Wifi hard drive security options

[anbry]

Hi everyone,

I want to set up a hard drive that's accessed wirelessly while being able to restrict who can access it on the network as well as have protection if it's stolen. I'm aware of two options: using a external drive with built in wifi or connecting an external drive into a router. I have a usb drive atm so I prefer to install it to a router. What I don't understand well is security options. I have a decent idea of what encryption is and other method, which I don't understand it's mechanism well, is just some type of password without encryption. I understand encryption requires a password even if it was plugged into a new computer--unlike if I were the plug in a drive with a windows password into a new computer (it'd be easy to access those files). Ideally I'd like the drive to just not be able to be accessed without a password if moved to another computer. Is that possible without encryption?

So I want some type of password protection that can't be accessed if stolen or moved--ideally without having encryption. I'm not sure if protection like that is possible by just editing security properties through windows? That seems like it would be the easiest solution, but then I wonder if the security would work if the drive was moved to another computer. I have a feeling that might work! I haven't tested it because as of last week I don't have a computer. What makes my future network more complicated is I want my new future windows computer and a chromebook that's in the mail atm to both be able to access the wifi drive. Setting it up as NTFS should give me access to both drives without security, but what encryption software or other security software would work for using both OS's? I understand windows has bitlocker, but I doubt that would work with chrome os. Maybe there's software that works with both OS's?

Thanks for reading!

The pc will be windows 10 with some type of i5 or i7 and overall good specs
The chromebook is the Acer R13 with a MediaTek 2.10 GHz ARM

[Geek-9pm]

From dictation, there may be some typos here.

Here is a general answer to your question. It looks like you are asking three questions at once. So I'll give three answers.

1. Windows may or may not require a password when you log into the Windows-based computer. The password does not guarantee that the files on the computer are secure. The password  only prevents somebody from easily entering your computer while you are out to lunch.

2. Many websites do not require any kind of security features for most kinds of browsing experiences you are likely to enjoy. However, whenever a website requests information from you, such this a credit card number, a secure connection should be established. Normally your browser will inform you when there is a secure connection in progress. It is very difficult for anybody to ease drop on a secure connection because all the data is scrambled according to an encryption key that is known only by your computer and the secure server that you are connected to.

3. Now about Wi-Fi. Nowadays Wi-Fi connections require a password and also there is some type of encryption method. This prevents anybody from ease dropping on the wireless transmission. However, this does not guarantee that the transmission is secure over the Internet, it only secures the wireless connection.

Now about the problem you have. You need to check your router's manual to see if the router has any way to secure  password protection of the USB port. If not, you're going to have to implement some kind of password protection on the hard drive that is connected to the USB port of the router. Sorry I don't have a quick answer for you as I have never attempted to do that sort of thing. However, here is an alternative idea.

If the amount of data you want to share with other people is moderate and you don't want to leave your equipment turned on day and night you may consider a cloud service. In brief, a cloud service is a file sharing service that's on 24 seven and requires a password to access. It works even when your computer is off-line and your router is off-line.
The cloud services actually somewhere on some other server, maybe even in a different country. The services password protected and the people you want to access the cloud service will have to have the password that you provide. Some cloud services offer free file sharing up to about 10 GB.
If you are interested in the free cloud service, you can just check it with your search engine and use the expression" free cloud service".

That's the best I can do for you.

[Mark.]

just to throw another option into the mix....

what about a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device.
for example, I have a 2 disk bay Netgear NAS, ethernet to the modem/router hence it can be accessed via any device that has access (cabled or wireless) to my network.

although not unique to the Netgear units, you can also setup permissions for each folder, with or without encryption, the unit can also be accessed over HTTPS, so remotely as well.

how does that sort of solution fit in with your needs?

[anbry]

Thanks Geek-9pm. If this is too complicated I will just use a cloud for important files like you suggest and the usb drive for unimportant ones.

Sorry my question may have been confusing. What I really want is to connect to a wifi usb hard drive (or something equalivant) with both a windows computer and a chromebook computer at the same time. I'm pretty sure I can do that with if I format the drive to be NTFS since both computers OS's support that file format. My main issue is that I would like both to be able to access the wifi type of hard drive with the drive having security. I'm pretty sure for one of the computers to access a drive with security it needs software that may not coexist with both OS's.

I haven't seen anyone talk about this online so I thought I'd ask! I figure lots of families have both pc and macs on the same network (which could have the same conflict), but wifi types of hard drives are fairly new so I'm not sure if people have that issue!

[anbry]

Mark that kind of system sounds like it would work well for me. Would both the chromebook and pc be able to use the drive with the encryption? If they can, I just want to know what software would do that.

[Geek-9pm]

This might help:
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/WNR3500LV1/WNR3500L_SM_11JUN2010.pdf
That router has a feature to let you put something into the USB port.

EDIT:My bad. That manual is the short version. The thing called ReadySHARE is documented in another manual, And even then, the documentation is lacking. You have to have a dynamic DNS service to make it work over the Internet.

A Dynamic DNS is seldom free and is something that I have never tried. It is much easier to just buy web space and FTP stuff to your web space. FTP requires a password and is secure. This is the common way people share stuff. 

Or use a cloud service. There is at least one that lets  you have 10 GB free.

[anbry]

Just having access to files at home is okay with me. Maybe I'll just experiment.

[Mark.]

@anbry,
I'm only a Windows guy, try to actively limit my exposure to Macs, Androids or any other OS (too old to want to learn new tricks).
But, using by setup as an example, the Netgear NAS doesn't care (or know) anything about your OS, your machine just needs the right network protocols, if it can see network mapped drives, than it can see a NAS.
The Netgear ReadyNAS's, and I'm sure others are the same, handle all sorts of protocols.
I've even got my Apple TV and Samsung SmartTV sucking files off the NAS.
But the driving force initially in getting it was for secured, RAID backups.

[anbry]

@mark. That sounds great. I have a WD passport ultra. I've used the security software with it by just plugging it into my last computer. If I set that hard drive to a capable router, do you think the original WD security software would work over the wifi and with a chromebook? I thought there may be a conflict because I think the software I used is a windows program.

[Mark.]

although I'm not completely knowledgeable on your WD, I have played with a WD MyBook before.
and over the web too, that is, remotely logging into it from home, and the WD lived at work.
so it had browser access, not needing platform specific software.
and WD had some sort of software I downloaded from their site that also allowed some sort of extra functionality (that was for Windows) but we are going back a few years now.

but basically, if you connect it to a router, I'm pretty sure you'll get access to it multiple ways - either home network, wirelessly.
and if said router was connected to a modem (or had web access somehow) you'd also have access through a browser and very like, remotely.