Time Machine Questions

Yes, you can use it to store other files.

I'm not sure if you can connect it to the router, but I think you can - if that's what the USB port is for.

 

I partitioned my TM drive and put extra stuff on the second partition.

The USB port on your router is likely to hook it up to a computer without a network card. I don't know why they even bother putting one on there because as far as I know, no one uses it (and no one should use it).

USB ports follow a convention for what type of connector is used. If the connector is a square-ish B-type like the one found on most printers, it means the router is a USB device meant to be connected to a computer. If the USB port on the router looks like a standard one on a computer, it could mean that the router is a USB host, and you can plug in something like a printer or hard drive.

 

I'm pretty sure you won't be able to do Time Machine over wireless. For one thing, Time Machine requires HFS+, which the router is extremely unlikely to support. You might be able to format the drive as FAT or NTFS and use a different backup program though.

EDIT: m85476585 was faster than me, and is probably correct that the USB port is for connecting to a computer. Some routers do support external drives, but unless that feature was specifically mentioned on the box, it probably won't work.

 

These instructions may help ...