Attaching a Time Machine HD to BT Smart Hub

I have just received a BT Smart Hub, which I seem to have to use instead of my Airport Extreme (sigh).

While the BT Hub might need to be used for your Internet connection, I'm not sure if you are aware that the AirPort Extreme can easily be connected to the BT Hub......so that you can use the AirPort Extreme just like you have in the past.

I want to attach a HD to its USB port to use for Time Machine.

I don't have a BT Hub here to test, but having worked with the product on a recent trip to the U.K., my opinion would be that it is extremely unlikely that the BT Hub would support Time Machine backups if you are trying to connect a USB drive to the USB port on the BT Hub.

You can confirm this easily for yourself though, if you try to set up Time Machine backups to a USB drive attached to the BT Hub. If the USB drive does not appear as a target or destination for the backups, then the BT Hub does not support Time Machine.

If that is the case, you have two options:

1) Connect the USB drive directly to your Mac and back up using Time Machine that way. This method would be the fastest and most reliable way to back up your Mac using Time Machine.

2) Connect the AirPort Extreme to the BT Hub and then connect the USB drive to the USB port on the AirPort Extreme. Backups will not occur as quickly with this type of setup, and the backup process is more complicated....with more chances for errors to occur.

First, does your BT Smart Hub support external drives connected to its USB port? If so, then there should be a setting for the hub to share this drive to your local network. You should be able to find this in the Hub's user guide or download a copy if you don't have one handy.

Once the drive is shared it would appear as any other network drive to Time Machine and you should be able to select it.

Easily connected to the hub? Please tell me how! I haven’t managed to get it to work

We don't know what you have tried.....but the first thing that you must do is reset the AirPort Extreme back factory default settings. Then, connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <--> Ethernet ports on the BT Hub to the WAN "O" port on the AirPort Extreme. Apple's setup "wizard" will automatically suggest the correct setup to create a new network on the AirPort Extreme. Once you have the AirPort Extreme up and running, simply connect your devices to the wireless on the AirPort Extreme.

Not unless the new BT Hub requires you to do this.