Connect ReadyNAS directly to pc without internet?

I think the NAS may be able to connect to the internet via my AT&T Netgear Unite Wi-Fi Card. I went into the card's Admin Page and I saw this. Will the ReadyNAS 316 recognize it or an Ethernet connection a must? I will follow the directions on setting a static IP address on the NAS. Thank you.

DJDOC wrote:
I only use my NAS for PLEX and to store my movie collection... I do know that I need the internet conection for the PLEX admin page...

If you are using the plex server on the NAS, then you need to be able to access the more than the admin page to access your movies. For instance, if you run the plex app on your phone, it can only access the movies if the plex server on the NAS can access the internet.

I am not seeing documentation on your unite card, but it looks like a normal hot-spot. If so, there is no way to connect the NAS directly to the unite.

What you can do is get a wifi extender, and connect that to the NAS via ethernet. Then configure the extender to link to the hotspot via wifi.

Something like a WN3000RP will do the job (http://www.netgear.com/home/products/ne ... 000RP.aspx). There's an ethernet port at the bottom that doesn't show in the picture - that's where you'd connect the NAS.

You could also use an eX6200 (http://www.netgear.com/home/products/ne ... X6200.aspx). This lets you connect the PC and the NAS via gigabit ethernet - still using the unite for internet access. The benefit is that your PC<->NAS connection is much faster (gigabit ethernet). Of course the PC can also connect over WiFi (and reach the NAS).

In all cases if you want to watch your movies when away from home, then the unite card needs to be at home.

Hello StephenB. Thank you for helping me through this situation. Since I live in the country where there is no internet service whatsoever I had to get the AT&T Wi-Fi card to communicate with the outside world. In the past I did have Ethernet because I lived in New York City.

Now I would only use the PLEX app in the NAS to connect my laptop to the TV. I wouldn't use it for anything else. As vandermerwe indicated I would have to change the IP address of the NAS so that it is still reachable from the PC by using a static IP address on the NAS.

You said the NAS can't connect to the AT&T Unite card but what if I give the NAS a static IP address and directly connect it to my PC via Ethernet cable can I access the PLEX Media Server in the NAS with Plex Home Theater in my PC?

Can I still access my NAS 316 administration page and my PLEX Web Interface which is a media manager for the PLEX using the Unite Hotspot Wi-Fi card? They are after all just web pages. Or are they?

Can I directly connect the NAS316 to a smart TV which can recognize it directly?

Thanks again for helping me out. As you suggested I will be purchasing the Netgear AC 1200.

With your current set up, you can access the plex server from the PC, but not from anything else. The PC can talk to the NAS, and the PC can talk to the internet. But the NAS can only reach the PC.

If you want the NAS to reach the internet, or other devices (like a SMART TV or phone) to reach the NAS, then you have two basic options.

(a) connect the NAS to a suitable WiFi extension, and let it get an IP address from the unite.
(b) try to set up internet connection sharing on the PC (which will use the PC as a router).

If you are doing (a) with the ex6200, then you can also hook up your SMART TV to the unite (either with wifi) or to the EX6200 (WiFi or ethernet). You end up with all the connectivity you need. Its a more robust solution than (b).

Another solution would be to avoid plex completely. Depending on your TV and the media you want to play, standard DLNA with no transcoding can be an alternative that doesn't require internet at all.

Plex shouldn't need to transcode any more than standard DLNA

I wasn't clear on what I meant, let's rephrase it.

I personally don't use plex but I think its two main perks are a cleaner library and media availability that is achieved by transcoding if the target device can't read the original file. That's why I would use it for.
AFAIK, the ReadyNAS DLNA server isn't able to do transcoding. So if this transcoding part is needed then, you might want t stick with plex, but if it isn't using the standard DLNA server could be an option.

Why are we digressing into transcoding? The OP isn't asking about that.

His problem is that he's limited to using a cellular hotspot device for internet access - and that only handles wifi devices.

So he's working through his options on connecting the NAS.

My idea was to avoid sharing the connection, just to set up a router for DHCP (or doing it manually) but instead of using Plex that actually requires to be connected, using something that doesn't require internet at all. The fact is, I spoke about transcoding because that's a main feature of Plex and I didn't want to suggest something that wouldn't fit the needs.
So the point is not to speak about transcoding, but to suggest to drop Plex if this is possible (meaning if transcoding isn't needed) so that he could have a simpler setup without connecting neither the NAS nor the TV to internet but still play the content on the TV using the DLNA server of the NAS and the DLNA client of the TV only.

OK. He could set up an ethernet router which connects to the NAS, the PC, and the SMART TV. The PC wireless could be redirected to the hotspot when he wants internet, it can be directed to the router when he doesn't. That will work (and plex might well work in the scenario also, though I haven't tried it).

The extender idea is similar, esp. if he uses static addresses for the equipment connected to the extender. But it has the benefit that all the devices can reach the internet - allowing the time on the NAS to be properly set, allow easier firmware updates for the SMART TV (and the NAS), perhaps allowing other internet features on the TV to be used.