android to your modded Wii. I'll see about writing up a full guide ...
[Guide/How to]Android/Wii wireless networking solutions | Stream videos and transfer/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2576185
... for now though I'll assume you'll want to know how I did it quickly
1. Download and install WiiMC to your Wii if you've not already done so.
www.wiimc.org
2. Download and install FTPServer to your rooted Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=lutey.FTPServer
Edit 12172013- this next suggested app should replace the previous
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nalic.app.wifishare
WiFi share is far more stable to use with the Wii ... Well for streaming with WiiMC it works but for WiiXplorer I've yet to get this app to work.
3. Set up FTPServer to point to the folders you want to share
- check the box to restrict access to other folders
- set user name and password
4. Connect your Android device to a wireless access point, for this I used an old rooted phone that has the Hotspot function but no data connection to the outside world, but you can use a wireless router instead.
5. Open FTPServer again and start the service.
6. Now to pick up the Wii mote and set up a FTP connection
- Finger up to the gear symbol, click it, and finger down to Network
- Add a new FTP (it's the option that isn't smb) and input the info from the FTPServer app; IP-address, port, username, and password.
Note: don't worry about setting a folder path in the WiiMC screen we're in right now because FTPServer will take care of this if set properly.
- Back out of the setup screen on WiiMC and finger over to the Film icon (on the far left of the screen) and you should see your new connection, click it and enjoy browsing and playing almost all your videos on your Wii.
Somethings to note; it's kinda finicky on showing anything in a directory so just press B and A on your Wii mote till it works, high resolution videos don't work well so keep it 480p or bellow, I'll say it again its really finicky so try restarting each device's connection or software one at a time till things start working.
I realize this question is from a little wile ago but felt that this answer would benefit us all. I don't know if streaming music or pictures wirelessly from Android to Wii works but video works once a directory is loaded. I'll be testing other apps, options, or crafting my own solutions shortly to work out why folders don't always show content but for right now (just got it working a few hours ago and have been watching all sorts of formats) it's great for proof of concept and home use.
Sent from either my SPH-D700 or myTouch3Gs
Debian Kit/QEMU Linux Install guide for all android devices that I'm writing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2240397
Now have working Installers for ARM Java 7 JDK + Maptools + jMonkey

[Q] Archos 7.0 could it be the right hardware for NAS music jukebox ?

Hello,
I have been considering to make a setup for a music jukebox fed by a NAS HDD. There are quite a lot of dedicated product for multimedia player, but they all require a display to browse the NAS files (except the squeezeBox touch, wich looks almost like what I would like to have, but requires proprietary soft, not working with any NAS).
Basically, I want to manage music for my living room, but I want to keep any display away as much as possible.
So I thought that a kind of small tablet could do the job.
Requirements :
Acces to the NAS via network, preferably via ethernet.
Stereo output (any kind even if digital is prefered).
Small display 7 inch ok, 10 inch maximum (I don't want any angry birds invasion).
Cool file browser, preferably with music management (artist, style, album tags... CD cover if available).
I discovered that Archos made cool tablet and that OS may be hacked, so I can expect to find a good rom for this kind of use (or may be cook my own, though I don't look forward this)
More of all, you can find cheap Archos 7.0 home, Arnova... devices.
So now I think the best is to ask to those who already know the more about the device (and I would apreciate any advice for I might need something else).
So far I know there are no decent android tablet with ethernet port (I'd rather not have to rely on WiFi), but may be there are some adaptor.
Thank you for reading. More thangs to come for those how will take time to answer.
Not sure exactly what you want but it sounds like you should look at MPD, the Music Player Daemon. I set it up on my file server (a linux box, not a NAS) and there are android clients for it that let me control it from anywhere I get wi-fi. I've also seen MPD run on openwrt devices too... google "mighty ohm wi-fi radio" for more.
Thank you Jimmy,
Indeed, I found some soft that could do the job. I guess you recommend this project. Sounds like very promising.
In fact I have more question about the hardware. I don't think the Archos 7 home provide any kind of ethernet port even through an adaptor. So I'll need to set up WiFi (I don't use WiFi at the moment, for I prefer wired solution). I discovered that it is possible to hack the Archos tablets, but I don't know for now what are the gen8 and gen9. I suppose that Archos 7 home are g8, but not sure for now.
May be should I consider some other hardware issue, but since I only intend to read music I suppose the archos 7 home should have enough CPU power.
Another alternative seem to be an Archos9PC, but first it is more expencive, then it runs Windows I really don't know.
You are wrong, the Archos 7 Home ( you are in the wrong forum for that ) is Gen7.
Gen8 ( 8th Generation ) is the Archos 70 Internet Tablet.
While the HT has enough cpu power, i don't think you will be happy with it, but who knows.
The Gen8 has UPnP directly in the Firmware and the std Musikplayer allready has an option to use the "normal" twonky ( or whatever is running on your NAS) Server.
You can use a OTG Cable and a USB-Ethernet adapter, but Wifi is alot easier.
fzelle said:
You are wrong, the Archos 7 Home ( you are in the wrong forum for that ) is Gen7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, If I understand well, gen7 won't be possible for rom change. NoGood.
fzelle said:
While the HT has enough cpu power, i don't think you will be happy with it, but who knows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the advise. I suspected something like this. I'll keep on reading.
ZeGuido said:
Ok, If I understand well, gen7 won't be possible for rom change. NoGood.
Thank you for the advise. I suspected something like this. I'll keep on reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest as I do. Run NAS with the DLNA. Setup a western digital hd media player to your audio/video system. Use the "bubble upnp" app on your Archos to controlled it all. I use this method and am able to play content from the NAS to the WDHDTV or straight to the tablet or vise versa... from tablet to WDHDTV... bubble does it ALL.... if you want video too...HD video maybe? Use a PC/Linux or some Box to run TVMOBILI on your box and have it index the NAS instead of the built in NAS Dlna... it is better Dlna server and supports MKV without transcode... and also supports AllShare (Samsung TV protocol) so you can just use your Samsung TV as your player instead of WDHDTV player... I have all 5 things running now and I have many options in my media arsenal
Sent from my MB860 using XDA
sublimejosh2000 said:
I suggest as I do... "bubble upnp" app on your Archos to controlled it all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like the kind of app I'm looking for. Thank you Josh.
I do NOT want anything but music, for I 've banned TV and internet from the living room. (TV and net have dedicated place). I don't want to set up a LinuxBox either (I'll probably do that for the HDTV in another place, but one thing at a time).
So the questions are :
-Would an Archos 7Home be good enougth for that ?
-If yes, is it possible to change the ROM of the Archos 7 home for a homecooked optimized rom ?
-is there somewhere an option (as for Archos9PC) to cradle the archos 7 Home whit a ethernet port (to avoid Wifi) ?
Finally, considering the NAS working along with bubble upnp, is it required to install some soft on the NAS and are there some kind of incompatibility (that's one of the drawback I see with the logitech squeeze box touch)

Cheap NAS using any Android device. HELP!

Hi all
I bought recently one of those cheap Mini Android PC (the MK808B) and I am trying to setup an easy/cheap NAS with it so I can see my videos from other devices. This would let me turn off my big energy-sucker desktop PC and leave that light small device doing its job. By the way... I am using the MK808B, but the idea is that any rooted Android device would do it.
Until now the progress is big and I can say it almost works... but that "almost" is why I am here, asking for help.
This is what I have done until now:
In the MK808B I have installed:
- Paragon NTFS&HFS+ (so I can mount any NTFS device, in my case a 32GB FTFS flash drive but this would support any big hard drive) (needs root)
- Droid NAS (a free app that does in theory what NAS do, in theory only accessible from Macs and Android devices although that would still be OK since I want to access to those videos from our phones and tablet)
So, once all this is setup and running, I go to any of my Android devices and try to access. To do so, I installed:
- ES File Explorer (to access my MK808B via my WiFi connection)
- MX Player (to play the videos)
And here is the problem: I manage to access my MK808B, I can get into the mounted flash drive... but when I try to play any of the videos, whatever the format, MX Player gives me this error:
"Video problem"
"Can't play this video"
If I click on an image it opens it, if I try to copy files I can... is just playing videos that doesn't work. Could be accessing them through my WiFi connection the problem? Maybe the MK808B is not reliable enough, WiFi speaking? Should I get one of those USB-LAN thingy?
If you could help me I would appreciate it. And also, I think getting a setup like this working would be very useful for a lot of people, who could access their files from any device while at home
Thanks!
I use BubbleUpNp from the play store across all of my devices.
HTC One X, Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 and an MK809 plugged in the back of the TV. I do have a OTG-Lan plugged into a hub, with 1TB hard drive all plugged into the MK809. I have Finless 1.7 Rom on the TV Stick.
Seems to work well, allowing me to say use my tab to render a movie from my MK809 library (1TB Hard Drive).
Other recommendations for you are Droidmote. Droidmote server on your TV Stick and Droidmote client on your phone, acts as a remote.
XBMC android installed on your TV stick.
ALZHEM said:
Hi all
I bought recently one of those cheap Mini Android PC (the MK808B) and I am trying to setup an easy/cheap NAS with it so I can see my videos from other devices. This would let me turn off my big energy-sucker desktop PC and leave that light small device doing its job. By the way... I am using the MK808B, but the idea is that any rooted Android device would do it.
Until now the progress is big and I can say it almost works... but that "almost" is why I am here, asking for help.
This is what I have done until now:
In the MK808B I have installed:
- Paragon NTFS&HFS+ (so I can mount any NTFS device, in my case a 32GB FTFS flash drive but this would support any big hard drive) (needs root)
- Droid NAS (a free app that does in theory what NAS do, in theory only accessible from Macs and Android devices although that would still be OK since I want to access to those videos from our phones and tablet)
So, once all this is setup and running, I go to any of my Android devices and try to access. To do so, I installed:
- ES File Explorer (to access my MK808B via my WiFi connection)
- MX Player (to play the videos)
And here is the problem: I manage to access my MK808B, I can get into the mounted flash drive... but when I try to play any of the videos, whatever the format, MX Player gives me this error:
"Video problem"
"Can't play this video"
If I click on an image it opens it, if I try to copy files I can... is just playing videos that doesn't work. Could be accessing them through my WiFi connection the problem? Maybe the MK808B is not reliable enough, WiFi speaking? Should I get one of those USB-LAN thingy?
If you could help me I would appreciate it. And also, I think getting a setup like this working would be very useful for a lot of people, who could access their files from any device while at home
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was thinking about the same thing. How to create a cheap NAS with an android device as the core of the system. But i was thinking about a RAID1 NAS. ANy suggestions?

How big a HD can an android box recognize?

I have a Rupa Ax5 box. I want to use it to serve up all my media. I have a 5tb drive that I want to attach directly to it but it doesn't seem to recognize it. It will recognize my smaller thumb drive. Is there a limit to how big a HD Android can recognize and if so is there a way around that? Rooting? A program of some sort? Partitioning the HD?
Thank you.

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