How to Connect NAS to PC directly with LAN / Ethernet?

Question

I want to connect QNAP TS-228 to my PC (Window 10) directly (not via network). I know that it is possible because in this video he does it but the NAS is WD My Cloud. I want to know to do it on a QNAP TS-228.

Solution

Connecting 2 devices directly through ehternet is called a ad-hoc network.

To do so on Windows 10, you should do the following steps.

Step 1

Make sure that the 2 devices are in the same ip subnet. For example:

PC 1 ip address: 192.168.0.1, subnet: 255.255.255.0

NAS Drive ip address: 192.168.0.2, subnet: 255.255.255.0

If the NAS is "Out of the box" new, then it should be configured for DHCP, meaning it would be given a APIPA address if you connect it directly to your PC. In this case, you should do the same for your PC, and configure it for DHCP.

Step 2

Discover your NAS Through the Qfinder Pro discovery tool

Download the software from QNAP website, and you should be able to find it.

Comments

[Admin]

If you connect your pc directly to the nas port, make sure you use a Cross-Over cable, not a 1on1 cable.

[Admin]

@LPChip Cross-Over cable should not be needed to my understanding. Most modern Ethernet devices should be able to detect the cable type and act accordingly .

[Iman Ghavamabadi]

Is there any video or tutorial about it that you can share?

[Anders Gornitzka]

Sure, i can make you a small guide. Ill edit my original answer. One moment.

[Anders Gornitzka]

I edited my original comment. Make sure to mark it as an answer if this helped you solve the problem.

[Iman Ghavamabadi]

Thanks @Andres . However, I was looking to do this on a QNAP TS-228 and not WD NAS devices.

[Anders Gornitzka]

Well that's my bad! Everything you need to do is do download the 'Qfinder Pro' software instead, and the procedure should be the same. I edited my answer,

[Léa Massiot]

That was very useful, thank you. For step 2, the NAS being a Synology (DS218), I used "Synology Assistant" to discover the NAS APIPA address. Also, I used a "normal" Ethernet cable between the PC and the NAS. It worked also with a crossover Ethernet cable.