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Knowledge document #175

USB storage access is slow

Data transfer between a computer and a USB hard drive or USB memory stick connected to the FRITZ!Box is slower than specified in the USB 2.0 specification.

Throughput lower due to functional principle

The maximum achievable transfer rate when accessing a USB storage device is lower with integrated systems like the FRITZ!Box due to the architecture than with Windows computers, for example. This is influenced by the

  • software or communication protocols used (SMB, FTP).
  • architecture of and file system on the USB storage device (NTFS, exFAT, FAT/FAT32, ext2/ext3/ext4).

    Note:NTFS is a file system from Microsoft that was developed for use with Windows. NTFS support by the Linux-based FRITZ!OS is technically demanding, which means that access via NTFS is slower than with other file systems.

  • use of encryption techniques (FTPS, FTP over SSL/TLS).
  • transfer method used (Wi-Fi, LAN).
  • FRITZ!Box functions currently in use and the FRITZ!OS used.

Depending on these factors, throughput rates of up to 50 MB/s (400 Mbit/s) are possible. However, the write speed is normally significantly slower than the read speed.

If possible, we will include optimizations in future FRITZ!OS versions to increase the throughput.

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