Hi,
I am trying to connect MyPassport Wireless to my home router. I have a Linksys EA6900 which has a USB 3 connection. I tried a thumb drive and it works fine, plug and play no problem. I tried my MyPassport Wireless, and the router doesn’t recognize the drive.
I honestly tried to use the manual (pdf), and other posts here to discern what settings, or what has to be done to connect the drive to the router. The manual (pdf) shows some settings that I do not see when I log into the admin web page for the MyPassport Wireless – see pictures.
HELP!!! What has to be done, what has to be configured, or turned off — in order to connect the MyPassport Wireless to a router???
You seem to be on the right track, but something is missing and part of that is the instructions in the manual were changed shortly after the MPW manual was released, and this section has changed; actually for the better, because there is not a distinction in the current setup between public hotspots and home networks. What does distinguish them now is the check box (seen in your screen shot) that says, “Share content on this network”, It needs to be checked for a home network, and in most cases, unchecked for a public hotspot. Each network you connect to has this checkbox choice. So, place your check in the box; it shows in your image as un-checked.
Hope this helps you get it on the network. If not, there is something else wrong, so give a phone call to WD Support and have them walk you through this.
First - Mike, thanks for your reply. I appreciate your help. You know frustrating technology connectivity is.
I tried what you said, I check the check box [see attached screen snapshot], but the router doesn’t recognize the drive.
I wonder… my router is a dual band router. It supports or provides 2.4 GHz and 5GHz. I notice that the MyPassport Wireless doesn’t see or recognize the 5GHz connection. Could THIS be the problem???
Could it be that in order for the router to serve up the drive - it needs to be configured, or the check box needs to be checked for ALL connections the router offers??? (So if the check box is checked for just one of the frequencies the router offers, that’s not enough)
Firstly, unfortunately, the MPW is NOT dual band (It should have been!) It uses 2.4G band only to connect to router. BUT once you get it up and running on the network, here is a undocumented tip from an experienced MPW user: YOU (from your phone, tablet, PC) can connect to the router network via 5G and communicate with the MPW and receive media to play, and yes this does speed things up for smoother video and it is how I always use my MPW and tablets since, I also have a dual band router
Another tip: when directly connected to MPW, be close to the MPW with your mobile device, but when your MPW is on the home network, place it close to your router for max Wi-Fi signal between it and router. I put my MPW on same shelf as the router. Your range of your MPW is now determined by the range of your 5G or 2.4G signals in house.
OK, now let’s get you connected: I am going to suggest you do a factory rest and start setup again at the very beginning. Here is a link that tells you how.
An important point before you begin:
MAKE SURE THE MPW IS TURNED ON BEFORE STARTING THE RESET. If not, you can screw up your MPW to a condition that is difficult to recover from.
As Roderick explains in the link to this user, follow instructions carefully. and if this doesn’t get you up and running it is time to give WD a call.
Once reset, and you are connected directly to MPW and have played some media files, then attempt to connect MPW to your home network. Good luck.
The new forum interface is a bit screwy, and only part of the link I put in shows, so to see entire link, click on the link name Factory Reset? in BLUE in above message.
I wonder if I would be better off buying a new drive - one that doesn’t have built in WiFi. It seems like trying to a) reset it and then b) reset the WiFi settings is going to take TIME. I already have hours invested in this to try to make it wor
Well, this is a horse of a different color. The MPW is NOT designed to physically be connected to a router; especially permanently. It also has higher power requirements than most drives; more than some routers can supply. It is designed for maximum portability at home or away to be used wirelessly – either by accessing its built-in wireless signal or connected wirelessly to a router.
A “standard” portable HD on the other hand is to be connected to a computer or a router that can accept. it. I also have a small, 1TB portable HD connected to my Asus router as well as an Asus mobile app that allows me to access the drive from the home network OR via the internet when not on my home network. I can also access the drive from my PC, although not all my devices can access it (e.g. my WD media player can’t.)
Anyway, you can purchase a portable HD or even desktop HD for lots less than the MPW costs. If you shop around, you can get a 1TB, or 2TB drive for $60-100. This could be your better choice over a MPW.
