Linksys Official Support - Setting up the Storage feature on a Linksys router with USB storage

What devices can I connect to the USB port on the router?

The USB port on the router can be used to connect an external USB hard drive or flash disk. Computers that are connected to the network will be able to access the Shared Drive if they have login credentials such as admin or guest.

NOTE: Before connecting your external USB hard disk to the router’s USB port, make sure your hard disk is already formatted in either NTFS or FAT32 file system using your computer to avoid any difficulties. To view the list of compatible HD and USB disk for storage router, click here.

Formatting the USB Stick/Hard Drive
Setting up Folders/Shares
Setting up Users and Groups
     •    Disabling Anonymous Disk Access
     •    Adding Users
     •    Adding Groups
     •    Restricting Access to Folders
Accessing the Shared Folders

Formatting the USB Stick/Hard Drive

There are several ways to format a hard drive. You can connect it to your computer and use the Format Disk option, depending on the operating system of your computer, or you can use a third party software to format your storage device. This article will only discuss about using the web-based setup page to format your storage device.

NOTE: Before doing the following steps, ensure that the storage device is connected to the USB port on your Linksys router. It is highly recommended to back up your files to your computer since all files saved in the USB storage/hard drive will be deleted.

Step 1:
Access the router’s web-based setup page. For detailed instructions, click here.

NOTE: If you are using a Mac® computer to access the web-based setup page, click here.

Step 2:
Click on the Storage tab.

Step 3:
On the Format Disk section, tick the checkbox for the storage device and click on the Format Disk button.

NOTE: If your USB storage device is not detected, click on Refresh located at the bottom-right corner of the page. If it’s still not detected, try using a different USB disk. If none of your USB storage devices are detected, upgrade the firmware of your router.

A confirmation window will appear. If you want to continue, click on the OK button.

After formatting, you should be redirected to the same page. If not, just go back to the Storage tab.

Setting up Folders/Shares

In the Disk Management/Disk Detail section, your USB storage device and its details should be displayed. To set up shares on your hard drive, follow the procedure below:

Step 1 :
Click on Create Share.

NOTE: A Shared Folder pop-up window will be displayed where you need to fill in the details required.

Step 2:
You can set the following settings according to your network’s setup.

• Display Name
Enter a unique name for the folder you want to share.

• Partition
If your USB storage has multiple partitions, this will display the partition you are currently setting up.

• Location
This will display the current folder you are on.

• New Folder
If you want to create a new folder to share, enter the name of your new folder and click Create.

Step 3:
Select the folders you want to share or share the entire partition.

Step 4:
To see sub-folders of the chosen folder, click Enter into folder. To go back, click Return to Upper Folder.

Step 5:
Click Save Settings.

Setting up Users and Groups

Anonymous Disk Access is Enabled by default on some Linksys routers with USB storage feature. It means that anyone connected to your Linksys router will be able to access the files on your storage device in Read and Write mode. To protect your files from being accessed by anonymous users, disable this feature and set up users and groups for a more secure usage of the storage device.

To set up users and groups, follow the procedure below:

Disabling Anonymous Disk Access

Step 1:
On the Storage tab, click on Administration.

Step 2:
Click Disabled on Anonymous Disk Access option.

Step 3:
Click Save Settings.

Adding Users

You can setup users with their passwords and add them to the admin or guest group. Admin group has Read and Write access but Guest group has Read Only access. This feature is available in the Administration sub-tab.

Step 1:
To add more users, click on Create New User.

Step 2:
Enter the details of the New User in the space provided.

Step 3:
In the Group Member section, select admin or guest then click Create.

QUICK TIP: In some Linksys router models, the Create button may not be available. Click Save Settings instead.

NOTE: If you choose admin, you are enabling Read and Write access to the user. Choosing guest will enable Read Only access to the user.

Adding Groups

You can customize the name of the group that has Read and Write access and Read-Only access. To do this, follow the procedure below:

Step 1:
Click on Create New Group.

Step 2:
Enter the details of your New Group, then click Create.

QUICK TIP: In some Linksys router models, Create button may not be available. Click Save Settings instead.

Restricting Access to Folders

Once you have set groups and users, you should be able to set restrictions to accessing the shared files on our storage device.

NOTE: This feature will only work if Anonymous Disk Access is Disabled.

Step 1:
Click on the Disk sub-tab.

Step 2:
Choose the folder you want to restrict access from and click Edit.

Step 3:
Choose the group name from Available Group and click the button to add to groups with access. Choose a group from Groups with Access and click the button to remove groups.

Step 4:
Click .

Accessing the Shared Folders

Once you have set up your shared folders and its restrictions, you will now be able to access the storage device by simply mapping the network drive on your computer. Mapping a network drive depends on what operating system you are using on your computer. For detailed instructions on how to map a network drive, click here.

Setting up the Storage feature on a Linksys router with USB storage

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