My Book Essential for network backup?

WD External Drives External Drives for PC
1

I’d like to use my MBE drive to back up not only my PC but my partner’s. I’ve plugged the MBE into a network socket but my PC doesn’t see it. Is this possible, do I need to upgrade to WD SmartWare Pro or is a NAS drive the only answer?

2

WD SmartWare (Por) will not recognize a WD My Book Essential over the network unless it’s connected to a WD My Net router. If you would like to use your unit over the network you will need a different backup software.