WD SmartWare - No Backup or Retrieve When Connected to Network Drive

Just bought a WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB. When I install the SmartWare I don’t think it is seeing the passport drive and the backup and retrieve tabs are inactive.

I have the drive plugged into the USB hub of a network connected drive. It works OK when plugged directly into a PC but not when connected via a network drive through a wired router…

Can anyone tell me if there is way to use the smartware with the passport drive plugged into a network drive? I really want this drive to be available to all of my computers without needing to leave one of them on all the time. I had hoped connecting to an Ethernet connected external drive would have solved this.

Thanks for any help.

WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB only works if connected to USB

if you plug it to your network device you might can make it work as network drive, but not with Smartware

As smartware can only detect device from usb not network storage device

alternatively if you can make your WD my password essential work on your network, you can use 3rd party backup software that can backup to network

if you intend to use for network storage, you should purchase WD network storage ( http://www.wdc.com/en/products/network/) instead, as it designed for network storage 

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