Sharing same External hard drive with multiple DVRs

[mfoster711]

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to easily share an EHD between two 722 receivers without having to physically move the EHD? I would love some simple type of switch to choose which DVR it should be connected to. The back of my receivers are not that easy to get to so physically moving them is not something I would ever want to do on a regular basis.

 

[TheKrell]

Are both of your 722's within USB distance of one another?

 

[mfoster711]

Are both of your 722's within USB distance of one another?

Maybe, is there some technical limitation on the length of a USB cord?

 

[KKlare]

The easiest USB switch is to move the USB cable from one DVR to the other. This works best using the front USB port. I've broken door hinges on each by now, can you say fragile.

I have 2 722s but 9 drives--one is a stand for 1 of 3 raw drives 1TB to 2TB. I have a 10-way USB (currently unpowered) switch that handles 7 drives.

Only one drive is powered at a time. The stand and a 2TB drive can be connected to the other 722 while using the switch.

A power strip lets me turn all off with one button. Left on, a connected USB drive can delay reboot by 1/2 hr or more while file checked.

I used to leave all powered and just plug the right one(s) in to the 722(s) but this uses less power, that was easier.

Not your answer but a similar problem.

-Ken

 

[RobMeyer1]

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to easily share an EHD between two 722 receivers without having to physically move the EHD? I would love some simple type of switch to choose which DVR it should be connected to. The back of my receivers are not that easy to get to so physically moving them is not something I would ever want to do on a regular basis.

You can leave a USB cable plugged in to the back of each receiver and put the other end in a convenient location. I did a search on USB switch and got results that show such a thing exists. Monoprice.com sells a USB cable that is 49 feet long. Don't know how well it will work, but other cables I've bought from them have worked for me.

 

[boosted-fc3s]

You can leave a USB cable plugged in to the back of each receiver and put the other end in a convenient location. I did a search on USB switch and got results that show such a thing exists. Monoprice.com sells a USB cable that is 49 feet long. Don't know how well it will work, but other cables I've bought from them have worked for me.

~16.4ft is the stated standard for USB 2.0 and earlier (5 meters). Once you exceed that distance you start to exceed the allowable delay of 26ns per command and the usb device is considered lost to the host. I've used a 25ft cable for a cheapo laser printer with no issue, but I would not use a long cable for a hard drive.

 

[mike123abc]

I have not tried it with EHDs but I use USB->Cat5->USB converters with printers and such.

 

[SaltiDawg]

I have not tried it with EHDs but I use USB->Cat5->USB converters with printers and such.

I suspect that you could find cheaper... Amazon.com: USB Over Cat5 Wall Plate Bstr: Electronics

 

[patrick80639]

You can leave a USB cable plugged in to the back of each receiver and put the other end in a convenient location. I did a search on USB switch and got results that show such a thing exists. Monoprice.com sells a USB cable that is 49 feet long. Don't know how well it will work, but other cables I've bought from them have worked for me.

I have this exact same USB cable. It has a built-in repeater, thus allowing it to exceed USB length restrictions. Works very well, never had any issues.