31 replies to this topic

[tasman27]

I just got burned by Linksys. I have an EA6900 router for my home network. Three years ago I installed a 3TB MyBookLive NAS and it worked fine until the HDD failed.

 

So, thinking that I need a new one, (the MBL is no longer mfg'd) so I selected a WD MyBook, same capacity, 3TB. The main difference between the two was that the MBL connected thru the LAN port while the MB connects into the USB port. The Linksys router has 2 USB's (1)-2.0, & (1)-3.0.

 

I connected the MB into the 3.0 and.....nothing. Into the 2.0 and .....nothing. After calls to tech support at WD and Linksys, it appears that the MyBook NAS is NOT compatible with the Linksys EA6900. Nowhere in their published literature or specs does it give any indication that this is the case. Only 3 WD NAS drives are compatible according to them and one is a Passport, which is a portable drive. This list is conveniently kept by a tech in the office! (Oddly enough the MyBookLive worked for 3 years and wasn't on their list!)

 

The MB does work if I connect it directly to my PC, but it kinda defeats the purpose as now I either have to (1)buy a new router OR (2)buy another NAS to connect to my other PC, or (3) buy an NAS that is compatible with the present router. Of the WD models they gave me, only one of the remaining 2 is large enough (3TB) so I'm in a bit of a box unless I can get this one to work.

 

Does anyone know where I can find out what External HDD's are compatible with different routers? Is there a website or list somewhere?

 

Thanks for your time....

 

Taz

[Digerati]

I don't see how that is Linksys' fault. Ethernet is Ethernet. A "network" attached storage device should be able to connect anywhere on an Ethernet network and just work.

I think someone is just pointing fingers at the other guy.

The main difference between the two was that the MBL connected thru the LAN port while the MB connects into the USB port.

 

That's a huge difference. USB is not a networking protocol. I suspect your new drive is trying to jam too much data too fast through USB. USB ports on routers are better suited for printers.

 

Can your WD connect via Ethernet? If so, I would definitely go that way. If not, you might look at getting a USB to Ethernet adapter. Make sure it supports 1Gbps (1000Mbps) and USB 3.x.

 

 

[terry1966]

don't believe that adapter will work for this problem digerati. the new drive he has needs a usb port to connect to otherwise i think the controller in the drive will not be able to communicate with the pc, not 100% sure though so may well be mistaken but that's my belief and i think the only adapter type that can do what he requires is some type of das to nas adapter which are probably not worth the cost. eg :- https://www.amazon.c...1N6Z3WC75HSY6AE

 

i'd just swap the drives in both devices so the old nas case has the new drive in and can be used again as before otherwise the only option i see is to connect the new drive to one pc and share it, but that would mean either leaving the pc on 24/7 or turning on both when the other pc needs access to the drive.

 

i understand the centres of the drives slide out from the case side/back piece, the sides are not pulled away from the centre, as shown in a few youtube videos, if you force the sides away from the centre to open them then you will probably break the plastic catches in there.

 

i believe the best way to do this if you are not able to accomplish this by hand force alone is to slip a flat head screwdriver between the rounded back and the middle and pry the middle forward until it easily slides forward and out from the case. from there it should be easy enough to work out what needs taking apart to gain access to the hard drives and swap them over (you can follow the videos for this part if needed.). then fit and screw everything back together again with the drives swapped and slide the middles back into the cases.

 

 

tasman27 an external hard drive (direct access storage) is not the same thing as a nas drive (network access storage) even though they may look the same, i won't go into details but like digerati said there is a huge difference between the two controllers, and that's why you have this problem now. your first drive was a nas drive, and your new one is a das or external hard drive. easy to confuse them but they are not the same thing.

 

link explaining the differences between das and nas :- https://www.cnet.com...-vs-nas-server/

 

thinking about the problem more and looking at the specs of the Linksys EA6900 router, i don't see why your new drive won't work with that router. (assume this is your new drive :- https://www.amazon.c...N/dp/B00FANPAPW )

what does the router say under the storage tab when the drive is plugged into the usb3 port and powered on?

http://www.linksys.c...ticleNum=142291

 

also did they say what the incompatibility was when you talked to tech support?

Edited by terry1966, 22 December 2016 - 04:46 PM.

[Digerati]

 the new drive he has needs a usb port to connect to otherwise i think the controller in the drive will not be able to communicate with the pc

 

Sorry. Didn't make myself clear. I meant to try that adapter to connect the new NAS to the network router via Ethernet instead of USB, not to a PC.

 

I believe the adapter you suggested is to turn a normal USB external drive into a NAS. According to Taz, that MyBook already is a NAS.

[terry1966]

sorry digerati, was making lots of edits to my original post, i don't believe he has a nas drive in the first place and why i didn't think it would work, still not 100% sure how he'd connect that adapter to the drive though, think they have a type of twin type usb3 connection on the drive like one end of this cable :- https://www.amazon.c...W96WWZF8N3DYCP3

 

to be honest though if he has the drive i think then i don't see why it won't just work, so maybe it's just a setup problem even though tech support wasn't any help to him and says it's incompatible.

 

 

think wd nas drives are called mycloud and not mybook.

 

tasman27, something to try is plug the drive into the router turn it on and leave overnight before trying to see if it works and is shown in the router software. got that idea from here, not the same router as you but no harm in trying it :-

 

My WD 3TB drive (edit: which is also not a supported drive) would do the same thing initially, but after leaving it for a few hours one time, it works fine now.

https://community.li...ork/td-p/659150

Edited by terry1966, 22 December 2016 - 05:27 PM.

[Tomk]

Mybooklive is NAS.  Mybook is just an external hard drive.

 

Mybooklive 3TB is still available:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136880. I'm guessing it has been discontinued as most sources don't have it, but the 1tb, 2tb, and 4tb models still seem to be available everywhere.

[Digerati]

i don't believe he has a nas drive in the first place

 

Well, Taz said it was a NAS so that is what I was going on. I guess we need clarification.

[tasman27]

Well guys....thanks for all the input! You're all making more sense than Linksys tech support has on this topic. Let me try to clarify some of the statements and issues noted in the replies:

 

First, I had a WD 3TB MyBookLive working on the current Linksys EA6900 for almost 3 years and it had some issues, but worked fine until the HDD crashed. My understanding was that it was an NAS drive. It connected to the router thru the Ethernet port.

When this drive crashed, I purchased a WD 3TB MyBook HDD. In looking at the box (directions or manuals are not supplied), there's no indication this is a NAS. It does say External Drive however. This drive connects thru a 3.0 USB port. The Linksys router has 2 USB's, one is 2.0, one is 3.0.

 

When I initially connected the MB to the 3.0 USB port, the router recognized the drive as an external drive. I properly disconnected it and searched for the software files online that I needed from WD to properly setup the drive. After downloading the files, I then re-attached the drive. That's when the issues started. The router didn't recognize the drive at all. Nothing on the network. With everything plugged in, all I got was a constant solid light on the front of the unit. I went thru power cycles for the router, MB, reset the router, reset the MB, restarted the PC (not in this order, but sequentially) and nothing seemed to work. I deduced that the light on the MB unit indicated that the HDD was connected to the router, since unplugging the USB put the light out. It's not an AC power indicator. The MB has its own power source plugged into the wall (for now).

 

This is when I called WD, since they offer Tech support for new purchases. The tech had me check the drive for power, router connection, and the indicator light cycles. He would not, however, have anything to do with the network setup. He referred that to Linksys. We plugged the MB into a free USB port in the PC and it showed up in Windows Explorer immediately. At this point, the tech says there is nothing wrong with the drive and that I should contact the router mfg for assistance with that.

 

Enter Linksys. The tech I get has me got thru several basic rudimentary protocols (power, cable connections, etc.). She then asks to go remotely to the PC. At this point I can't tell you exactly what she was doing as I had no control over the PC. We again connect the MB to the PC and see it as before. Connecting to the router and nothing. We put a thumb drive in both ports, one at a time and see them on the network. This verifies that the ports are good. The cable is good because we can see the drive on the PC. The drive is good because we can drop & drag a file successfully to it. The first tech tells me that the drive is compatible with the router. (This was a very late admission - I forgot to tell that they charge for their support!) So now I'm stumped! Drive ok, cable ok, ports ok...why can't I see the drive on the network on either port? She doesn't know either and refunds my payment since she wasn't able to fix anything. Needless to say I'm PO'ed! Quit for that night and decided to try again the next day.

 

Next day I call Linksys support again. I've done this before and sometimes you get a rookie tech, sometiimes you get a more 'experienced' one on different calls. We go thru the same routine and protocols from start to finish with the same results. However, the FINAL thing she does is to ask once again the make and model of the hardware. She comes back after 5 mins and tells me that it's NOT compatible with the EA6900 router. After a bit of a rant on my part (I've been on the second call for almost 3 hrs), I asked her why she didn't check that FIRST? Well, I never got an answer to that except a typed up list from her on the 'compatible drives' from a resident tech in their office. She says the probably reason is that the router won't support a 3TB drive. So I ask her how do you explain the MBL I had on the system for almost 3 years? Never really answered it. I'm PO'ed once again as I asked why this information isn't somewhere in their Knowledge Base, etc so users can select the correct hardware. Now she asks if I want to BUY a new router that's 'compatible'. Well......NO

 

As far as the old MBL, WD has been gracious enough to 'warranty' the drive and send me one in kind (if they have one) or a MyBookCloud. So, taking the drive apart is not an option at this point as it would void the 'warranty'. I have, however, kept the MB connected for 3 days now and it hasn't shown up on the network. The light on the front, however, is blinking steadily - an indication (according to their own manual) that it's receiving a signal and is ready. 

 

So to recap, the drive is on and receiving a signal from the router but can't be seen on the router as an external drive. The drive can be seen if connected directly to the PC. I have already performed one backup when I had it connected and it was fine. I'm thinking there must be a setting or procedure SOMEWHERE that's missing to make this drive work but *I* don't know where that is. I was depending on the mfg Techs to know. You are my 'go to' guys...if anyone knows, it's you!

 

Thanks for all the input so far........!

 

Any thoughts?

 

Taz

 

P.S. Terry, the link you have to the drive is correct. That is the current drive I purchased. The drive never gets to the 'storage tab' as it can't be seen on the router as external storage.

 

Digerati, your link to Newegg doesn't work.

Edited by tasman27, 22 December 2016 - 08:38 PM.

[Digerati]

My understanding was that it was an NAS drive. It connected to the router thru the Ethernet port.

 

Yes, because it connected via an Ethernet connection (and not USB) it definitely was a NAS.

 

Ummm, my link to Newegg works for me. Perhaps with the Christmas rush, your attempt timed out or something. Try again.

 

I don't know why your drive does not work correctly when attached to the router, other than it is not a NAS.

[tasman27]

I've tried the link a few times with the same result but I can look it up. From the Amazon link that Terry sent, it appears looking at the comparison chart, the MyBook is NOT a NAS. However, MyBookMyCloud is, but is NOT on the Linksys compatiblity list the tech sent me.

 

So you see my quandry....even if I was to buy another NAS, how would I know if it's compatible if it's not on their list? Catch 22....

[tasman27]

Maybe a well placed call to WD asking the question is in order. Will any of their NAS drives work with a Linksys router? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

 

Someone has to have a definitive answer for that, otherwise how does one set up a Network with a NAS? I'm surely not buying a new router....

[Tomk]

I don't understand the compatibility claim.  It seems to me, a NAS drive connected with an Ethernet cable should just work.  As far as the router is concerned, it should just think it's a computer. It really shouldn't care from there.  The MyBookCloud is a NAS drive and should just work like your old MyBookLive did.

 

Now... there are some external drives (not actually NAS drives) that linksys routers will recognize as storage devices. Information is found here:  http://www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=142291 It does not appear that Linksys puts out a compatible drive list for the EA6900.  However, the capatibility lists actually don't say that other external drives won't work, they just haven't tested to see that thy do.  Here is a link with additional information: http://www.linksys.c...ticleNum=139961

[terry1966]

ok we know the drive works with your router because it showed up when first connected to the router, despite what the tech said about compatibility.

 

a compatibility list really doesn't mean a lot, because it's just a short list of drives they've tested and are known to work, while there are probably a lot more drives that haven't been tested so not on the list that also work.

 

now we come to the important bit.

 

I properly disconnected it and searched for the software files online that I needed from WD to properly setup the drive.

that's where the problem is in my opinion, you didn't need any wd files, the nas storage is all controlled through the linksy router/software. posted guide earlier but here it is again :- http://www.linksys.c...ticleNum=142291

 

now we have to undo whatever the wd files that were installed changed and with luck it will then work again and be seen and you'll be able to set it up from within the router software and use it as you did before.

only problem is i have no idea on how to do that, did the files you installed change the drives firmware for example? or the drives partition layout?

 

so first thing i think i'd do is roll back your os to a time before you had the drive, then i'd wipe and repartition the drive probably using a live os and only after doing both those things i'd plug it back into the router and fingers crossed it'll then be seen as before and you can start getting it working again but without installing whatever wd software that borked it in the first place.

 

  

 

sorry tomk missed your post while i was typing mine.

 

a NAS drive connected with an Ethernet cable should just work.

agreed so any mycloud drives will work plus whatever other makers call their nas drives, but i wouldn't go out and buy a new drive just yet until we've exhausted all the options of getting this drive to work again, plus you'll also have the warranty drive to use anyway if we can't get this one seen and working like i believe it should.

Edited by terry1966, 22 December 2016 - 10:18 PM.

[tasman27]

Ok....dunno what the WD setup did or didn't do and to what extent. The drive was NOT partitioned, that much I know. Tomk - I'm with you, I thought the router shouldn't care either which is why I did a PNP on the drive. Silly me thinking I should have softwarem but I had it with the last one so I thought I'd be consistent.

 

This is what you get when you read the WD online manual and it doesn't sync with a router being used!   I like your approach Terry! I'll follow what you proposed and see what happens. WTH, what can it hurt? Right now there's nothing on the HD that can't be replaced....I'll get back to you shortly with the result.

 

 Thanks!

 

Taz

[terry1966]

if the drive was unpartitioned when it was first plugged in to the router and seen, then i think that would be the first thing i'd try, simply delete all partitions from the drive in windows and leave it as unallocated space, then plug it into the router and see if it's seen, if it is, i'm sure i saw a place in the linksy instructions where you can partition the drive in there, so just use the linksy guide and software to partition and setup the drive and fingers crossed you'll be good to go.

 

Edited by terry1966, 22 December 2016 - 10:52 PM.