MAC<<<<ETHERNET CABLE<<<MBL (again)

WD Legacy Products My Book Live
2

well, you need to set BOTH to static IP. Which means they both belong to the same network. Read that link you provided carefully, all posts.

Example: 

MBL = 192.168.200.10 255.255.255.0

MAC = 192.168.200.11 255.255.255.0

If all of the above makes no sense, stick to a router. I also have a 10/100 router and speed is not bad, if both are hardwired.