WDTV HD Gen 2 + Sharespace

#1

Haven’t seen anything definative on this other than talk about the WD Live(+) .

So can the WDTV HD Gen2 and Sharespace be used together?

I was using the MyBook Mirror but the USB port decided to take a ■■■■ and break and is unfixable.

#2

No.  The ShareSpace is a LAN-based NAS.

Since the Gen2 isn’t Network-based, you can’t use it.

#3

That’s too bad, I really don’t feel like spending another $130 for a box that works just fine for me.

So just connecting them via USB won’t work? Has anyone actually tried this? Just asking because there are 3 USB ports on the Sharespace.

I really like my WD Hard drives but I am beginning to think all WD cares about with the rest of their products is to make their customers continuously update their hardware.

#4

Danger wrote:

So just connecting them via USB won’t work? Has anyone actually tried this? Just asking because there are 3 USB ports on the Sharespace.

The Sharespace’s interface is Ethernet.  The USB ports are for connecting devices TO it, not for connecting it as a USB device to something else.

The same thing (i.e. it won’t work) would happen if you tried to connect the USB ports of 2 PCs (or of a PC and your Gen2).  The PCs and the WDTV (and the Sharespace) are all expecting devices to be connected TO them – they don’t behave like devices themselves, and can’t be connected to something else.

(Yes, you can network 2 PCs over USB, but you need special software to do it – it won’t happen automatically.)

Aside from buying a Live/Live Plus/Live Hub, or buying a different USB drive, one other option would be to look into third-party firmware for your Gen2 which would allow you to connect a USB ethernet dongle to it.  You’d still have to buy a compatible dongle, but it’d cost you less.

#5

Ok, that’s kind of what I thought but needed confirmation. The 3rd party firmware is something for me to think about.

Thanks for the patient explantions :smiley:

#6

You’re welcome.

I’ve never tried to network my Gen1.  But, from what I’ve read, many others have done it with B-Rad’s firmware, for both the Gen1 and Gen2.

But I believe you have to be even more selective what USB dongle you choose… even more so than the somewhat limited choice available to the Live/Live Plus/Live Hub.

If you do decide to go down that road, I’d strongly suggest visiting their forums and looking at what adaptors others are successfully using with a Gen2, before going out and buying one yourself.  If you just grab the first one you see, if it’s not an exact model/version that someone else is successfully using, the odds of it working for you aren’t very good – like essentially zero.