You may be looking for a way to connect your network disk to your FRITZ! Box. This is the easiest and most effective method, as opposed to connecting HomePNA or other methods that might not work well with multiple devices.
Earlier I had said that the best solution would be an external hard drive enclosure, but those are generally more expensive than these USB storage drives so this is often the only option when it comes time of updating Windows on many machines in a single location.
The “fritz!box 7530 usb” is a network disk that can be connected to the FRITZ! Box. The device connects via USB and must be formatted with FAT32.
We may use FRITZ! Box modems as a NAS to store personal data and backups and access them from anywhere.
FRITZ! Box modems are the greatest modems for Internet connections in every manner, thanks to the large number of innovative services they have and the frequent upgrades they get to keep them running smoothly. Among the most intriguing features of the FRITZ! Box is disk sharing over the network, which enables you to turn a basic external USB hard drive into a network area available to all connected devices, much like a NAS but for a fraction of the cost of a regular NAS.
We’ll teach you how to connect a network disk to the FRITZ! in the following instruction. Box demonstrates how to configure the modem for network sharing as well as how to access the shared drive from a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, or Android smartphone.
READ ALSO -> Advantages of using a FRITZ! Box for your home network
Information that is preliminary
A high-speed USB connector on FRITZ! Box modems allows us to attach any sort of external hard drive. If we don’t already have a disk to utilize as a network disk, we can get the WD Elements Portable da 2 TB for 59€.
This network drive has 2TB of useful capacity, allowing you to store data from several devices. The only suggestion is to format them in NTFS and give them a simple name (such as Disco) to ensure optimum compatibility with the FRITZ! Box system and to make access from the many devices we will connect easier.
If we already have a hard drive (from a notebook or desktop PC) and wish to connect it to the FRITZ! Box, we may buy an HDD case for 28€, such as the CSL External USB 3.0 Case in Aluminum.
This case can hold both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives, connects via high-speed USB 3.0 connection, and has its own power source, allowing you to use the USB cable just for data transfer (in fact it also supports the UASP standard). We also format the drive in NTFS and give it a simple name in this scenario (for example Disco).
We may also study our recommendations on SATA adapters, drive casings, and docking stations, as well as the finest external USB drives, to learn more.
In the FRITZ! Box, configure the network disk.
After connecting the hard drive to the FRITZ! Box, proceed to a PC connected to the modem, open a browser, and input the URL for the settings screen: typically, http://fritz.box, but we may also use the IP address provided as the network’s gateway.
After login into the settings, expand the menu Local network, then push the menu USB / Memory to activate the FRITZ! Box’s voice NAS memory capability. We will notice the disk among the accessible resources as soon as we activate the item: be sure to additionally enable the check next to the item Update index automatically, and scroll down to the section Release in the local network.
Ensure that the box next to the item Access through an active network drive (SMB) is checked, and that the name is allocated FRITZ.NAS and the working group is assigned WORKGROUP during this session. To make the modifications take effect, we push down on Applica.
Now we have to configure a new user to access the shared resource, so as not to have to enter the modem access password every time (which is very dangerous). To proceed, let’s take the path System -> Use FRITZ! Box inside the modem, we press the key Add userchoose a username and password then make sure to check the box next to the item Access to NAS content.
After choosing this last item, we may opt to restrict access to the disk attached via USB (by clicking Eliminate all, then Add folder, and lastly indicate the linked USB drive), preventing access to the FRITZ! Box’s internal memory. Let’s push up one more. For the modifications to take effect, you must apply.
The disc is now complete! We’ll teach you how to browse the new network resource on any modern device in the next chapters.
How do I set up disk access in Windows?
We can access the shared HDD on the FRITZ from Windows 11 or Windows 10! Box by going to the Start menu, choosing File Explorer, and then going to the lateral sidebar section This PC. After accessing this page, hit the three dots at the top of the menu (on Windows 10, press the three dots at the top of the menu Computer) and choose Map Network Drive.
In the new window, we assign a letter to the shared disk and create a folder fritz.boxFRITZ.NASDiskname, where instead of Disc-name, we must enter the name we gave the disk during the formatting phase; if we used the name Disco as suggested at the start of the guide, the path will be fritz.boxFRITZ.NASDisco.
Before continuing, we check the boxes for Reconnect upon startup and Connect with alternative credentials, then click Fine. A login box will appear instantly, prompting you to enter the credentials for the account established on the FRITZ! Box for network sharing, as well as the item Stores credentials, before pressing Connect.
The network drive will now be available on this PC’s screen, and we may access it at any time, as well as use it as a backup path.
How can I enable disk access on my Mac?
Anyone with a Mac or MacBook may connect to the shared resource by opening the Finder program in the system Dock, hitting the top of the menu Or, and then selecting Connect to the server.
Enter the modem’s IP address or the SMB network path (smb:/fritz.box/FRITZ.NAS/Nome-disco) in the little panel at the top, then select Connect. We hit Connect once again, and in the new window, we enable the voice Registered user, input the credentials for the FRITZ! Box account, and double-check the item. Finally, tap Connect after saving the password in the keychain. The shared area will be accessible in the Finder on the Mac, and we will be able to move and copy files into it.
Alternatively, we may open the Finder, choose Network, and then click on the modem’s network path (with its IP address): after clicking on it, select Connect as and input the credentials to access the shared resource.
How to give your iPhone access to your hard drive
By connecting to the modem’s Wi-Fi network, launching the app File, hitting the three dots at the top right, and choosing the item Connect to the server, we may access the disk attached to the FRITZ! Box from the iPhone.
Enter the modem’s IP address or the whole path in SMB format (smb:/fritz.box/FRITZ.NAS/Nome-disco) on the page that displays, then click Connect. We tick the box for Registered user, input the FRITZ! Box account login details, and click on Avanti to instantly access the shared resource.
Alternatively, we may connect to the network’s shared drive by installing the free Documents software from the Apple App Store.
Start the program after installing it, then tap the + icon in the lower right corner to pick the option Add connection. We choose Windows SMB and complete all of the forms, being sure to provide the whole route of the sharing (for example, smb:/fritz.box/FRITZ.NAS/Nome-disco) in the field URL and the FRITZ! Box account’s access credentials to the entries. Log in using your e-mail address and any name in the Title area. After compiling everything, we click Fine to add the network drive to the file manager’s resources.
How to give Android access to your hard drive
By connecting to the FRITZ! Box Wi-Fi and using an app to manage files and remote connections, we can access the network drive on Android. To be secure, we suggest downloading the software Solid Explorer, which is available for free on the Google Play Store.
Open the app after downloading it to our phone, tap the Plus button in the bottom right corner, and pick the item New remote connection. We choose the LAN / SMB option. We may either pick the SMB server generated by the modem (which should have the same IP address) or push down on You weren’t able to locate what you were searching for? Select Username and Password to access the disc route (smb:/fritz.box/FRITZ.NAS/Nome-disco). On the next page, input the FRITZ! Box account credentials, confirm on Following, and confirm where required to add the network resource right away.
If you want to test out some other Android file management applications, check out our best file manager for Android guide.
Conclusions
If we want to construct a home NAS without having to acquire a specialized network device, we may use our FRITZ! Box modem by attaching any external USB drive to the appropriate port and activating the file sharing server included into the modem, which will operate as a network data server.
We will be able to use the shared space to store files that we need to use on multiple PCs or devices, keep system backups or personal files, save phone photos or important documents to be modified later, all for a fraction of the price of a traditional NAS (which costs around € 100 for the cheapest models).
Related Tags
- fritz!box 7530 nas
- avm knowledge base
