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Knowledge document #448

USB storage device is not detected by FRITZ!Box

The FRITZ!Box does not detect a USB storage device. After connecting it to the FRITZ!Box, the USB storage device is either not displayed at all under "Home Network > USB / Storage" in the user interface, or it is displayed as an "unknown" device.

Simply proceed as described below. After each measure, check whether the problem is solved.

Note:All instructions on configuration and settings given in this guide refer to the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box.

1 Restarting the FRITZ!Box

Restart the FRITZ!Box while the USB storage device is connected to it:

  1. Click "System" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Backup" in the "System" menu.
  3. Click on the "Restart" tab.
  4. Click the "Restart" button.

2 Checking the event log of the FRITZ!Box

  1. Click "System" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Event Log" in the "System" menu.
  3. Select "USB devices" from the drop-down list.
  4. Check whether one of the following error messages is displayed:
    • "The USB storage medium [...] could not be mounted."
    • "The USB storage medium [...] could not be mounted. It does not contain a supported file system.
    • "The USB storage medium [...] could not be mounted. The file system is not supported or the device has an invalid partition table."
  5. If one of these messages is displayed, follow the steps in our guide USB storage device cannot be or can only be partly integrated by the FRITZ!Box.

3 Installing the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box

  1. Install the latest FRITZ!OS on the FRITZ!Box.

4 Checking whether the USB storage device is working properly

  1. For testing purposes, connect the USB storage device to a USB port on your computer.
  2. If the computer also does not recognize the USB storage device, then either the USB storage device or the USB cable is defective. In this case, contact the manufacturer.

5 Connecting the USB storage device directly to the FRITZ!Box

The following step is only necessary if you connected the USB storage device to the FRITZ!Box via a USB hub:

  1. For testing purposes, connect the USB storage device directly to the FRITZ!Box (i.e. without a USB hub).
  2. If the USB storage device is now detected, then the USB hub is defective or it does not support the USB storage device you connected.

6 Using an external power adapter

In accordance with the USB specification, the FRITZ!Box supplies USB devices with up to 500 mA. The following step is only necessary if the USB storage device's power consumption exceeds this:

Note:USB hard drives larger than 2.5" in size typically require more than 500 mA and often come with Y cables that can provide power through two USB ports. However, they can still often be used on a single USB port because many computers are equipped with USB ports that supply more than 500 mA.

  1. If a power adapter was included with your USB storage device, use the USB storage device's power adapter to plug it in.
  2. If a power adapter was not included, use a USB hub with its own power adapter (active USB hub) to connect the USB storage device to the FRITZ!Box.
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