# TiVo Stream 4K - Expansion Options



## JOSHSKORN

*10/15/20 EDIT: A couple of weeks ago, I had decided to move away from purchasing a TiVo Stream 4K and have instead now purchased a Chromecast with Google TV. I will no longer be updating this thread.*

If you have done a special setup to enhance your TiVo Stream 4K experience, please reply to this thread with these details:

What goal did you achieve with your setup?
Name of device(s) and link(s) to buy
Which port did you plug your setup in on your TiVo Stream 4K (USB Type C or MicroUSB)?
(If Possible), a picture of your setup
Items listed may at some point be color coded, if necessary. If such thing happens, it would indicate reliable vs semi-reliable. Devices that are currently unavailable or discontinued, will be marked as well.

I will try to go through this forum and other sources over the next few days to compile a list. Again, if you know of something that works, please use this thread and share your information.

*MicroUSB Adapters*
(MicroUSB) TUSITA OTG Micro USB HUB Adaptor with Power

1 Female MicroUSB - Connect to TS4K's Included Power Adapter
3 Female USB 2.0 Ports
Source
(MicroUSB) AuviPal 2-in-1 Powered Micro USB to USB OTG Adapter Cable

1 Male MicroUSB - Connect to TiVo Stream 4K
1 Female MicroUSB - Connect to TS4K's Included Power Adapter
1 Female USB - Connect to USB Devices
Source

*USB Type-C Adapters*
(USB Type-C) tomtoc USB C to USB 3.0 Adapter

Male USB Type-C to Female USB 3.0 Adapter
Note: the source (next bullet) shows using this adapter to connect to a UGREEN USB A Adapter (USB to Ethernet). The link in the video's description is dead, leaving me to believe that the product is no longer available. I will update if this changes.
Source
*Ethernet Connectivity*
(USB Type-C) Techkey USB C to Ethernet Adapter

USB Type-C to Ethernet Connectivity
Source
(USB Type-C to USB A) J5 Create USB 3.0 Ethernet Adapter, JUE130

The specific USB Type-C to USB A adapter used is unknown.
Source
(USB Type-C) UGREEN Ethernet Adapter for Fire TV Stick 4K

1 USB 2.0 for Power
1 Ethernet Connector
AC Wall Charger Not included (as noted on device images from Amazon's website)
Source 1, Source 2.
(USB Type-C to USB 3.0 adapter) Smays - Gigabit Ethernet Adapter for Nintendo Switch, USB 3.0 LAN Network

Source
*Hubs*
(USB Type-C) Inateck USB C Hub (Notes below on this device are still pending)

Ethernet Port - Connector does not work with TiVo Stream 4K but it works with other devices
Female VGA Connector (Video Output only) *Not Tested*
Female HDMI Connector (Output only) *Not Tested*
Two USB 3.0 Connector
Two USB Type-C Connectors, one in-use for power. *Second port Not Tested*
MicroSD Reader *Not Tested*
SD Card Reader *Not Tested*

Source

*External Storage Devices (MicroSD or SD Cards, USB Hard Drives, NAS, etc.)*
(Ethernet Connected) Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation DS218+ (Discontinued)

Connected to Network via Ethernet (USB 3.0 also available)
TS4K Connection: WiFi 5GHz Network to Ubiquiti Access Point (Wired to Network by Ethernet). Note: This might not be the exact model number tested but it is the latest. Also, it is important to note that the user that reported this item working within their infrastructure, is connected on WiFi 5GHz, not WiFi 2.4. WiFi 5Ghz supports faster transfer speeds (appropriate for video stream), has less interference but does not have as good a range as a WiFi 2.4 GHz connected device. Therefore, if a reliable WiFi 5GHz connection is not an option, your results may vary.
DS218+ Model replaced by DS220j and DS220+. Note that there is a big price difference between these two NAS solutions.
Source
*Video Capture Devices*

*Keyboards/Mice/Other Remote Devices*
(USB Type-C to Hub with USB 3.0) Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 Plus *Partially works* *Pending further testing*

USB 2.0 Dongle connected via USB 3.0 port on Inateck USB C Hub.
ENTER Key may not work
This keyboard may only work within apps and not when trying to enter Wi-Fi info.
Source


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## Jim1348

This definitely added Ethernet for my TiVo Stream 4K. I plugged directly into the USB-C port. No need for micro USB to USB-C adapters. It was plug and play, instead of plug and pray!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XLLTL7V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## vurbano

Jim1348 said:


> This definitely added Ethernet for my TiVo Stream 4K. I plugged directly into the USB-C port. No need for micro USB to USB-C adapters. It was plug and play, instead of plug and pray!
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XLLTL7V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


what speeds do you get. I found that when got a gigabit ethernet adapater working the stream would soon drop the speeds very low.


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## xberk

I'm still trying to find the right hardware to hook up a 3-4TB portable drive. I can use a SanDisk flash drive 32gb directly into the usb-c port on the TS4K without issue. Works beautiful with MxPlayer to access all my video folders on that flash drive. I formatted a Toshiba Slim drive to exFat and put on about 100gb of movie folders .. that worked too using the OTG setup pictured .. but when that same Toshiba Slim drive was loaded with 1.8TB of movies, it fails to be recognized or flakes rapidly if it is recognized. No solution found yet. Apparently, size matters?


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## Jim1348

vurbano said:


> what speeds do you get. I found that when got a gigabit ethernet adapater working the stream would soon drop the speeds very low.

















These are from a couple of weeks ago. So, to answer your question, the speeds are no slower than other things in my home. (My internet is from an AT&T Mobile Router.)


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## JOSHSKORN

xberk said:


> I'm still trying to find the right hardware to hook up a 3-4TB portable drive. I can use a SanDisk flash drive 32gb directly into the usb-c port on the TS4K without issue. Works beautiful with MxPlayer to access all my video folders on that flash drive. I formatted a Toshiba Slim drive to exFat and put on about 100gb of movie folders .. that worked too using the OTG setup pictured .. but when that same Toshiba Slim drive was loaded with 1.8TB of movies, it fails to be recognized or flakes rapidly if it is recognized. No solution found yet. Apparently, size matters?


@Jim1348 I'm getting the impression that size does matter in terms of portable drives. I have a couple of questions now, maybe you or someone can answer for me, since I do not own the device, yet.

First of all, to your point of if size matters...I'm wondering if larger drives have enough power to run from the TiVo Stream 4K. Maybe try something that requires an external power source? Just a thought. I scanned through the USB C - what works and what doesn't thread and seem to remember something like that. But if we can nail down those details, I'll definitely include them in the original post.

*Also, would you know if the Android TV version that the TiVo Stream 4K is a 32 or 64-bit operating system?* I don't quite know how it all works, but as far as I know, 32-bit OS's can see only a hard drive size of 3.2 TB. I have a TiVo Bolt+, and its hard drive size is 3 TB. The OS's on TiVo Bolt's are only 32-bit, I believe. Previously, I had a TiVo Bolt, which I kinda ended up busting, myself, as I upgraded the hard drive to a 4 TB, which worked for awhile, until it overheated and killed the whole thing. Luckily, I was still under the trial period, so my subscription hadn't activated on my original device. I've also heard a report of an 8 TB HDD working on a Bolt. So maybe to a point, it is "Large Address Aware".


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## xberk

JOSHSKORN said:


> @Jim1348
> 
> First of all, to your point of if size matters...I'm wondering if larger drives have enough power to run from the TiVo Stream 4K. Maybe try something that requires an external power source? Just a thought. I scanned through the USB C - what works and what doesn't thread and seem to remember something like that. But if we can nail down those details, I'll definitely include them in the original post.


Nailing down the details will not be easy. There was a post on the "what works" thread you mention about using a "powered" hub.

>>*My 4TB Seagate portable HDD works fine when hooked up to a powered hub. My USB-C hub with PD pass-through does the job when used with a 18W USB-C power adapter (specifically the one what came with my Pixel 3).* ( _the hub mentioned here is the Komkaer that is no longer available._)

I tried this with several powered hubs and no go for the 2tb Drive. I also tried using a docking station (powered) but that did not work either, in fact it would not even recognize the 32gb SanDisk flash drive that seems to work in almost any setup. A "powered" hub makes sense but I can't find the right one. When I hookup my 2TB Toshiba Slim drive via the OTG method, it nearly works ..

I did notice that when an external disk is plugged in that TS4K does a scan. What would this be? Scanning for what?


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## JOSHSKORN

xberk said:


> I did notice that when an external disk is plugged in that TS4K does a scan. What would this be? Scanning for what?


Just a guess, maybe it's scanning to verify compatibility or maybe it wants you to format the drive correctly for use? What FS (file system) is the drive formatted for? NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT? I can't remember what FS was used by others, but not NTFS. I believe that this info is somewhere in the USB Type-C thread. I'll search it out at some point and indicate it on the OP.

I'd noticed, while working at a place that has several public computer work stations, that we'd occasionally have a customer that would plug in a USB device, and then Windows would prompt the user to format the device, which usually indicates that the drive is dead. So, are you sure the drive works while plugged into another device?


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## xberk

>> What FS (file system) is the drive formatted for? NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT?

I formatted exFat for both my Toshiba Slim 2TB and the 32gb SanDisk Thumbdrive. NTFS did not work at all. 

>>So, are you sure the drive works while plugged into another device?

Yes. My Toshiba Slim 2TB works fine on my Windows 10 laptop and my Windows 8.1 PC. The 32gb SanDisk works everywhere, including plugged into the TS4K directly via the USB-C port or via the OTG cable which uses the MicroPower.

I did notice when I plug in the Toshiba Slim via the OTG that it nearly works. The drive flashes white (not blue as it should for 3.0). 

I also noticed that the TS4K seems to be loading a folder called "Android" onto what ever external device you plug in.


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## JOSHSKORN

xberk said:


> >> What FS (file system) is the drive formatted for? NTFS, FAT32 or exFAT?
> 
> I formatted exFat for both my Toshiba Slim 2TB and the 32gb SanDisk Thumbdrive. NTFS did not work at all.
> 
> I did notice when I plug in the Toshiba Slim via the OTG that it nearly works. The drive flashes white (not blue as it should for 3.0).
> 
> I also noticed that the TS4K seems to be loading a folder called "Android" onto what ever external device you plug in.


I'll be sure and note the file system on the OP.

What OTG cable did you use? Was it connected through Micro USB or USB Type-C? I'm still also trying to figure out the throughput of the TS4K's MicroUSB port vs USB Type-C in relation to USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. Furthermore, I'm wondering exactly which devices need external power to work properly, like, an external hard drive or even the hub itself. AFAIK, OTG cables don't require any power.

On a related note, I read on the USB Type-C thread that USB 3.1 seems like a no-go. I'll see if I can link up the exact post comment when I have time, maybe I'll add the device in question (if that info is supplied) to the OP and indicate that it does NOT work.


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## xberk

JOSHSKORN said:


> What OTG cable did you use? Was it connected through Micro USB or USB Type-C?


Here's the OTG cable I bought at Amazon

The OTG basically splits the power coming from the TS4K power brick. As you can see from attached picture, USB-C is not used. This works fine if you attach a 32gb San Disk Thumbdrive into the USB A Female port -- and it "nearly" works for the Toshiba Slim drive. I think I have all the connectors properly labeled.

Is there a size limit for connecting an external storage to the TS4K ? Or is there some difference between the San Disk 32gb and the Toshiba Slim. Both are exFAT. Both work without issue on my laptop and my PC.


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## JOSHSKORN

xberk said:


> Is there a size limit for connecting an external storage to the TS4K ? Or is there some difference between the San Disk 32gb and the Toshiba Slim. Both are exFAT. Both work without issue on my laptop and my PC.


Is there a size limit? I think so, for portable devices. I swear I saw something on the USB Type-C thread, maybe this was the comment. If that's the case, then the limit would be 128GB without requiring additional power. I'll update you if I see anything different. Part of me also wonders if USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 could make the difference, if one requires more power or not.

EDIT: See this post. User claims to have gotten 1TB to work, but I'm not clear of the setup as of this moment.


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## xberk

JOSHSKORN said:


> Is there a size limit? I think so, for portable devices. I swear I saw something on the USB Type-C thread, maybe this was the comment. If that's the case, then the limit would be 128GB without requiring additional power. I'll update you if I see anything different. Part of me also wonders if USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 could make the difference, if one requires more power or not.
> 
> EDIT: See this post. User claims to have gotten 1TB to work, but I'm not clear of the setup as of this moment.


I've seen the same thing. 128gb flash drive seems to be the limit. *IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE SUCCESSFULLY HOOKING UP LARGER THAN 128GB FOR AN EXTERNAL DRIVE? *


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## MScottC

Is there an improvement based on keeping media on a HD attached to the TS4K vs on a pre-existing NAS? It just seems like you're creating a lot of difficult work.


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## xberk

MScottC said:


> Is there an improvement based on keeping media on a HD attached to the TS4K vs on a pre-existing NAS? It just seems like you're creating a lot of difficult work.


A NAS sounds like the solution .. I just hate to mess with my router as it is working so well. I've never setup a NAS. My router is about 5 or 6 years old. I'm still running Windows 8.1 on a 7 year old system .. when I move to Windows 10 and a new system, I'll get a new router too and do the NAS.


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## xberk

I just did a chat with Tivo Support about the size limit for storage on the TS4K.

Jenelyn (8:28:53 AM):Thank you for contacting TiVo Support Chat, my name is Jenelyn and I am happy to assist you.
Me (8:29:44 AM):Is there a limit to size storage that can be attached via the USB-C connector on Tivo STream 4k?
Jenelyn (8:31:24 AM):Let me check on this real quick.
Me (8:31:38 AM)k
Jenelyn (8:34:23 AM):Thank you for patiently waiting.
Jenelyn (8:35:37 AM):We would like to inform you that there's no limit to that but as of the moment the storage connector is not yet available or not yet fully functional.
Me (8:36:20 AM):Thanks. I assume there will be a device update at some point to make the USB-C functional?
Jenelyn (8:37:04 AM):Yes. We are still working on that but we do not have any specific date/time when it will be available.
Me (8:37:38 AM):Ok. Thanks.


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## MScottC

xberk said:


> A NAS sounds like the solution .. I just hate to mess with my router as it is working so well. I've never setup a NAS. My router is about 5 or 6 years old. I'm still running Windows 8.1 on a 7 year old system .. when I move to Windows 10 and a new system, I'll get a new router too and do the NAS.


There are plenty of NAS solutions out there that don't rely on your router, well except for the normal things a router does for any device on the network. I'm currently using a Synology 218+ two drive NAS which was easy for even me to configure (typical home consumer networking skills).


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## jaselzer

I am using a Synology DS220j. Easy to set up and fun too if you are a nerdy tech loving person. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Lenonn

xberk said:


> I just did a chat with Tivo Support about the size limit for storage on the TS4K.
> 
> Jenelyn (8:28:53 AM):Thank you for contacting TiVo Support Chat, my name is Jenelyn and I am happy to assist you.
> Me (8:29:44 AM):Is there a limit to size storage that can be attached via the USB-C connector on Tivo STream 4k?
> Jenelyn (8:31:24 AM):Let me check on this real quick.
> Me (8:31:38 AM)k
> Jenelyn (8:34:23 AM):Thank you for patiently waiting.
> Jenelyn (8:35:37 AM):We would like to inform you that there's no limit to that but as of the moment the storage connector is not yet available or not yet fully functional.
> Me (8:36:20 AM):Thanks. I assume there will be a device update at some point to make the USB-C functional?
> Jenelyn (8:37:04 AM):Yes. We are still working on that but we do not have any specific date/time when it will be available.
> Me (8:37:38 AM):Ok. Thanks.


Interesting.


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## JOSHSKORN

xberk said:


> A NAS sounds like the solution .. I just hate to mess with my router as it is working so well. I've never setup a NAS. My router is about 5 or 6 years old. I'm still running Windows 8.1 on a 7 year old system .. when I move to Windows 10 and a new system, I'll get a new router too and do the NAS.


When I get my TiVo Stream 4K, I'm going to attempt to connect it to my NAS. Basically, it'll be hardwired to a MoCA network, where I'll be trying to connect to a Seagate Backup Plus 4TB Desktop External Hard Drive USB 3.0 (STCA4000100) (I bought it in 2013), which is connected to an ASUS RT-AC87U AC2400 Router (not sure when I bought it but it was new at the time). This router is connected via Ethernet to a Fios Quantum gateway Router Q1100. Unfortunately, I need to also buy a Verizon or Frontier branded Network extender (WCB6200Q), the one I was trying to us is Actiontec branded and requires a reboot much of the time (I have two extenders), the other extender I have is Verizon branded which is actually reliable. I'll look on eBay for one.


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## JOSHSKORN

jaselzer said:


> I am using a Synology DS220j. Easy to set up and fun too if you are a nerdy tech loving person.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Please explain how your device is connected to your TS4K. In otherwords, if it's connected through the network or USB.


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## MScottC

My TS4K is connected to my NAS via wi-fi.... I've played a couple of files off of it. But I really have never used the NAS as an entertainment storage locale. Right now I've got about 5TBytes of work media on it.


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## JOSHSKORN

MScottC said:


> My TS4K is connected to my NAS via wi-fi.... I've played a couple of files off of it. But I really have never used the NAS as an entertainment storage locale. Right now I've got about 5TBytes of work media on it.


WiFi 2.4 or 5GHz? What's the quality like (smooth, buffering, etc...)? I assume the NAS is hardwired to the network and the TS4K is on WiFi?

Also, can you provide a product link so I have the right one? I'd like to add it to the OP.


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## MScottC

The NAS is indeed part of my hardwired home network. The TS4K is running Wi-Fi, 5GHz, via an Ubiquiti hotspot located in the same room. I've had no playback issues from either the NAS or from other streaming services.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075N1BYWX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Please note this device has now been discontinued and replaced by a more current model.


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## xberk

I've never setup a NAS .. so this is a basic question. 

I run my TS4K wireless. It streams Netflix, Prime etc without buffering. I have a 32gb SanDisk plugged into the USB-C port of the TS4k and I use MxPlayer on the TS4K to view my video content on the 32gb SanDisk. I really like the TS4K remote for this and the way MxPLayer works. I'd like to keep using MxPlayer. 

So bear with me .. If I did setup a NAS that does not plug directly into the router, could I still use MxPlayer on the TS4K to play back content on the NAS drives?


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## JOSHSKORN

xberk said:


> So bear with me .. If I did setup a NAS that does not plug directly into the router, could I still use MxPlayer on the TS4K to play back content on the NAS drives?


Let me ask you this, this NAS, it would still be on the network though, right? Secondly, what would you do on a Windows (7/8.1/10) PC or Mac (I'm not a MAC user, just FYI), to access the files on the NAS? Either map a network drive or use FTP, I believe. You would probably just need to play with whatever player you're going to try and use to see if it supports adding a source and go from there. But, I would wait for someone who has actually done it, since I'm just guessing. Again, I don't have my TS4K yet, I heard there's an update coming, that came, was pulled and I'd like to see it come out and be stable before I purchase my TS4K. Plus, I'm looking for a reliable USB-C (to USB 3.0 and Ethernet) hub, as well.


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## MScottC

There's a bunch of apps available on the Android Store, such as VLC and Plex, that will play from a network location. Synology also has video server apps within their environment. As I said, I have streamed a couple of things off my NAS to the TS4K. Here's all you really need to try, can you get video on one of your computers' hard drives to play on the TS4K? If so, well then the NAS is just another network location that will serve up files as well.


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## JOSHSKORN

MScottC said:


> The NAS is indeed part of my hardwired home network. The TS4K is running Wi-Fi, 5GHz, via an Ubiquiti hotspot located in the same room. I've had no playback issues from either the NAS or from other streaming services.
> 
> https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075N1BYWX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
> 
> Please note this device has now been discontinued and replaced by a more current model.


I must've missed something in your original comment about this. First of all, I thought you were referencing a DS220, not DS220j. My mistake. The link in your post is a different model, a DS218+. I did manage to find the DS220j on Amazon. Can you confirm that you have the DS220j and not the DS218+?

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Synology-DiskStation-DS220j-Diskless-2-bay/dp/B0855LMP81

As far as I'm concerned, though, they seem like essentially the same device from a connective standpoint (Both support Ethernet and USB 3.0), just by looking at pictures. I would assume that once connected to a network, the connection process is about the same.


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## xberk

>>can you get video on one of your computers' hard drives to play on the TS4K?
Yes I can .. Thanks Scott .. Amazing .. I tried VLC on the TS4K and once I determined what the signon/password was for my PC computer, I was able to find video files on one of the drives and they PLAYED! Then I took my "media" drive, a Western Digital USB portable drive formatted to NTSF, made it shareable, and BOOM, VLC found that drive and I now have full access to all 1.8TB of video files that reside on that drive. No NAS. So far all the video files play smoothly (no buffering) .. 

THIS SOLVES MY PROBLEM. The only drawback is that my PC must be running to use the files, but for me, that is no problem. I generally have been running my PC 24/7 lately. So it seems the TS4K can act as part of a media server.


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## MScottC

JOSHSKORN said:


> I must've missed something in your original comment about this. First of all, I thought you were referencing a DS220, not DS220j. My mistake. The link in your post is a different model, a DS218+. I did manage to find the DS220j on Amazon. Can you confirm that you have the DS220j and not the DS218+?
> 
> Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Synology-DiskStation-DS220j-Diskless-2-bay/dp/B0855LMP81
> 
> As far as I'm concerned, though, they seem like essentially the same device from a connective standpoint (Both support Ethernet and USB 3.0), just by looking at pictures. I would assume that once connected to a network, the connection process is about the same.


I have the DS218+, not the j model. I'm not sure what you, TCF, or Amazon did when you clicked on my link, but when I click on the link in my post, I am taken to the 218+ item page, not the j. I do believe the 218+ is no longer manufactured, that model being upgraded to the 220+.


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## MScottC

xberk said:


> >>can you get video on one of your computers' hard drives to play on the TS4K?
> Yes I can .. Thanks Scott .. Amazing .. I tried VLC on the TS4K and once I determined what the signon/password was for my PC computer, I was able to find video files on one of the drives and they PLAYED! Then I took my "media" drive, a Western Digital USB portable drive formatted to NTSF, made it shareable, and BOOM, VLC found that drive and I now have full access to all 1.8TB of video files that reside on that drive. No NAS. So far all the video files play smoothly (no buffering) ..
> 
> THIS SOLVES MY PROBLEM. The only drawback is that my PC must be running to use the files, but for me, that is no problem. I generally have been running my PC 24/7 lately. So it seems the TS4K can act as part of a media server.


And that is one of the ideas behind a NAS, that it's meant to be left running 24/7. Of course it gives you so many other benefits, like RAID protection (of course you have to provide 2 or more drives to obtain that), a place to keep services running (including media) full time, and incredibly easy sharing between client machines on your network.

For some reason over the years, I've found it very cumbersome, and hit and miss, to share drives from one PC to another PC. You get it up and running, and a few days or weeks later, you can't access folders from one PC on another. Home Groups and all the other things that were supposed to make it easy just never do. I never seem to have these issues at work in an enterprise situation, but here at home, it's always been annoying. OTOH, when I set up the NAS, I set up one "space" for myself, one for my wife, and one that is "shared." Anything I put on the NAS is easily accessible from any machine, and in the 9 months I've had it up and running, the only time I've remapped drives was to give them consistent drive letters between the PCs; otherwise they've stayed rock solidly accessible.

My only regret, now that I see how usable and easy this device is, I wish I had gotten a larger enclosure, say 4 bays. I may have only started with 2 drives in it, but it would have given me room to expand as needed.


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## xberk

>>I've found it very cumbersome, and hit and miss, to share drives from one PC to another PC.
So far, I'm doing well with the TS4K as media server portal. It amazes me that a little $50 item can offer a secondary feature like this. I'm using VLC which is free too. I have not tried all my video files yet. Most are 720x1280 .mp4 files and should play fine but some are different. 

I'd like to try Kodi but I can't figure out how to connect -- or it just won't connect. 

But thanks again Scott for pointing me in the right direction.


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## JOSHSKORN

MScottC said:


> The NAS is indeed part of my hardwired home network. The TS4K is running Wi-Fi, 5GHz, via an Ubiquiti hotspot located in the same room. I've had no playback issues from either the NAS or from other streaming services.
> 
> https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B075N1BYWX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
> 
> Please note this device has now been discontinued and replaced by a more current model.


Just curious, if your NAS was actually connected to a 2.4 GHz network, do you think you'd see the same performance?

I'm about ready to add it to the OP, but I just want to get my notes straight so someone doesn't get mislead.


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## MScottC

JOSHSKORN said:


> Just curious, if your NAS was actually connected to a 2.4 GHz network, do you think you'd see the same performance?
> 
> I'm about ready to add it to the OP, but I just want to get my notes straight so someone doesn't get mislead.


The NAS doesn't even have wi-fi capacity. (edit to correct) It has 1Gb LAN Port.

Or if you're asking if the NAS reaches my wi-fi access points, yes it does. And those run at both 2.4 and 5 GHz. The TS4K uses whichever one it feels it needs to. The Ubiquiti WAPs are pretty good at serving up the appropriate wi-fi signal.


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## JOSHSKORN

MScottC said:


> The NAS doesn't even have wi-fi capacity. As a matter of fact I believe it has 2 GByte ethernet ports.
> 
> Or if you're asking if the NAS reaches my wi-fi access points, yes it does. And those run at both 2.4 and 5 GHz. The TS4K uses whichever one it feels it needs to. The Ubiquiti WAPs are pretty good at serving up the appropriate wi-fi signal.


What I'm getting at is, a 5GHz connection may be why your stream is as good as it is.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


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## rczrider

MScottC said:


> For some reason over the years, I've found it very cumbersome, and hit and miss, to share drives from one PC to another PC. You get it up and running, and a few days or weeks later, you can't access folders from one PC on another. Home Groups and all the other things that were supposed to make it easy just never do. I never seem to have these issues at work in an enterprise situation, but here at home, it's always been annoying. OTOH, when I set up the NAS, I set up one "space" for myself, one for my wife, and one that is "shared." Anything I put on the NAS is easily accessible from any machine, and in the 9 months I've had it up and running, the only time I've remapped drives was to give them consistent drive letters between the PCs; otherwise they've stayed rock solidly accessible.


I keep trying to come up with a reason to buy a NAS because it seems like the more correct way to do this, but my setup works flawlessly and is cheaper than a NAS, so I just keep doing it.

I picked up a Lenovo 14w laptop when it went on sale for $120 last year and I just have a couple of USB 3.0 portable hard drives plugged into it. I shared the drives and can hit them directly with Kodi, and the laptop runs a Plex server. I assume the processor is too slow to transcode, but I don't need it to since all of my devices can run up to 4K x265/HEVC content natively. It might use a little bit more power than a NAS, but probably not much (and perhaps less when you factor in the 2.5" HDDs instead of 3.5").

It doesn't have an Ethernet port, so it's doing this sharing on the network over AC/5GHz (which all of my streaming devices are using, too). Using a $40 ASUS wireless router.

Whenever the time comes to replace it, I'll see what the NAS options are like.


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## MScottC

rczrider said:


> I keep trying to come up with a reason to buy a NAS because it seems like the more correct way to do this, but my setup works flawlessly and is cheaper than a NAS, so I just keep doing it.
> 
> I picked up a Lenovo 14w laptop when it went on sale for $120 last year and I just have a couple of USB 3.0 portable hard drives plugged into it. I shared the drives and can hit them directly with Kodi, and the laptop runs a Plex server. I assume the processor is too slow to transcode, but I don't need it to since all of my devices can run up to 4K x265/HEVC content natively. It might use a little bit more power than a NAS, but probably not much (and perhaps less when you factor in the 2.5" HDDs instead of 3.5").
> 
> It doesn't have an Ethernet port, so it's doing this sharing on the network over AC/5GHz (which all of my streaming devices are using, too). Using a $40 ASUS wireless router.
> 
> Whenever the time comes to replace it, I'll see what the NAS options are like.


You basically are running a NAS on a laptop. There's more than one way to skin a cat.


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## Usmcnyc

I have both ethernet and a 2TB WD Passport hooked up and working flawlessly on my Stream 4k. It took some experimentation but I'm using my Xiaomi Quickcharge adapter for power (I assume any quickcharge power brick would suffice, you just need enough power), then a Sabrent hb-mc3b hub which is connected via USB-C using a Nonda usb-c to usb adaptor. Then I have a TVxStream USB ethernet adapter and the WD 2TB passport plugged into the hub. All works well, 2TB drive is instantly recognized by the Stream 4k and Kodi and I'm getting 100mbps via ethernet. Hope this helps anyone looking to get it all sorted. Everything can be purchased on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z7VPWTL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Premium-Aluminum-MacBook-HB-MC3B/dp/B00YFQ7M88/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=HB-MC3B)&qid=1599771147&s=electronics&sr=1-3

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076W5MNTX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## BushyTail

I am reposting my comment from the following discussion (hopefully, it might be of use to someone) USB C - what works and what doesn't

"I might have found the cheapest working ethernet adapter for TS4k.

this one ships to many European countries from China ($5.44)
PORTABLE USB 2.0 TO NETWORK CARD DRIVE-FREE ETHERNET ADAPTER BUILT-IN CABLE CHEE | eBay
this one ships to US from China ($7.63)
Portable USB 2.0 Wired Built-in Cable Network Card Drive-free Ethernet Adapter | eBay

(yes, shipping takes an eternity in both cases)

I easily got speeds of 75 mbps download and 97 mbps upload on a 100 mbps ethernet connection. I've been using it for 2 weeks - it's working reliably.

Setup: the ethernet cable is connected to this adapter and the adapter is connected to the usb c port through a generic OTG usb A to usb c adapter. As an experiment, I tried to reverse the ports - I connected the power cable to the usb c port and the ethernet adapter to the micro usb port but TS4k notified that it didn't see any ethernet connection (maybe it would work with something like this?? USB PORT ADAPTER OTG Cable For Cable 4K 2nd Gen Fire TV3 Fire US Fast & O5K4 | eBay if yes, then it would allow to connect both the power and ethernet through the micro usb port).

One more thing I need to mention! This adapter didn't work immediately. In fact, after wasting more than an hour trying to connect it (and ensuring ALL other components were working flawlessly), all I was getting were notifications that Ethernet didn't work. I enabled developer settings, navigated to a rubric that said something like "What do you want the usb connection to do?" There were options like "automatic?", "power?", "file transfer?", and "Ethernet!". I enabled the last option and that very moment the Ethernet connection started working.

But then I connected the SECOND TS4k device to Ethernet using the very same parts and planning to enable the same setting when I suddenly discovered that the ethernet connection WAS WORKING!! (despite the fact that it didn't work prior to this). So, I thought I can disable developer options altogether (on both devices) and did so without any effect.

I have very little knowledge about Android, so I can't judge whether it was a simple coincidence or enabling that setting did something (could it trigger the downloading of a driver or some other action that would help TS4k recognize the adapter?).

Btw, this adapter is somewhat peculiar since it stores its drivers on a tiny internal flash card - on Windows, it mounts as a CD and installs the drivers automatically (but it might be the case only for Windows). The reason I bought this adapter was because I've seen reviews on Aliexpress stating that it works with lots of Android TV devices (at that point I didn't know TS4k was so picky about Ethernet adapters). "


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