Connecting a self-powered external hard drive to a tablet

Question

Hello,  I was about to buy the Samsung Galaxy S2 tablet, which meets my needs (movies, emails, office work, knowing that I travel a lot), but I learned that I couldn't read self-powered external hard drives directly on the tablet. This is very inconvenient for me.  Is there an equivalent tablet to the Galaxy S2 that can also read external hard drives? In general, are there tablets that can read self-powered external hard drives directly?  Thank you!  Guillaume

Fanasam · Accepted Answer

Good evening Eldudi40, Yes, it is possible to connect an external hard drive to a tablet. Two conditions: - If the drive is NTFS, the tablet must be rooted and software like Paragon must be installed to recognize the partitions. - The USB hard drive must be powered by a second USB port, which is a challenge since the tablet only has one port. The solution is to use a powered USB hub with 5 volts. But don't expect miracles; due to the slowness of the USB connection, a HD video will not work or will be very choppy or even unreadable depending on the player used. I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, and I found a great product called the A-USBKey GT, which is a USB stick with two male connectors, one side has a USB connector and the other side has a connector for the Samsung Galaxy Tab. I have a 64 Gb one, and I can really store a lot of movies on it; I use it a bit like an external hard drive, since tablets only accept 32Gb SD cards. I'm putting the link where I found it: https://www.amazon.fr/s/ref=sr_nr_seeall_2?rh=k%3AA-USBKey+GT%2Ci%3Aelectronics&keywords=A-USBKey+GT&ie=UTF8&qid=1349861976 Have a good evening.

Laurent17lr · Answer

No, not a self-powered one. It is absolutely necessary to have an external hard drive with its own power supply.

cd85 · Answer

the Archos 101 G9 tablet perfectly reads externally powered hard drives

polo · Answer

Hello, this type of disc also exists: http://cgi.ebay.fr/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181348748322&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

jean louis thibule · Answer

HELLO EVERYONE  I have an 80GB iPod Classic that I use as a backup hard drive for my laptop.  I would like to know if it is possible to connect it without too many issues to a Samsung Android tablet to use it as an external hard drive, especially for movies for my travels... to watch a movie I could always transfer the film from the hard drive to the tablet.  Thank you!

Bouss · Answer

Hello everyone   The Acer A500, A200, and A510 tablets have a true USB host and can take all 2.5-inch (USB 2, USB 3) self-powered hard drives up to 1TB without any problem. I have the A500 and it works perfectly. Also, the Asus tablets with a keyboard dock (USB only on the detachable keyboard)  I wanted to switch to a Galaxy Tab 2, and the only way to read self-powered external hard drives via USB is to use a "USB OTG host cable" for Samsung, which is very easy to find everywhere. Then, you need a USB Y cable available everywhere (just type USB Y CABLE on the internet to see). It's a cable with 2 USB outputs.  From there, I found a 5-volt battery (no more) with a USB output, sold in Paris and its suburbs (like a keychain battery for 9 euros). Just type power bank battery, it's simple to find.  Plug the USB OTG host cable for Samsung (3 to 5 euros) into the Samsung dock, connect the Y USB cable to the OTG host, and plug the power bank into the second USB of the Y USB cable. Then, connect a 500GB hard drive in NTFS format and it works very well without any risk for the tablet because the extra battery only provides the necessary power to the hard drive for better support  I searched for a long time on forums, I read a lot of strange things; this is the only method that requires no soldering or rooting of the tablet, just finished, inexpensive products. This method is validated that I use on the Galaxy Tab 2 10 inches,  If you want to read only USB sticks, the USB OTG host cable is sufficient, up to 32GB and in FAT32 format on all Samsung tablets.  That said, with an Acer A500 or A200, it works without anything else but the tablet and a self-powered external 2.5-inch hard drive.

jlarras · Answer

Hello everyone. I just received my new Galaxy TAB S 10', and what a disappointment!!!!!! It also does not recognize self-powered external hard drives. It’s a complete rip-off from Samsung, because the tablet is a device designed for mobility, and you can't connect a self-powered hard drive, which is also meant for mobility!!!! Indeed, an external hard drive with external power works fine. I contacted Samsung support, which was unable to respond correctly. Even worse, they directed me to a so-called Samsung authorized repairer, who is actually just a Virgin phone seller! If this is what Samsung support is like, then I'm going to cross this brand off my list, as they are unable to help their buyers.

jlarras · Answer

Good evening, After a lot of effort, I finally got the answer I was looking for. To connect a self-powered external hard drive to a Samsung tablet (all types of tablets with a micro USB port), it needs to be an SSD type hard drive. See: https://www.materiel.net/guide-achat/g7-les-ssd/1/ for the explanation. Have a good evening everyone.

Pasquale · Answer

Hello, I had a Samsung 10' tablet, to connect my 500 GB hard drive (standard, usb 2.0), I used a powered USB hub (that's the most important), it worked very well!

Serge Dudit · Answer

I am using a Galaxy Note 8 tablet and I connect a self-powered hard drive via an OTG adapter (Amazon) formatted in Fat 32.

Connecting a self-powered external hard drive to a tablet

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