ReadyShare Unavailable without Internet Connection - WHY?

[Tibbee]

I'm obviously not a tech guru - but it seems incredibly moronic that, given the R6400 is the router - WHY that it can't route traffic directed to ITSELF when the Internet is down? Why does it so badly need an Internet connection?

Couldn't it just as well be easily programmed to to tell itself - 

"Hey, the internet appears to be down. And it appears a program is trying to reach smb://readyshare - which does not exist for some bizarre reason when the internet is down. That's messed up.

But, y'know what? I'm the ROUTER! Check me out! 

That gives me the special power to route all traffic direcfed to this smb://readyshare (that temporarily no longer exists for whatever reason?) correctly to 192.168.1.1.

How AWESOME is that?" 

But, instead... everything breaks. No watching movies off my Readyshare drive. It demands access to the Internet for Readyshare to properly exist for some unknown reason? 

Any particular reason why that is? Or is it just a bug that might possibly be fixed? 

I most definitely find it highly irritating, given I happen to live in an area with sketchy internet service that frequently drops. 

And, yes - I suppose I could go back and reprogram everything to never use Readyshare and instead use 192.168.1.1? But then Netgear might decide to block or switch that around - 'cuz, hey... 

Again, I'm not a guru. But I'm not following the guru level logic that's causing all of this seemingly needless frustration? 

[michaelkenward]

That's a bit of a random brain dump that is hard to follow.

Can you take us through what you are doing and where it goes wrong?

Edit out the bits that don't add to the story and add details that might help someone to reproduce what you are doing..

We don't know what router you are playing with, what firmware its on it, or what modem/gateway/ONT sits between it and the Internet.

[Tibbee]

Very sorry for the sarcasm - I was incredibly frustrated last night. 
When my Internet goes down, the smb://readyshare/USB_Storage root no longer allows access to the USB drive attached to my router. 
However, if I switch to smb://192.168.1.1/USB_Storage, then that access is restored - for instance, with the VLC app on my FireStick. 
This inability to reach readyshare affects all of my devices. My Mac also can't access readyshare - but it can still access via the IP? 192.168.1.1. 
My Router is
R6700v3
Firmware Version
V1.0.4.128_10.0.104

Again, I obviously have no clue how any of this works - but it would seem more logical that the Router wouldn't require the Internet to identify itself? 

Thanks very much for any advice on how I might get around the issue? 

[michaelkenward]

Irony, sarcasm even, is fine, but it has to make sense.

You didn't answer the question about the modem/gateway/ONT. Make and model number

It could be important.

[Tibbee]

I'm not certain as to what you're requesting - but I will VERY HAPPILY follow any and all instructions you might provide? 

AC1750 Smart Wifi Router

Model: R6700v3

It's connected via ethernet cable to an 

Arris SURFboard SB6141

Router Information

Hardware Version R6700v3

Firmware Version V1.0.4.128_10.0.104

GUI Language Version V1.0.4.122_2.1.38.1

LAN Port

MAC Address 6C:CD:D6:ED:26:7D

IP Address 192.168.1.1

DHCP On

Internet Port

MAC Address 6C:CD:D6:ED:26:7E

IP Address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx - not sure if that should be shared? 

Connection DHCP

IP Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0

Domain Name Server 24.245.113.166

24.245.113.167

And, again I apologize for the sarcasm - I was just trying a different approach, given this previous thread was left unanswered? 

        Readyshare unavailable on LAN without an internet ...               

Also, if I've overshared "secure" info that I shouldn't have - MAC Address, etc? - please let me know - or if you can, just edit it out? 

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!! 

[michaelkenward]

---

@Tibbee wrote:

I'm not certain as to what you're requesting - but I will VERY HAPPILY follow any and all instructions you might provide? 

AC1750 Smart Wifi Router

Model: R6700v3

It's connected via ethernet cable to an 

Arris SURFboard SB6141

OK. Plain vanilla modem. No integrated router to get in the way.

[Tibbee]

Correct. I think my whole setup is as vanilla as it gets? Not sure if you were asking for confirmation on that. 

But, just to toss in my non-guru info - I think there was a firmware update that introduced the "USB_Storage" drive, that was formerly accessed via just a letter, "T" for instance. 

And that seems to be about the same time the issues arose with the router requiring the internet for self validation? If Mommy is whatever it's checking in with on the internet - 

"Mom, who is readyshare? Am I still me? Mom? Mom? Mom? Mommy? Mommy? Mom? Mom? Mom? Mommy? Mommy? Mom? Mom?" 

But you'd think ISPs would complain if that's what it was constantly doing - heck if I know? 

I can be watching a movie on readyshare - then the Internet connection drops, and the file can instantly no longer be accessed. 

[michaelkenward]

---

@Tibbee wrote:

But, just to toss in my non-guru info - I think there was a firmware update that introduced the "USB_Storage" drive, that was formerly accessed via just a letter, "T" for instance. 

That seems to be the same pattern as it always has been.

It depends on how you set up the folders in the browser graphical user interface (GUI). There are several ways of labelling attached devices:

There hasn't been any noticeable change in how ReadyShare works in some years.

---

I can be watching a movie on readyshare - then the Internet connection drops, and the file can instantly no longer be accessed. 

---

Not here. I wonder if anyone else has seen that.

[Tibbee]

I referenced another post, with a few other users adding that they were experiencing the same issue? 

It's easy enough to test. Just start streaming a movie on VLC - I'm using a Firestick, but it happens regardless of which device or platform, KODI experiences the same issues, for instance? - and then just disconnect the modem. 

Once the internet is gone, the router apparently loses its mind - demanding that the Internet tell it who readyshare is? I was just hoping to find a diaper? Some command I could send to the router to reassure it that it will ALWAYS be readyshare, to stop asking the Inernet about it? 

I was just thinking Netgear possibly introduced some new feature where a local readyshare could be viewed from a non-local device seeking it on ye olde internet - or something of that sort? Or they switched that up somehow? Not a guru, so no clue. 

In my vanilla setup - the drive was formerly "T:" and then it became by default both a "T:" AND a "USB_Storage", with all files then accessible via "USB_Storage". I didn't make any choice about it - I just accepted however Netgear wished to handle the drive. As a non-guru, I'm very hesitant to do anything that's not vanilla. 

But something has changed, and it broke what formerly worked perfectly fine in my vanilla setup. Just not sure when? 

I just finally got aggravated enough the other night to finally post about it. My internet just kept popping in and out all night, I'd had a few shots of whiskey... and the same thing happens regardless of which brand of whiskey? Even the good Scotch... 

Testing for my issue should be simple enough, though - no internet, no readyshare. Internet reconnects, readyshare reconnects. 

[Tibbee]

If it's helpful - in my experience with the router - 

A while back, KODI and VLC suddenly stopped working. 

It turns out that a firmware update switched the drive formerly known as T to both T and USB_Storage, with all files formerly accessible via T now accessible via USB_Storage. 

I distinctly remember that being a huge PITA. 

Then, shortly after, EVERY time the Internet would go down, the files on the drive were no longer accessible. 

Again, I'm just an end user. As far as I know, I've never "played" with router settings. It just does whatever it does. And, given it run 24/7 like a champ without ever complaining, that's some awesome hardware. 

But I think possibly some genius who is smarter than everyone else - I think they call these people The Woke? - apparently, disagreeing with them about anything is forbidden due to their special "grievance" status? I just know that I'm evil and must pay for my sins against them. 

So... possibly one of these Woke people got into the firmware and made a change? Possibly their FBI wishes to know every time a readyshare file is accessed? It must be reported to help them hunt down the domestic terrorists who dare to disagree with their Truth? Readyshare could be spreading disinformation? 😉 

I have no idea. Like with absolutely everything else - something formerly worked, and now it no longer works. Possibly Trump snuck in my house and did unthinkable Bad Orange Man things to my router? I have nothing to do with the man. 

But I haven't yet had my fifth booster shot to protect me against the masks that cause the disease that absolutely was not created in a lab by the bat that had sex with Donald Trump when he was lying about the Russians on Hunter's laptop spreading the disinformations about the Big Guy who most definitely is not... How DARE... 

Possibly that's what's causing the issue? 😉 

[michaelkenward]

You've lost me.

I thought you were trying to investigate problems with ReadySHARE.

[Tibbee]

Again, my apologies. I was just tossing out more of my moronic satire/sarcasm. I tried to edit/delete the post, but it won't allow me. 

Back to ReadySHARE - short version, no commentary - 

You're a guru. I'm just an end user, accepting whichever defaults Netgear wishes to apply with its firmware updates. 

A previous update changed the drive from - I believe T or U? - to USB_Storage. I remember this distinctly, because all of my previously working references in VLC or KODI stopped working. 

And I'm just guessing that this was about the same time that ReadySHARE stopped working when my Internet would go down. 

Again, I'm not a guru. I didn't make any changes. The firmware update obviously introduced either a "bug" or a new "feature"? 

Given you are a guru, I was VERY MUCH HOPING - that you might know a command I could sent to the router, or a setting I could change? So that the router will stop asking the Internet what ReadySHARE is, and simply accept that it is ReadySHARE and always will be ReadySHARE. 

Perhaps they introduced a new "feature" that allows sharing the ReadySHARE drive over the Internet - or enhanced the existing feature somehow? 

At any rate, I do not wish to ever access my local ReadySHARE from any device that is not local - on my LAN? So I'd very happily disable that "feature" if that is what might be causing the router to require the Internet to allow me to access ReadySHARE locally. 

I didn't do anything - a firmware update did something. I'm an idiot end user. I'm scared to make any changes. 

But I can VERY HAPPILY follow any and all instructions you might provide that would restore my router's ability to provide access to the drive connected to my router when the Internet is not available. 

Thanks again so VERY much for your patience - and if you have the power to delete my previous sarcastic post, that would be awesome.