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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 and then "USB Devices".
  3. 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."
  4. 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 Configuring USB 2.0 mode

The following step is only necessary if you are using a USB 3.0 device:

Note:Some USB 3.0 devices (for example My Passport hard drives from Western Digital) do not correctly identify themselves as USB 3.0 devices. Therefore, the FRITZ!Box cannot integrate these devices correctly.

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "USB / Storage" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. Click on the "USB Settings" tab.
  4. Enable the option "Green Mode" (USB 2.0) for the USB port.
  5. Click "Apply" to save the settings.

5 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.

6 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.

    Note:In accordance with the USB 3.0 specification, the FRITZ!Box supplies USB devices with a total of up to 900 mA. If more power is needed, connect the devices to the FRITZ!Box via a USB hub with its own power adapter (active USB hub).

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