Connecting an external hard drive to a Samsung tablet. Connecting the hard drive to the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Whether it's a desktop, mobile or tablet PC - for any device you will find in this article a suitable data drive model with maximum capacity and performance.

CHIP tested 45 models of hard drives for tablets, laptops and desktops Despite the availability of cloud storage and data streaming services, the need for a constant increase in the number of gigabytes in PCs and laptops does not disappear. High-definition videos, new photos and an ever-growing music collection are a source of disk space problems. Fast solid-state drives are not able to solve them, since with a capacity of more than 500 GB, the cost of such solutions is unreasonably high. Only external and internal media on hard magnetic disks remain.

Before purchasing, you need to decide on the storage capacity. If you are sure that one or two terabytes will be enough for you, you can purchase a 2.5-inch HDD. If you need a drive with a capacity of up to 4 TB, you will have to choose from 3.5-inch models. The data in the tables will help you determine which drive is the best in its category. Before purchasing a drive, carefully review your system configuration: when using drives larger than 2 TB, you may encounter hardware or system storage capacity limitations. We'll tell you how to bypass them and use all your available disk space.

Recently, tablets have become very popular. But they have little internal memory. A new type of external hard drive will help expand the possibilities for storing multimedia files. They connect to your home network or directly to your mobile
device wirelessly. We checked which drive is best suited for this.

Wireless hard drives

Small mobile drives provide smartphones and tablets with up to 1 TB of additional storage space.

New drives with a built-in WLAN module fit in the pocket of any jacket, and even more so in a bag or backpack. They weigh less than 500g. They are ideal for smartphones and tablets and eliminate space constraints by providing up to a terabyte of additional capacity. Mobile devices automatically connect to the drive via a wireless network, so collections of photos, movies and music will always be at the user's fingertips. Tablets and smartphones access the drive using a special application provided by each manufacturer for iOS and Android systems.

Insufficiently successful implementation

Wireless drives make a good impression, but in practice it turned out that all the tested devices in some cases exhibit unforgivable shortcomings. Thus, the Seagate Wireless Plus test winner, for unknown reasons, does not provide the ability to create an encrypted wireless connection. However, otherwise there are practically no complaints about it. This is the only wireless drive that has a built-in DLNA server, with which it can provide access to multimedia content to all DLNA-enabled devices on your home network. In addition, this device is ahead of its competitors in terms of data transfer speed: 4 MB/s, of course, is not a record, but it is quite enough for watching 1080p movies. Other drives fare a little worse with this. The main outsider here is the solution from Transcend. The miniature HDD case has an antenna so small that it is not possible to broadcast HD video, and it is equipped only with a USB 2.0 port to transfer data from a PC to other devices. Products from Buffalo and Patriot for unknown reasons prevent wireless data transfer from a mobile device to the disk, which is also a very annoying circumstance.

In detail: network storage

Disk management from a smartphone or tablet Information exchange with the wireless drive is carried out via software. The Media App utility for Seagate Wireless Plus (1) turned out to be successful in terms of appearance and functionality. The program for the Transcend StoreJet Cloud disk is kept in a spartan spirit, in which encryption of the wireless connection must be activated manually (2).

Play movies, music and photos from PC The best way to copy data from your computer to a wireless hard drive is using a USB cable. In this case, the differences in transfer speed between individual drives are negligible. The only obvious outsider is the model from Transcend with a USB 2.0 interface.

Access to multimedia content The data transfer speed from the disk to the tablet is quite enough for HD video, provided that you are not too far from the drive.

Wireless HDDs: summary table

2.

Almost all the latest (and not so recent) flagship Android models are equipped with chic widescreen displays with a decent diagonal and high ppi. On such screens it is quite convenient to watch movies and TV series on the road, but where to record them? Google has a bad tradition of not installing memory card slots in its Google phones. If this is not yet so critical for the Galaxy Nexus (16 GB on board), then the younger Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 are already suffering, because you can’t record a lot of video content on 8 GB, and not only Google phones are guilty of this. All that remains is to use removable external media. But how to connect it to a smartphone and tablet? Very simple.

What you will need

• Smartphone or tablet to which we want to connect USB storage
• Removable USB drive
• USB OTG cable

The USB On-The-Go cable is an adapter that connects one end to the micro USB port of a smartphone, and a standard USB port of a removable disk is plugged into the other end. Cool DIYers can solder it themselves (maybe they will send us instructions with screenshots, we will be happy to publish them), while the rest can go to the Internet or the nearest specialized store and buy such an adapter there for very ridiculous money. This posting actually opens up a lot of possibilities. With its help, you can connect joysticks, keyboards and other devices with a USB interface, as long as your smartphone or tablet understands them.

At the initial stage this will be enough. Now we need to find out whether our mobile device wants to be friends with removable media without additional manipulations. Smartphones and tablets from the same manufacturers allow you to connect USB drives out of the box. Let's connect and watch. If you were unable to access the storage, then move on.

Simple option

If you don’t want to mess around, then go to the Google Play Store and buy the Nexus Media Importer application there (it works not only with Nexuses) for $3. That's enough.

If your device is rooted, you won’t have to pay. Download the free StickMount application (works only with root) and, at the same time, any file manager if you don’t have it installed for one reason or another (we like ES Explorer).

All that remains is to connect the removable drive and allow StickMount root access.

A corresponding message will appear in the notification area stating that the storage has been successfully connected and has the address /sdcard/usbStorage.

Go to this folder through the file manager and enjoy.

Modern devices, such as tablets, display images in Full HD quality and can record information in the same quality. Plus, you have the opportunity to play powerful, detailed games and listen to music, which is now available in many different genres. But there is one point. For all these purposes, a lot of memory is required. Where can I get it? One of the best options is to connect an external hard drive to your tablet. It can be a memory card, flash drive or external HDD. If there are no issues with the memory card, then what needs to be done to connect an external HDD?

The vast majority of manufacturers equip tablets with connectors for a memory card slot. Often this is a micro SD card. And the memory on board the devices themselves continues to increase every year. Nowadays there are already freely available tablets with internal memory (SSD) of 64 and even 120 GB. Although there are still companies that do not provide slots for micro SD in their devices, such companies include some Nexus, Apple devices with iPad tablets, etc. Here the user is content with the memory that the manufacturer installed on the tablet.

It doesn’t matter whether or not you can connect a memory card to the tablet, there will be moments in life when there will still be little memory. And there can be a lot of such situations: when going on vacation, I would like to take my favorite films with me; When you go on a visit, you need to take photos from your vacation with you, but you don’t have time to upload them to your tablet, etc. Therefore, the question arises: is it possible to increase the tablet’s memory using an external drive?

Of course you can. And even a novice user can cope with this task. There are several ways to achieve your goal; we will discuss them further, but now let’s see what is needed for this.

Connecting a flash drive or HDD to a tablet on any firmware

To do this, you will need the tablet itself, which we want to connect to an external drive, and a USB-OTG adapter (cord).

Method 1. If the tablet does not support OTG, which is of course rare

We take a regular micro USB-USB cord, connect one end to the external drive, and the other to the tablet and wait about one or two minutes. We wait until a notification appears indicating that the gadget is preparing the storage device for use. If nothing happens, try the next option.

Method 2. You will need a micro USB-OTG cable or adapter

Micro USB-OTG is a special cord, thanks to which you can connect various external devices to the tablet for operation, such as a printer, radio and wired mouse, wired keyboard, game joysticks, flash drives and, of course, HDD. It makes sense to buy it if the first method does not work or if there is a need to connect one of the above-mentioned devices.

There are two types of such OTG:

1. The most common: a cable that resembles a regular USB extension cable, but it differs in the pinout.
2. An adapter that resembles a flash drive, with the difference that at the end there is a regular USB input slot with specially wired contacts for the OTG standard.

Features of connecting an external hard drive

When buying an external HDD, it is worth remembering that there is no point in taking a disk with a high speed or a very large volume, since such disks will require additional power, which can lead to rapid discharge of the tablet.

For some devices, it matters which file system the information on the external device is stored in, NTFS or FAT32. Due to the fact that tablets work with the FAT32 format, some devices will not want to read information in the NTFS file system from a flash drive or HDD drive. If the information is recorded in FAT32 format, then there is no need to make additional settings in the device; after connecting, the disk will be displayed as an additional storage device.

If the connection has occurred and the tablet sees the external device, but does not see the files located in it, then you need to install an application on the device that will allow you to see the previously unreadable format without problems.

And here there is also an important point: whether the tablet has ROOT rights or not.

If you don’t have ROOT rights and won’t have them in the near future, you should consider purchasing paid software. Paid applications will allow you to enjoy all the delights of an external drive without hacking your tablet. One such program that is available on Google Market is Nexus Media Importer.

Well, if you already have ROOT rights on your tablet, then download any free file manager from the Market, such as Total Commander or ES Explorer. After which you can use all the files on the external device.

After considering these tips, you will know how to connect an external hard drive or flash drive to your tablet and in the future, this should not cause you any additional questions.

Today, tablet computers can be very productive indeed. They can shoot Full HD video, have a large amount of RAM, and also have the ability to play a huge number of video formats, and quite a few large games. Of course, this is all good, but here where can I get so much memory? so that such performance is available on a good Android tablet with little memory? And that is why the question of how to connect an external hard drive to an Android tablet is quite relevant.

Article update! New relevant information for 2018 has been added, errors have been corrected and answers to several popular questions have been added - 29.04.2018

The best ways to connect an HDD to a tablet in 2018

Before we begin to consider the standard and all known options: connection via a USB cable, OTG, Let's talk about new and quite convenient methods.

Wi-Fi drive

A real innovation that gained peak popularity in 2017. It is a hard drive connected to the device via a Wi-Fi wireless network(there are analogues with Bluetooth). This automatically eliminates the tedious selection of suitable wires and all kinds of adapters.

Memory capacity is usually measured in terabytes, and this amount is definitely enough for any user. Works on mobile operating systems ( Android, iOS), also compatible with PCs and laptops running Windows. Supports wired connection.

In its functionality it resembles a regular flash drive, but differs significantly from it in the larger amount of memory, faster synchronization and the ability to wirelessly connect.

Like any device, this disk has several disadvantages:

1. Quite a high cost. Of course, purchasing it will require much more money than purchasing an OTG adapter or USB cable.
2. The battery lasts only a few hours. With active use, you will have to charge the drive every 2-4 hours. And only the most expensive, high-quality and new models have a built-in charging module.
3. Wi-Fi access point required. You will be “tied” to the Internet all the time, and in places where it is not available - the only option will be the already known and annoying wired connection.

USB Media Explorer (Nexus Media Importer)

A worthy solution for users who do not understand cables and do not want to purchase special adapters. The connection is made using USB, and all other work is carried out and configured directly by the software itself.

The application is freely available and can be downloaded from by paying only about 3 dollars. The program works without problems on almost all models of all brands (the exceptions are unknown and too cheap Chinese phones). Still, to be sure, we recommend that you first try the free trial version.

Moreover, do not forget that by paying only once, you can use the application on any other device by logging into your Google account.

Three ways to connect a hard drive to an Android tablet

Of course, for an experienced memory user, no matter how much memory you plug in, it will always be not enough, but situations still arise when you need to dump serious, rather “ heavy» files, or working on it requires memory, and then there is a need to connect an additional device, that is HDD.

Connecting the HDD using USB

In order to carry out such a simple process, you will need to acquire a wire with USB to MicroUSB exit. One side connects to the hard drive, and the other to the tablet. After connecting you will need to wait a bit ( The first synchronization of the disk and Android may take several minutes).

As a result, a message should appear on the screen that the system is trying to synchronize with the device, and if successful, we will receive an external drive like .

If connecting the hard drive using the first method for some reason did not work, consider two more options below.

Connecting an external hard drive using OTG

First, let's explain to newbies, what is OTG. Everything is simple, despite the loud capital letters, this is a regular adapter cable. With its help, the device can be synchronized with a mouse, keyboard and other means of convenient control.

Buy it only if you are sure that you will not be able to connect the hard drive otherwise.

It is not expensive; on Aliexpress you can order a high-quality cable for 2-3 dollars, with both short and long wires.

Connect the HDD to the tablet via the application

Stick Mount is a free application, which you will need to use if the two options described above do not suit you. But there is one “but”": you will only be able to work with the application if you have also received something as a file manager that has access to system files, Total Commander For example.

Another good option is file manager simply called “ES Explorer”. You can find out more about it in the article. The application provides excellent conditions for storing a large amount of useful information and reproduces almost all video, document and image formats without problems. Cleans, works with Bluetooth.

Now let's return to our procedure: after receiving Root on the tablet, you need to provide the application with the appropriate usage rights. This is the only way the connected HDD will be recognized and synchronized. After a successful connection, an address will appear on the screen where you will find all your folders with files (this is where we need a file manager). After entering the system root folder, you will need to navigate to the root of the external hard drive. Ready.

Nuances when working with an external hard drive

Now, having familiarized yourself with all the available and convenient methods, we invite you to read some small recommendations related to them. Some useful tips:

• When choosing an external drive, you should not buy a drive with a huge amount of memory. You still won’t be able to fill the entire volume, but this will put a significant load on the device. Result: slower performance, faster battery drain. The ideal option is 1 or 2 terabytes(this amount will be more than enough to store games, music, photos and programs).
• Do not buy a disc that has too high a speed. The reason is the same as in the first case.
• There are two common file formats: NTFS and FAT32. For most tablets, the second file system is more acceptable. And if the drive is working under another one, the device may not see the materials stored on the drive. But there is a solution, and this is the installation of special programs. Is it possible to make a hard drive into internal storage by replacing the built-in system memory, or is it completely impossible?

  Unfortunately, it is impossible; no special utilities or tools have been developed for this yet. A third-party hard drive can only be an external drive.

  Video instruction

  In these simple ways we were able to find out how to connect the HDD to the tablet.

We decided to carry out another experiment, the results of which will be useful not only theoretically, but also in practice. A capacious hard drive and a smartphone are good, but inconvenient - you need to use a fairly large docking station and socket, so this solution cannot be called portable and functional. Today we will find out whether it is possible to connect a hard drive and an SSD drive without using external power.

And the second good news: the Knicks have appeared!

Our previous research into the possibility of connecting a 3 terabyte hard drive to an Android smartphone was more fundamental than useful in everyday life. Since the staff of the NICS test laboratory are not inclined to conduct meaningless experiments, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity that opened up to us and check whether it is possible to connect a capacious drive to a smartphone without using either a docking station or external power. And we did it!

During the experiment we used: a powerful modern smartphone, an even more powerful smartphone, a fast SSD drive, a capacious HDD of “laptop” size and a hot new product – a power cable. In order to evaluate the moral superiority, we also took a USB 2.0 OTG cable and compared the speed.