My Cloud EX2 Ultra Initial Setup

Hi all. First time posting… I am hoping someone here can provide guidance because emailing WD Customer Support has not helped (going in circles). I followed the initial instructions where I plug in the device, went to the setup site, and selected my device (My Cloud EX2 Ultra); it opens a new tab with the path ‘mycloudex2ultra’; however, I get the message, “This site can’t be reached.” I contacted WD Customer support who sent me a link where I was supposed to download a setup file (Error). However, it appears the site or instructions have changed because I can find no setup file to download. I tell them that and ask for revised instructions or a direct link to the file. They then send me a link back to the general setup instructions (My Cloud OS 3: Dashboard Setup a EX2 Ultra), which is where my failure started to begin with. I did try the 40-second reset, which failed to resolve my issue. I still get “This site can’t be reached” when attempting to access ‘mycloudex2ultra’. Here is where I most hope someone can help. I have the My Cloud EX2 Ultra plugged into a network switch (i.e., not directly into my router). The PDF User Guide I downloaded (before I purchased to try to ensure plugging into the switch and not the router was okay) states , “Connect the other end of the Ethernet cable directly into a router or network switch port.” So, I think this should be okay. However, that latest link/web-based instructions say, " 1. Connect the device to a network router". So, I am unsure if it must be attached to the router, or if I just need better instructions. My router is in another room and non-convenient location for this device so I really hope connecting to the network switch works. So, the general setup is, I have a DSL modem, which is connected to/hardwired to my wifi router in another room (wall plates/behind wall wires between those rooms), the modem is hardwired/connected to the network switch, and the My Cloud EX2 Ultra is connected to the network switch. So, the device is connected to the network, but not directly to the router. I am on a laptop that is connected to the network via wifi. That is all I can think to describe. Any help for getting setup is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

connection device to a home network is like the old game
button -button who has the button.

The fall back to try if the easy way in the documentation fails:

I use a network app to find out where the network put the device IP address.
( then AFTER getting in I make the ip address a fixed address)

direct connect to computer or connection to switch or direct to router should work after you boot the unit. then re-boot the computer.

While jumping to the different reset button options can help – save that for a ( if all else fails option)

ie re-boot unit - different cable - different location to plug in on network.

Thank you! I found the IP address on my network. I then plugged that address into my web browser and the setup site launched successfully. I greatly appreciate the suggestion. I don’t understand why WD Customer “Support” couldn’t tell me that.

In case you haven’t gathered, there’s no such thing as “WD Customer Support”!

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Hi I’ve got the same problem on first use and settijg up: This site can’t be reached
I’m not a tekkie. How do I find the IP address on my network? Can you help me with the set up? I tried WD support - absolutely useless.

I just went through this myself. To get info on a device connected to my wifi n/w I needed to connect to the router itself. Depending on your setup, it might well be 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, etc. You may need to consult a manual or tech support for your device. Put that IP address into your browser.
Once logged into that, there should be a link for info re connected devices. Mine actually listed the name WD EX2 Ultra. Somewhere in the info is the IP address.

Thanks Ron but I still haven’t got there yet. I can see the EX2 via Chrome, but I can’t see it on my Macbook finder which is what I want for easy file management. The user manual is dated 2015 - not useful at all. And the WD Youtube videos are hopelessly out of date. Grateful for advice. I can see my WD dashboard, no problem. Maybe I need to change some of the settings? Or Share values? I repeat, I’m not a tekkie … Thanks

A few tips. . . .go into the dashboard;
Verify the device name. . . .

From finder (or Win File explorer), type the device name (possibly with two slashes: “\\DeviceName”) to navigate to the device. Similar method for mapping the drive to be a “drive letter” on your device.

The alternative to using the device name, is using the IP address of the NAS on the network. That’s a bit more complciated; and requires you to find the IP address on the ROUTER’s dashboard.

Thanks for the reply, but Finder doesn’t offer that option.
The IP address of the router is 192.168.1.1
IP address of the NAS is 192.168.1.40
What do I do next?
(I thought these things were supposed to be plug and play!)
Grateful any assistance

I am not a MAC guy; so I can’t get specific.

You can’t map a drive in Finder? If you could; the network location of the NAS is the 192.168.1.40 address. You might want to practice your google-fu