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SCIO's avatar
SCIO
Tutor
Aug 21, 2017
Solved

AP Mode Vs Router Mode

Hello, 

Please i need help with regards to getting acess to my Synology NAS with my Orbi System.

I have noticed that when I switch my Orbi to AP mode, I cannot acess my Synology NAS even though I am on same network. When I changed or switched to the Router mode, I can sucessfully acess my NAS. Please what is going on? Why cant I acess my NAS when by Orbi is on AP Mode? I really want to be on AP mode and not Router mode for better performance and so what should I do on by Orbi system to get me to connect to my NAS.

NOTE : I have one system and one satalite. My NAS is connected to the Satalite via wired connection

Thanks for your help 

 

  • Problem Solved.

    Thank you guys for your help, I finally found a solution to the problem.

    When you switch the Orbi to AP mode, it basically does not offer the routing mechanism to the home network. If you have a router or a Morden from your ISP (which you should, hence your wanting AP mode), that router takes over the routing in your home network. What this means is that the IP address will be coming from your router and not you’re Orbi. My NAT device was using the IP address from the Orbi when the orbi was in Routing Mode but when I switched to AP mode, the NAT device did not change IP address because its DHCP was turned off. Basically, the NAT kept the old or assigned IP address. Since routing is now being taken over by the ISP modem or router, the IP address is now different, meaning the NAT which is connected to the Orbi is now on a different network than the router from ISP. Note that the Orbi is now in AP mode and the ISP modem or router is now doing the routing and giving out a different IP address from the one giving by the Orbi when it was in the Routing mode.

    What I did

    I Changed the Orbi to AP mode so I can log into my ISP router to determine the following

    IPv4 address

    Subnet Mask

    Default Gateway

    DHCP Server

    DNS Server.

    I also determined the DHCP scope. 

    I needed all these information to create a static IP on my NAS.

     

    After the determination of these information, I switched my Orbi to router mode so I can get access to my NAS (Remember I can only access my Nas when my Orbi is on Router mode). I noticed that my NAS has a different IPV4 address from the ISP router. All I did was to now change the settings on my NAS, meaning, I changed the IPV4 address to an IP address on same network. Please note that you should chose an IP address that is out of the scope of your DHCP. I also changed the subnet Mask default gateway and DNS server to reflect exactly what I had when my Orbi was in the AP mode. 

    When logged back in to my DNS, I got access to by Files. My orbi is now on AP mode (which is more stable for me) and I can now have access to my Synology Nas.

    Thanks guys for your contribution 

17 Replies

  • hi

     

    so to have the orbi in AP mode you would need to have a router in front of it doing the routing and dhcp server as in AP mode all the orbidoes is wifi and a switch

     

    when in router mode the orbi does the routing and dhcp server etc and thats why your nas can be seen , when in router mode your device in front of the orbi should be in bridge mode or be a direct ethernet connection to the internet

     

     

  • SCIO pleas tell us more about your network-setup. Do you have a router handeling DHCP in front of your Orbi, etc.....The info you provided is not enough...

    • SCIO's avatar
      SCIO
      Tutor

      My Network set up is as follows 

        Coax cable form ISP connected to my moderm. My moderm is also my wirless router that serves the house. I satarted using the Orbit becaue I had at the time, a lot of Dead Zone in my house.  ( I disabled the wireless router function on the mordern)- my Orbi device is connected (Wired Connection, ethernet cable) directly to the mordern- My Orbi satellite is Conntected (Wireless to the Orbi Device- my Synology NAS is connected directly (Wired Connection, ethernet cable) to the satellite.

      Like i said, when I put my Orbi device on Router mode, I can connect to my NAS but when I put the Orbi divice to AP mode, I do not have connection to my NAS. 

      Thanks for your help 

      • nukie's avatar
        nukie
        Guide

        Hi, do your Orbi get IP-adress dynamicly from the main router in AP-mode? Did you set it up as AP in the web-interface? What firmware are your devices on? If they are not on the latest frimware you should update.

  • Problem Solved.

    Thank you guys for your help, I finally found a solution to the problem.

    When you switch the Orbi to AP mode, it basically does not offer the routing mechanism to the home network. If you have a router or a Morden from your ISP (which you should, hence your wanting AP mode), that router takes over the routing in your home network. What this means is that the IP address will be coming from your router and not you’re Orbi. My NAT device was using the IP address from the Orbi when the orbi was in Routing Mode but when I switched to AP mode, the NAT device did not change IP address because its DHCP was turned off. Basically, the NAT kept the old or assigned IP address. Since routing is now being taken over by the ISP modem or router, the IP address is now different, meaning the NAT which is connected to the Orbi is now on a different network than the router from ISP. Note that the Orbi is now in AP mode and the ISP modem or router is now doing the routing and giving out a different IP address from the one giving by the Orbi when it was in the Routing mode.

    What I did

    I Changed the Orbi to AP mode so I can log into my ISP router to determine the following

    IPv4 address

    Subnet Mask

    Default Gateway

    DHCP Server

    DNS Server.

    I also determined the DHCP scope. 

    I needed all these information to create a static IP on my NAS.

     

    After the determination of these information, I switched my Orbi to router mode so I can get access to my NAS (Remember I can only access my Nas when my Orbi is on Router mode). I noticed that my NAS has a different IPV4 address from the ISP router. All I did was to now change the settings on my NAS, meaning, I changed the IPV4 address to an IP address on same network. Please note that you should chose an IP address that is out of the scope of your DHCP. I also changed the subnet Mask default gateway and DNS server to reflect exactly what I had when my Orbi was in the AP mode. 

    When logged back in to my DNS, I got access to by Files. My orbi is now on AP mode (which is more stable for me) and I can now have access to my Synology Nas.

    Thanks guys for your contribution 

    • st_shaw's avatar
      st_shaw
      Master

      SCIO I'm glad you figured it out and you understand how things work now.

       

      If you had followed the steps I outlined above it would have worked for you. But you might not have understood why if you didn't work through it yourself.