My router, like most modern routers, has a plethora of ports, including one USB port. That USB port can come in handy in various scenarios, for example, sharing files over the local network (or even the internet), printing files wirelessly, and even updating router firmware. And while there are many devices that you can connect to your router’s USB port, I don’t use that port on mine. As a tech writer, it doesn’t sound savvy to underutilize my router’s full functionality, but I have my reasons.
1
It’s a huge security risk
Using the USB port is a security nightmare
One of the major downsides of using the router’s USB port is that it comes with its security risks. Unlike dedicated storage devices such as NAS systems, routers are primarily built to manage network traffic, not to safeguard files. As such, routers don’t have the best security systems in place to safeguard your files when you make them accessible via the network. First, most routers utilize outdated or unsafe file-sharing protocols.
For example, you’ll commonly find two options in most routers when setting up file sharing over the network: SMBv1 and FTP. Both of these protocols are a few decades old and haven’t been updated or are no longer updated. So they’re full of security loopholes. For example, the infamous WannaCry ransomware attack from 2017 exploited a vulnerability in the SMBv1 protocol and infected over 100,000 devices, according to The Hacker News. FTP, on the other hand, is just as insecure as it sends data in plain text. That means anyone who can intercept your network traffic will be able to see your files—this is what its secure successor, SFTP, addresses, but it’s hard to find on most modern routers.
And even if the router uses updated protocols, a simple misconfiguration on your part can expose your shared files over the internet without your knowledge. Hackers scan the internet for open or poorly configured routers for this purpose. Additionally, USB sticks can be infected with malware and are a common target due to their portability and convenience for file transfers. So when you plug it into your router, it can spread to other devices on your network through shared folders.
2
It’s not suitable for file sharing
It works, yes, but it’s unreliable
Your router’s USB port provides a convenient built-in way of enabling access to shared files over the network. It’s easy to set up, too — you just plug in your USB drive, hard disk drive, or solid state drive, and with minimal configuration, you can access files on any connected device (or even over the internet if you want). This is great, and I have done it in the past to build a cheap NAS at home. It doesn’t come without its downsides, however. Truth be told, your router isn’t designed for heavy file sharing.
It can act as a tiny file server, but what you’ll notice is that the speeds aren’t impressive enough, even if the device supports newer USB standards like USB 3.2, such as the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX6000. This is because manufacturers don’t include powerful enough CPUs and enough memory in routers to be able to perform both network traffic routing and serve files fast. That’s why file transfer speeds are often painfully slow compared to using a pre-built or DIY NAS and even directly plugging a storage device into your computer.
In all instances where I’ve tried to use my router as a file server, it didn’t crash, but the transfer speeds were unbearable. Nowadays, I prefer to plug in a USB drive or SSD to my computer, which gives me faster, more stable transfer speeds.
3
It can slow down or crash your router
Your router isn’t as powerful as you think
As noted before, manufacturers typically don’t use the most powerful chips in home routers. Your typical home router might come with a CPU with clock speeds of less than 2.0GHz and 256MB to 512MB of memory. You can easily strain limited memory and CPU power when transferring large files over the network, because the system needs to juggle file I/O and network management at the same time.
If you don’t have a powerful enough router, you’ll experience issues such as Wi-Fi drops. Additionally, when you plug in a device to the USB port and start transferring files, for example, you’ll be using that same bandwidth that’s supposed to be used for your internet connection. Even if you have a gigabit link, you won’t enjoy the full bandwidth as you normally do because serving files consumes some of it.
That can lead to slower internet speeds. Additionally, if you use your router as a NAS for streaming media, backing up large files, or accessing multiple files simultaneously, it can quickly overwhelm it, causing lags or, in the worst case, crashes. It might work seamlessly for small files, but you’ll hit a snag when you want to copy or transfer large files to or from the device attached to the router’s USB port. And this is because most routers can’t handle sustained load.
Avoid using your router’s USB port
The USB port on your router might look like a convenient bonus feature, but in reality, it comes with its fair share of problems. Using it for file sharing exposes you to unnecessary security risks, and it can slow down your router and, in turn, the network. Besides, it’s not reliable for transferring large files, so you should avoid it altogether, or get a proper NAS if you want to enjoy fast access to shared files over the network.