Can't see hard drive on the network

[MikalE]

I bought a Linksys 6350 1200+ router with USB 3.0 port to use for installing a hard drive on my home network.

This router is piggybacked onto the wireless modem/router supplied by my ISP. This router also has a USB port, but it is not configured for storage according to my ISP.

The Linksys has a different IP address, the subnet masks match, NAT and DHCP has both been disabled, the broadcast channels match (2.4 Ghz), security protocols match, both routers have the same network password, no encryption is used, and both are visible in 'Connections Available' The second router is plugged into the first router each using a LAN port, not the internet connection WAN port.

The USB port is enabled and the hard drive shows up in the setup configuration menu when hard wired. It even allows me to look at the files on the drive and tells me the available capacity.

I am able to connect to either the first or second router, and on the second router either at 2.4 Ghz or at 5 Ghz, all computers on the network.

The problem is the hard drive cannot be seen on the network, unless the computer is hardwired to the second router. I am using the T500 to experiment and when the Linksys is plugged into the T500 I can see and access the hard drive, but at the same time I am also connected to the first ISP provided modem/router for internet access.

I can also see all computers no matter which router they are connected to and can access those computers from any other computer.

I have reset the Linksys multiple times to try different instructions for piggybacking a router to another modem/router from different internet sites offering advice for this same problem, but nothing anyone has suggested has so far has been of any help.

Are there any network gurus here that have come across this problem? Is there anything you can think of that I missed?

This hard drive is not so much for file sharing as it is for a remote backup drive for my networked computers.

[RealBlackStuff]

It may be a USB3 problem, not necessarily in the router, but in the recipient machines.

My PC has USB2, USB3 and eSATA ports.
When I connect my external HD (which has USB3 and eSATA) to USB3, I have to go through all sorts of hoops in Device Manager to get it going...once.
After a reboot it doesn't work until I start fiddling all over again. Even a USB3 cable does not help.
With eSATA nothing goes at all.
But when I connect my external HD (which has USB3 and eSATA) to USB2 it works great.

What happens if you connect a LAN port from IPS-router to WAN-port on new router?

I have my Brother printer connected to my ASUS router via USB.
The printer is available to any laptop/PC that has drivers for it installed, accessing it in setup as 192.168.1.xxx

[MikalE]

I tried your suggestion but it shut off the Wi-Fi to the Linksys router.

Here's another interesting bit of info I didn't read in any of the reviews: you can't access the setup page again once exiting unless you reset the router to default settings.

Trying to access the IP address of the router does nothing. You have to have an 'account' with Linksys to access your router, but, you must also associate the router with that account. If your router doesn't have the latest firmware update, you cannot associate the router with the account.

So, you have to go through (literally) six pages on their support website before you find this firmware update. They run you all over the site looking for this update. Once you have located it and download it, you must burn it to disc.

File is invalid.

I am certainly glad I didn't pay full retail for this piece of crap.

Mind you, this has absolutely nothing to do with my original problem. This is just to be able to access the router so I can troubleshoot my original problem without having to reset it each time I need access.

That is the most screwed up thing I've ever heard of.

[RealBlackStuff]

For me there's only one router-brand: ASUS, updated with Shibby's Tomato firmware.
I hate Westell, Netgear, Linksys, Belkin, D-link, to name but a few...
And no ISP is telling me which router to use!

[MikalE]

I had managed to set up this router as an 'intranet' within my home. All of the computers are accessible from one another and the hard drive is visible and accessible and it is isolated from the internet.

However, it doesn't appear that I will be able to perform system backups from any of the computers for which this whole setup was intended.

Backups from two of the systems failed at the 78% mark when the image was being created, and the other backup failed just copying files.

So now I am back at square one.

I will probably end up buying a separate modem and using this router. I don't know what else to try to fix this issue. My background is electronics and not network administration.

I might sell this router (nothing wrong with it mind you) and buy one of your suggestions in your post.

[RealBlackStuff]

One more thing to try:
- switch off wifi on the ISP-router
- connect a LAN port from IPS-router to WAN-port on Linksys router
- let Linksys do the wifi

OR:
- replace the ISP-router with your Linksys router

[MikalE]

I tried that first suggestion already, but no luck.

The second suggestion is impossible without a 75 Ohm to Cat 5 converter. It a cable modem. The Linksys has no 75 Ohm F jack.