Travel Technology - Attach USB hard drives to wireless network

I have 2 USB hard drives that I would like to attach to my wireless network. What is the best way to go about doing this. I do not have a spare computer to attach them to and then share it. Is there a way to directly connect them?

I have 2 USB hard drives that I would like to attach to my wireless network. What is the best way to go about doing this. I do not have a spare computer to attach them to and then share it. Is there a way to directly connect them?

I'm not sure there is a device that will do that, at least not for under $100.
My suggestion would be to build a FreeNAS box
http://www.archatechs.com/blog/files/freenas.html

you can get a super cheap PC off ebay and build a NAS box, then put a wired or wireless NIC in the box...

I know some of the NAS boxes on the market do support USB, but again, they are going to cost a lot more than building you own, I think...

D-Link DNS-G120 will do the job.

Around $100-$120.

http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=0&pid=421

And if you don't mind replacing your current router then the Linksys WRT350 will also work fine, costing around $180

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1162354643512&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

Of course, the Linksys is also a Gigabit switch and MIMO router as well as a storage server.

I'm not sure there is a device that will do that, at least not for under $100.
My suggestion would be to build a FreeNAS box
http://www.archatechs.com/blog/files/freenas.html

you can get a super cheap PC off ebay and build a NAS box, then put a wired or wireless NIC in the box...

I know some of the NAS boxes on the market do support USB, but again, they are going to cost a lot more than building you own, I think...

You forget to mention the cost of running these machines. At around 300 watts they'll be quite a lot more expensive in the long run than a simple router with USB ports.

Another D-link option that requires you to put the drives IN the enclosure:

http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=0&pid=377

I had this one and was not too impressed, it had a hard time getting an IP from my router, but that was a year ago so i can only assume they've fixed the issues in a new firmware; also in the $100-$140 price range.

I have had good success with the Vantec USB/Ethernet enclosure.

http://www.centralcomputer.com/itemdetail.asp?item=DRIZVANNSL1R

Just plugged that baby into my router and viola!

(sorry for the musical malaprop)

I use this linksys product, it is only wireless G with speed booster but it works well.

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1137028967848&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

It only has one USB port but you can put a USB hub in and connect more than one drive. The only bad thing about it is it can't seem to take a file any larger than 4GB, so if most of the stuff you store is less than that you are okay if you are looking to store larger files, I would not recommend this as an option.

Update - I just looked and there is new firmware out that may or may not fix this issue, I am going to load it tonight and see if it helps.