You can transform your Asus router into a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, allowing you to access files remotely by connecting an external hard drive or USB stick to your router. This is particularly handy if you want to retrieve files from your home network while you’re in another room or even while you’re out at a cafe.
Things To Note
This guide focuses solely on Asus routers, so users with other brands will need to look elsewhere for instructions. The core idea is to plug a storage device—like a USB flash drive or an external hard drive—into your router. Once connected, you can access those files over your network, saving you the hassle of physically moving the drive.
I’ll show you the setup process for both internal access (on your home Wi-Fi or wired network) and external access (remote access from outside your home). The steps are very similar, with just one small difference for external setup.
While this feature is a great convenience and can save you the cost of a dedicated NAS device, which often run for hundreds of dollars, it’s important to set your expectations. A router-based NAS is not a perfect substitute for a dedicated unit. There are limitations, or “gotchas,” that I won’t detail here, but generally, the performance won’t match a specialized NAS.
For your initial setup and testing, I recommend using a USB stick you already have lying around. If the performance is satisfactory, you might consider using an external hard drive later. However, be aware that some external drives might require more power than the router can provide, which is another common limitation of this approach. Don’t rush out to buy a new external drive assuming this feature will be flawless.
To configure your Asus router to function as a NAS, you first need to access its settings portal.
1. To access your router’s page, the easiest way is to use the Command Prompt on Windows. Click the Windows key and search for “CMD”. In the terminal, type the command ipconfig and press Enter. The value listed next to Default Gateway is your router’s local IP address. Copy this IP address and paste it into your web browser, then hit Enter to reach the login screen.
2. Once you are logged in, you should see confirmation that your USB device, like your 32GB stick, is recognized by the router (assuming you already plugged it in). If you notice detection problems, you can return to this page. Clicking the USB icon offers a health scanner, which runs for a minute or two, or you can choose to Format the drive (on the left side of the page). Remember that formatting will erase all data. Although the network sharing setup does not require formatting, it is always best to back up your data before starting this configuration.
3. Next, on the left-hand navigation menu of the router settings, select “USB Application”. Among the many options, choose “Server Center” to set up simple file sharing—not a media server.
Note: There are two main methods for file sharing: Network Samba (SMB) and FTP Share. Network Samba allows easy access via Windows File Explorer by typing the router’s IP address. The critical problem is that the router’s implementation often uses the outdated and insecure SMB v1 protocol, which is usually disabled in modern Windows and is not recommended. FTP Share is generally more secure but has different challenges. We’ll skip Samba due to it being insecure and focus on FTP. The first step is to select Servers Center.
Internal Network Sharing
4. Select “FTP Share” at the top tab. First we’ll focus on access files on our internal network. Turn on “Enable FTP”.
Note: Allow anonymous login should always be disabled. For security, you should always have a username and password.
The biggest challenge here is the Enable TLS (Transport Layer Security) setting. TLS (version 1.2 or 1.3) is a more secure way to connect, and while modern Windows supports it, enabling it here will prevent you from accessing the drive directly through Windows File Explorer (this is most likely a router limitation and not Windows). That’s a security trade-off. My recommendation is to leave TLS enabled for better security and use a free FTP client instead of trying to access it directly via Windows. I recommend FileZilla, which I have used professionally.
5. Set the maximum number of simultaneous connections to the default, which is usually five.
6. Now, we will create a new user account. Click the plus sign. For this example, we will use the username “test” and the password “test.” You must use a much stronger password in a real-world setting. Once the user is added, click on the new user’s name to expand the permissions.
7. You will see the directories on your USB stick. For example, if you created a folder named “testing” on your computer before plugging it in, it will show up here. You need to change the permissions for the directory you want to share.
-The default is “no,” meaning no access at all.
-“Read” allows viewing but no modification.
-We need to select “Read/Write” to grant full access, allowing you to copy, modify, and delete files. Hit save.
8. To use the more secure connection, you need the FTP client. Simply go to a search engine, such as the privacy-focused Startpage I use, and search for “FileZilla” (but you can use another FTP client of your choice). Choose the basic, lightweight client, download it, and install it. It’s a small, quick installation (don’t install any browser add-on options during the install, just “decline” them).
When testing the connection for the first time in the FTP client, you want to confirm you can access the USB stick while your computer, the router, and the USB stick are all on the same home network.
-Get the Internal IP Address: This is the router’s local address, the Default Gateway IP address you found earlier in Command Prompt (e.g., 192.168.50.1).
-Connect in FileZilla:
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- Paste only this internal IP address into the Host field in FileZilla.
- Enter the Username and Password (e.g.,
testandtest). - Hit Enter to connect.
The connection should be instantaneous since you’re on the same internal network as your router. You will see the drive directory and the shared folder. You can then confirm it works by dragging a file from your computer and dropping it onto the shared folder in FileZilla; the file will upload to the USB stick attached to your router.
External Network Access (WAN) Setup
To connect from an external network, such as an internet cafe, you must first enable WAN access. Back in the FTP settings of your router page (see step 4 above), but this time also:
1. Enable when access (Wide Area Network).
2. Find the External IP: Enabling WAN access alone isn’t enough; you need the address to connect to. Go to the Network Map on the left of web router portal and look for Primary WAN and click on it. On the right new mini window copy the “WAN IP” address. This is your public, external IP address that you will use to connect from outside your home.
3. When you connect from outside, you use this new WAN IP in the FileZilla Host field. The connection may take a few seconds longer, and you might get a certificate warning. Select Always trust certificate in future sessions and click OK to proceed.
The only difference in access is the address used: Internal access uses the local IP (192.168.x.x); External access uses the public WAN IP.
4. You found your WAN IP address, the public IP address assigned by your Internet Service Provider, and used it instead of your internal network IP in FileZilla. To connect, you paste your WAN IP address into the Host field, entered the username and password, and click OK. The connection should have succeeded, confirming that you can now access the files on your Asus router’s USB stick from anywhere on the internet.
Note: A critical note on a common troubleshooting issue. During my testing I discovered a network connection timeout issue caused by me being connected to my VPN I use for privacy. After disabling my VPN connection, I was able to connect to my USB drive via WAN connection.
Because the VPN connection was directed from my current location, through your VPN’s server, and then back to my home’s public WAN IP, the data path became convoluted and caused significant delay and connection errors. Disabling my VPN allowed the connection to work properly.
This method successfully turns your Asus router into a remotely accessible bootleg NAS using the more secure FTP/TLS method and the FileZilla client.
