The FRITZ!Box allows you to use USB storage devices connected to it as a central storage location in the home network (“Storage (NAS)”). Then all of the computers, smartphones, and other devices connected to the FRITZ!Box can easily access your files with a web browser or using the Server Message Block protocol (SMB), for example with the Windows Explorer on Windows computers.

In addition, you can set up a secure internet sharing for the USB storage devices. This allows you to access your files from the internet at any time.

Requirements / Restrictions

• The USB storage device must be formatted with the file system NTFS, FAT/FAT32 or ext2/ext3/ext4 and may have no more than four partitions, each up to 4 terabytes in size.Note:If the USB storage device is formatted with a different file system, the FRITZ!Box USB remote connection software will allow you to use it with the FRITZ!Box.

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

1 Preparations

Disabling the USB remote connection for USB storage devices in the FRITZ!Box

You can only access a USB storage device connected to the FRITZ!Box with more than one device at the same time if the device is not configured for use with the USB remote connection software:

1. Click “Home Network” in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
2. Click “USB Devices” in the “Home Network” menu.
3. Click on the “USB Remote Connection” tab. If the tab is not displayed, enable the Advanced View first.
4. Disable the “USB storage media” option.
5. Click “Apply” to save the settings.

Connecting a USB storage device to the FRITZ!Box

1. Connect the USB storage device to the USB port on the FRITZ!Box.Note:The FRITZ!Box supplies USB devices with a total of up to 900 mA in accordance with the USB 3.0 specification. Use a USB hub with its own power supply (active USB hub) to connect devices that require more power to the FRITZ!Box.

2 Setting up FRITZ!Box users

To access storage (NAS) contents, you need a user account with a user name and password. Set up a FRITZ!Box user in the FRITZ!Box for this purpose:

1. Click “System” in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
2. Click “FRITZ!Box Users” in the “System” menu.
3. Click the  (Edit) button for the user who should be allowed to access the storage (NAS). If you have not set up any users yet:
   1. Click the “Add User” button.
   2. Enter a name and password for the user in the corresponding fields.
4. Enable the option “Access to NAS contents”.
5. Click the “Add Directory” button.
6. If the user should be allowed to access all storage available on the FRITZ!Box, enable the option “All storage available on the FRITZ!Box”.
   • If the user should only be allowed to access a particular storage or folder, enable the option “Select folder”.ATTENTION!If you grant access to all folders, then the user can access all of the faxes, answering machine messages, and any online storage you may have configured.
7. In the “Directory” section, assign the user read and write permission to the storage.
8. Click “Apply” to save the settings.

3 Configuring login to the home network

The FRITZ!Box is already password protected in the factory settings. If you disabled the FRITZ!Box’s password protection, reenable it:

1. Click “System” in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
2. Click “FRITZ!Box Users” in the “System” menu.
3. Click on the “Login to the Home Network” tab.
4. If each user should use a unique password to access the FRITZ!Box, enable the option “Login with FRITZ!Box user name and password”.
   • If all users should use the same password to access the FRITZ!Box, enable the option “Login with the FRITZ!Box password” and enter a password that will be required to access the FRITZ!Box user interface.
5. Click “Apply” to save the settings.

4 Setting up storage (NAS)

1. Click “Home Network” in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
2. Click “Storage (NAS)” in the “Home Network” menu.
3. Enable the option “Storage (NAS) enabled”.
4. Click “Apply” to save the settings.

5 Accessing USB storage devices

There are several ways to access USB storage devices connected to the FRITZ!Box. Which method makes most sense depends on whether you are in your home network or want to access the storage device when you are away from home, and whether you are using a computer, or a smartphone or tablet:

Accessing storage (NAS) in the home network

In the home network, you can use a web browser to easily access USB storage devices connected to the FRITZ!Box via http://fritz.nas.

If you would to prefer to use the Windows Explorer, macOS Finder, or another application that uses the Server Message Block protocol (SMB), you can also configure the USB storage device connected to the computer as a network drive.

If you are using a smartphone or tablet with Android or iOS, MyFRITZ!App not only allows you access USB storage devices, you can also use it to check calls, voice messages, and other events, control your smart home devices, and check the power consumption of the connected devices at any time.

Accessing storage (NAS) over the internet

When you are away from home, you can also access USB storage devices connected to the FRITZ!Box over the internet at any time by means of a secure internet sharing. However, we recommend using MyFRITZ!App with a smartphone or tablet.

If you only want to allow other users to access certain files or folders, you can simply share them by means of an access link. This way you can allow friends and relatives to access your pictures and videos from your last vacation without allowing them to change or delete files from the USB storage device, for example.

If you prefer to use an FTP client such as Cyberduck, FileZilla, or WinSCP instead of a web browser, you can also access USB storage devices connected to the FRITZ!Box via FTP/FTPS when you are away from home.