Sharing a network drive via router's USB port

[Darwock]

Got a work problem regarding the above. We had a 1TB HDD plugged directly into our wifi router's USB port. Connecting to it was always spotty, for reasons unknown, but for the past month or so it has been completely unreachable. Last week I took it away from its usual location and plugged it into a laptop directly to see what was up. Turns out it's been corrupted somehow and is asking for a reformat.

I can recover the data (about 200gb worth) but then I have to reformat the original drive and set it up again.

My concern is that when it was attached to the router, there was no way that I know of safely disconnecting it. I am assuming it got corrupted because power was shut off while something was being written or a similar situation, because it was just always running. The bosses at my place like to yank power cables when the network is playing up.

Is it better to directly connect it to a PC and set it up as a shared drive through Windows? At least that way there should be some control, right?

[briareos_kerensky]

By sharing it through a PC you'll have to keep that PC constantly on, though. I guess that a single bay NAS enclosure is out of question? That way the drive will be checked by the NAS, and it won't depend on PCs and routers for power and/or accessibility.

[Darwock]

There is one PC that is always on during hours in which any staff are present, so it should be alright.

Am I right in thinking there is no 'safe disconnect' through the router?

[briareos_kerensky]

I honestly don't know, but there is one, it will be in the router's interface, and it won't prevent people arbitrarily resetting/unpowering it.