📂 How to Make a Shared Drive in OpenWRT – Full Guide for Office & Home Networks

By -admin
Posted on May 21, 2025May 21, 2025
Posted in Technology

Want a centralized, secure, and always-on file sharing solution for your office or home without keeping your PC running 24/7? In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up a shared network drive using OpenWRT.

Table of Contents

✅ Why Use OpenWRT for Shared Drive Instead of a Personal PC?

Using your office PC to host a shared folder comes with limitations:

❌ Power-hungry and must stay on
❌ Risk of data loss when the PC crashes or updates
❌ Not always accessible remotely

By contrast, using OpenWRT on your router with a USB drive or external HDD allows:

⚡ Low power consumption – routers run 24/7 anyway!
🔐 Centralized and secured access for all users
📱 Cross-platform access (Windows, Android, macOS)
🔄 Ideal for small offices, remote teams, or NAS replacement

🛠️ Step-by-Step: Install Samba4 on OpenWRT

Samba4 allows Windows-compatible file sharing via the SMB protocol. We will install it via both terminal (SSH) and the LuCI Web Interface.

1. SSH into your OpenWRT router

Use a terminal or SSH tool like PuTTY:

2. Update package lists

opkg update

3. Install required packages

opkg install samba4-server luci-app-samba4

This installs both the Samba4 server backend and the LuCI GUI module for web-based configuration.

⚙️ Configure Samba Share Using LuCI Web Interface

Visit http://192.168.10.1 (replace with your router’s IP).
Navigate to: Services → Network Shares
Click on Enable Samba4, then Save & Apply
Under Shared Directories, click Add
- Name: SharedFiles (or anything meaningful)
- Path: /mnt/sda1/shared (your mounted USB/HDD path)
- Allow guests: Optional
- Read-only: Uncheck for read-write access
Click Save & Apply

Apply

👤 Add Samba Users in OpenWRT

To create user access control:

Create a new system user:

bashCopyEditadduser newuser

Set the password for the user:

bashCopyEditpasswd newuser

Enable the user for Samba:

bashCopyEditsmbpasswd -a newuser

Now, this user can authenticate when connecting to the share.

🌐 Accessing the Shared Drive

💻 On Windows:

Press Win + R, type: CopyEdit\\192.168.1.1\SharedFiles
Enter the Samba username and password.
You can map it as a drive:
- Right-click on “This PC” → Map Network Drive

📱 On Android:

Use file manager apps like:

Solid Explorer
X-plore File Manager

Steps:

Tap Network → LAN
Enter the router IP and credentials

🍎 On macOS:

In Finder, press Cmd + K
Enter: smb://192.168.1.1/SharedFiles
Click Connect, enter credentials

🔐 Bonus Tips

Use a powered USB hub if connecting HDDs with high power draw
Set up automount for USB using block-mount
Secure access using strong passwords or disable guest access

📌 Summary

Task	Command or Path
Install Samba4 Server	`opkg install samba4-server`
Install LuCI Web Config	`opkg install luci-app-samba4`
Add user to Samba	`smbpasswd -a username`
Access from Windows	`\\192.168.1.1\ShareName`
Access from Android/macOS	Use `smb://` protocol with login

✅ Final Thoughts

Setting up a shared drive using OpenWRT is a smart and cost-effective alternative to a full NAS or keeping your computer always on. It’s ideal for collaborative teams, home users, and small offices who want centralized storage without spending big.

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