Keeping Mapped Drive Assignments + Credentials after Router Replacement

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Keeping Mapped Drive Assignments + Credentials after Router Replacement

126
17
NAS
DS920+ DS215J,
Router
  1. RT2600ac
  2. MR2200ac
Operating system
  1. Windows
Mobile operating system
  1. Android
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In Windows 10 (Home) I have a DS215J that has several Mapped Drives via my Network. Awaiting arrival of the my first RT2600ac (MR2200ac backordered till Sunday) and would like to make this a smooth transition.

I've attempted to implement MESH in the past, and it was a nightmare with defective devices, inability to MESH hardware, etc. from other vendors.

I'm seeking support on the following:

A) Most of my 55+ Wi-Fi dependent Devices (IoT wall switches/plugs/iPads, Laptops, etc.) just would not connect..... I had to change the Name + Password for the new Mesh install, as it would not recognize the previous credentials. ... further research pointed at the MESH system not allowing access as the 5G was the culprit and most of the legacy devices are on 2.4..... even though it had both bands operating. Techs said I would need to Turn OFF the 5G....

B) I had found that when powering down the Modem while replacing the old single point router and implementing the Mesh, I had no longer the ability to access the Mapped NAS Drives. I seem to recall that when you do this, a new Address is assigned each time. Is there an easy way to not lose my Mapped Drive assignments when switching to the new 2600?

C) As I mentioned above, Name + Password Credentials that reside on every one of my Devices needed to be changed on the previous non-Synology Mesh install. Should there be any reason I will encounter this issue when moving to the 2600?

I would really like to make this a pain-free changeover..... Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated...
 
Wireless settings (Wi-Fi Connect)
  • Use the same SSID, security level (WPAn type), and authentication credentials (e.g. password). If you setup using Smart Connect then the same SSID is used across the 2.4 and 5 GHZ bands
  • If you mesh a MR2200ac to the RT2600ac then it will be setup and controlled by the RT.
  • Depending on your client devices you may have to try adjusting the Wireless advanced settings (e.g. some old Macs don't connect when 802.11r is enabled)
DHCP (Network Center)
  • Set up the DHCP server to provide the same DNS servers and LAN subnet range as your old router.
  • Configure the same client IP reservations that you may have set up in your old router.
  • Ideally setup the RT as the same LAN IP as your old router.
This is pretty much what I did when moving from Airport Extremes to RT2600ac. But I use Macs so mapping drives to Windows Explorer never became an issue.
 
Thank you Fredbert for the great details and the prompt reply!

The Mesh that is going back is a Deco M9 Plus... I'll pull those numbers off of the old system now, and then hopefully it will be easy to plug them into the 2600.......

Any networking skills are only due to what I learned using the DS215J...... and getting that to play nice with my other devices....

Your advice is appreciated and looking forward to adding the Router to my already great Synology experience.....

I was hoping I would not have to reconfigure 55 Devices again......
 
BTW setting up the RT2600ac first and then later adding the MR2200ac as a mesh router is a perfectly good approach.

I could wait until the 2200 arrived too, but I'm too impatient to get started! And It will give me time to be come accustomed to the interface in the meantime.... And it will be one less device to deal with should any hiccups occur.
 
I could wait until the 2200 arrived too, but I'm too impatient to get started! And It will give me time to be come accustomed to the interface in the meantime
I did it this way because the MR2200ac wasn't a thing when first setting up.

.... And it will be one less device to deal with should any hiccups occur.
This occurred to me too.
 
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Thanks Rusty for those are words of encouragement. Mesh systems are designed for ease-of-use in most cases, but in my limited experience now with trying other manufacturers systems they can be easily challenged and fail to work. In some cases due to the ease of user interface and limited ability for users to make changes, you're left with the mesh that is hobbled in its versatility. Even Eero with whom I had a great conversation with one of their Network guys told me that they have had challenges with systems like Sonos which I happen to have, and other devices cost they may not always stay connected to the mesh system. Based on that I did not go with Eero. My neighbor and myself both have different model LG TVs on Wi-Fi, and both of us have the same experience where the LG TV arbitrarily said there was no Wi-Fi connection. This loss of connection is a known issue across many mesh systems by different manufacturers. Of course you have to look at any reviews in Amazon for example with a degree of skepticism but I cannot think of another product that has so many issues and unhappy customers. Granted many of these problems are self-inflicted by the user, but trying to make a product easy for any user and application (Plug & Pray)..... it's obviously still a challenge.
Just my opinion,
 
Update......

The 2600 is up and running, and thankfully with few difficulties:

1) Even though I copied all the DHCP Settings from the old DECO Mesh, I was unable to implement them onto the 2600... it just did not accept the Start & End Assignments, so I had to accept the default it assigned. The only downside I could find was that I needed to Re-Map my 5 Mapped Drives... a small price to pay for my unfamiliarity with its proper setup.

2) 95% of my 50 Devices accepted the old credentials without issues. 5 of my 6 Alexa devices only needed rebooting, while the Echo Show wanted a Amazon password re-enter.

3) All my off shore branded 15 IoT Wall Switches worked without a problem, and I frankly thought they would be the most problematic.

4) Anything else just needed re-booting such as the HUB for our Motorized Shades that also use Alexa.

5) I'm very fuzzy on the "Smart Connect" Feature of the 2.4/5 Band Auto Switching method. It claims "intelligently points your device to the better of the two Wi-Fi bands "..... But if a Laptop for example is et up for 2.4 to begin with, how does Smart Connect switch it to 5G? When setting up for example a dual band Wi-Fi device such as a laptop, since both 2.4 & 5 is shown under the same SSID, how do you choose which band to connect to?
 
I'm very fuzzy on the "Smart Connect" Feature of the 2.4/5 Band Auto Switching method
The client needs to be able to move between the bands too, not all do. Also, I find that it often needs me to move a fair bit away to get the switch over to happen. Or switch off the MacBook's wifi and back on again. Though this could also be related between handing over between RT and MR mesh access points: they are on different floors but nearly at the floor point.

There's a setting to say when Smart Connect switch over should happen (or use default/automatic). I tried playing with it but it's now on the default.

Easiest thing to do is a walk test and see how the client device switches connection.
 
When initially searching for some better explanation of the Smart Connect to wrap my head around, I do see on the WiFi Analyzer on my android mobile that there is indeed two bands, two different channels availble, and they are both called the same SSID. The only difference is that their is an 8 db decrease in signal strength... and I'm 6ft away from the 2600. There are several well written reviews and explanations of the wide array of features, and I'll have to dig in more to understand how one would choose the the 5g on a wifi laptop for example when you are only presented with one choice.
 

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