I, too, have a powerline adapter that works OK, (although 1080p HD streams stutter) so I don’t use it because I have a totally wired home with gigabit throughout the four wired rooms, and with lots of network switches placed around to connect all I can to some places like the entertainment center. WD’s have drives attached. The only time wireless is used is a bedroom WD and Roku because wired is not convenient even if the router is 10 feet away in a walk-in closet where the Cat5 box is located. (no ethernet outlet in the bedroom.) We mostly use wireless for iPads and iPhones. My wireless streaming is great at 5G connects.
Instead of using a powerline adapter, look into the WD Range Extender to give you better wireless coverage. I have one and use it for the mobile devices often. Since the router is a good one (Asus RT-N66U) don’t need the Range Extender much.
The USB access on a Roku is cool, but not necessary if you have a mobile phone or tablet. You can install Twonky Beam app on them and the Roku and “beam” (i.e. stream) media to Rokus and WDs. Use it all the time with with iPad and mostly with the Roku. Just search this forum for “twonky beam” and you will find my posts about it.
Regarding the USB connection on the Roku, (to use it you need to install the Roku USB Media Player channel). One thing I have not tried until a few minutes ago (because this discussion got me to thinking about it) is to connect a hard drive with media on it to the Roku’s USB port. It works! All I had ever connected before was a flash drive. The Roku searches for and finds media on the full hard drive (albeit quite slowly) and I played mp3 and mp4 media. Cool. I used a portable drive, and since there was not enough power from the Roku, I needed to use the drive’s dual USB cable (one for power and one for drive data) to get the drive running. (A self-powered drive ought to work fine). Although this all works, it is kind of kludgy. So, there you go – another way to use the Roku. Can only play simple media this way, though; e.g. no ISO or MKV files.
So, go have fun with your Roku.
wytworm wrote:
Interesting test I just ran based on the Plex part of the discussion:
Streaming the same file based video across the network to both Roku’s simultaneously. Works fine. No degradation in quality or anything. Really surprised and pleased.
Yep, simultaneous to Roku is cool. Don’t think we can do that with WDs unless we stream the same video to two units, but that just bogs down the HD.
foetus >>>
- Selling working units to someone who would be happy to acquire them second hand, and buying new HDD and water gun.
Best idea of all! I just got an ad from Newegg today:
WD My Passport 1TB USB 3.0 Black Portable Hard Drive WDBBEP0010BBK-NESN $69.99. . . . DUH!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236189&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL053113&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL053113-_-EMC-053113-Index-_-ExternalHardDrives-_-22236189-L0F
BTW, if you get a water gun, too, be sure to get the “dual-purpose model”; one that also blows bubbles. Then you can have target practice! Remember to use a gun safely. 
foetus wrote:
wmywbenefit?te:
mike27oct wrote:
I also want to point out to all readers that since a Hub originally costs around $200, (and the drive inside is a $100 drive) removing the drive to use elsewhere makes a $200 media player now worthless. If one wants an extra hard drive, better to buy a better 1TB portable or internal drive for LESS than $100 and keep the Hub intact – either as a backup unit or to sell. It is simple arithmetic.
- As they are now the $200 media players are useless to me. I will never again use them in their current state.
- It is not necessary to retain the media player shell to use the drives as a backup unit. Keeping them in their current enclosure actually inhibits my usage for them as USB storage or putting one or both of them into one of my current machines.
- Is it not better to save the drives and throw away the part i will never use again vs throwing away the whole unit?
- So the simple arithmetic really is – keep them as they are now and lose the whole value of the units to me, or take em apart and use the drives for as long as they last, wherever they can best be used.
or
- Selling working units to someone who would be happy to acquire them second hand, and buying new HDD and water gun.
Why is that to my benefit?
mike27octidea te:
foetus >>>
50 Selling working units to someone whwdtv’sld be happy to acquire them second hand, and buying new HDD and water gun.
Best idea of all! I just got an ad from Newegg today:
WD My Passport 1TB USB 3.0 Black Portable Hard Drive WDBBEP0010BBK-NESN $69.99. . . . DUH!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236189&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL053113&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL053113-_-EMC-053113-Index-_-ExternalHardDrives-_-22236189-L0F
BTW, if you get a water gun, too, be sure to get the “dual-purpose model”; one that also blows bubbles. Then you can have target practice! Remember to use a gun safely.
The best idea of all is to pay 0, and use the drives in the retired wdtvc
wytworm >>>
- Selling working units to someone who would be happy to acquire them second hand, and buying new HDD and water gun.
Why is that to my benefit?
OK, I will spell it out for you: M-O-N-E-Y
You might be able to get a couple of hundred dollars for the Hubs if you sell via craigslist, etc.
MONEY you can use to buy a new and better HD, (for less than $100) especially since the HDs in the Hub are only 5200 rpm, and the bottom of the WD line of HDs.
OK, I am outta here. Nothing else to say.
mike27oct wrote:
wytworm >>>
each his own 5) Selling workingtheres to someone who would be happy to acquire them second hand, and buying new HDD and water gun.
Why is that to my benefit?
OK, I will spell it out for you: M-O-N-E-Y
You might be able to get a couple of hundred dollars for the Hubs if you sell via craigslist, etc.
MONEY you can use to buy a new and better HD, (for less than $100) especially since the HDs in the Hub are only 5200 rpm, and the bottom of the WD line of HDs.
OK, I am outta here. Nothing else to say.
Seems a tad unethical, but to each his own. Best of luck out therr
You continue to flabbergast me. How is selling your own stuff UNETHICAL?
Hey,
TonyPh12345, I do not argue your info about the different 2.5 drive sizes. (and I really didn’t know there were that many)
My point is I thought (and maybe others might have) I could buy some enclosures for the original WDTVLiveHub drives and possibly swap out the set of drives I use for my laptop or… (the WD drives fit neither the enclosures or the laptop) Laptop drive worked on the WD OK.(500mb), but the WD drives would not fit. Just wanted to share that point.
Another reason I like the WD, is low power consuming. I run 3 WDhubs (wired) with a lot of drives 24/7 (except bad weather) and ONLY use a pc for transferring files. I tried the paid video services and don’t really use that part of the WD. So, I will not argue witch is better, just that they are different uses. WD fits my need perfect and will buy another, should one fail.(but that’s me)
WOW! Had no idea this would get so sticky. Just wanted to share some things learned. (some the hard way…LOL)
Dan:dizzy_face:
mike27oct wrote:
You continue to flabbergast me. How is selling your own stuff UNETHICAL?
Selling 2 year old heavily used hubs at full price would be unethical. We clearly have different standards as the entire thread has proven. Wishing you well.
WDjunky wrote:
WOW! Had no idea this would get so sticky.
No kidding! Appreciate the info add.
If thtwo
wytworm wrote:
mike27oct wrote:
You continue to flabbergast me. How is selling your own stuff UNETHICAL?
Selling 2 year old heavily used hubs at full price would be unethical. We clearly have different standards as the entire thread has proven. Wishing you well.
If the Hubs cost $200 each new, and you sell each one intact for $100 (for a total of $200) is that a problem? This is the math I used. No telling what math you used.
wytworm wrote:
mike27oct wrote:
You continue to flabbergast me. How is selling your own stuff UNETHICAL?
Selling 2 year old heavily used hubs at full price would be unethical. We clearly have different standards as the entire thread has proven. Wishing you well.
If the Hubs cost $200 each new, and you sell each one intact for $100 (for a total of $200) is that a problem? This is the math I used. No telling what math you used.
Looks like the value of the hubs in the condition they are in is $71 not $100, but ok. Unless you are making me an offer… . Have a great weekend! Its hot out there, drink lots of water!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WD-TV-Live-Hub-Media-Center-with-1TB-Hard-Drive-/290923462136?pt=US_Internet_Media_Streamers&hash=item43bc63bdf8
