Media player can't find / connect to NAS

[ddalley]

I have used simple 2-drive NAS boxes with UPnP DNLA devices before. After everything boots up, the devices show up and are accessible.

I am not getting consistent network discoveries and connections using the AS5304T while using networked Blu-ray players. Sometimes the NAS box shows up in the device list, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes two different icons for the NAS box show up and are both accessible. One is a Linux penguin, the other is generic. Sometimes one is active. Right now, I have no icons. If there are no icons, there is no access.

The same sort of issue involves using KODI through a networked Android Internet TV box. I can't get KODI to find the new NAS box. If it can't see the box, it can't add the file paths to the content.

Access through Android tablets and phones? No problem, fortunately.

How do I resolve this?

[orion]

So you should install DLNA service in NAS. There are some DLNA services in App Central. Although DLNA is a standard, there are still compatibility issues. You can try another one.

KODI supports many ways to connect to NAS. I think you should try to apply "Adding remote sources". https://kodi.wiki/view/Adding_video_sources

[ddalley]

Thanks, orion.

I have been able to connect to the NAS before with this Blu-ray player before. As I said, doing so is inconsistent. Right now, no icons for the NAS are displayed on the player's networked devices list. It has worked before.

The same with KODI. I can use the CX file manager that I installed on the Android TV box to follow the path to the NAS, so the media device can see it, but KODI won't do it with this particular NAS. Something is different.

I have UPnP V2 installed and miniDLNA already installed and used to have access before. It used to work, now it doesn't.

[orion]

I have used simple 2-drive NAS boxes with UPnP DNLA devices before. After everything boots up, the devices show up and are accessible.

The 2-drive NAS is not AS5304T (it's 4-drive NAS), right?

I have been able to connect to the NAS before with this Blu-ray player before. As I said, doing so is inconsistent.

I'm confused.

[ddalley]

I am confused, too. I have nearly 2 grand worth of NAS and drives sitting here and a
I can't access it the way I should be able to use it normally. That's why I am posting here.

The AS5304T was visible before. Why isn't it visible now? What do I need to do to ensure that it is ALWAYS accessible?

[sksbir]

Hi
- Check that application "UPnp media server V1" ( NOT V2 ) is installed and running.

- you must also configure Upnp media server from it's own icon from NAS desktop, and add paths to contents/ check that already added paths are still here .
You must also check in advanced that Upnp server is listening on the good interface.

It's just impossible that something was accessible without doing that. Either you have forgotten that you did it when you bought it ( in the excitement of the first few days of use? ), or a change caused a deconfiguration: disk changed, use of the other network card...

[orion]

I am confused, too. I have nearly 2 grand worth of NAS and drives sitting here and a
I can't access it the way I should be able to use it normally. That's why I am posting here.

The AS5304T was visible before. Why isn't it visible now? What do I need to do to ensure that it is ALWAYS accessible?

I mean your information confuse me. Anyway, you should find out by yourselves: what are the differences between before (working fine) and after (working failed). On one can guess what you did.

[ddalley]

sksbir: it worked without configuring anything. Then it didn't. The only difference was the days that the player was turned on. Some times the device icons are there, some times they are not. I can only go by what I see or don't see.

Right now, only one NAS icon shows up in the media player's menu. You can't tell in the picture below, but it is grayed out because it thinks that the server is not running. When I click on that icon, it tries to run the server, but it fails. The second icon representing the NAS, the Linux penguin, is currently missing. I have no idea yet why two different icons are even possible.

So long as my Android phone or tablet is not running a VPN, those devices can access the NAS without any issues.

https://app.box.com/s/548xj0itv6px1ftagvfjbe01zbhjwcg8

[sksbir]

sksbir: it worked without configuring anything....

are we talking about your Asustor NAS here ?
Please do not confuse a real NAS with the sieves that are the "smart" disks that vendors try to pass off as NAS.

by the way, "it worked"... a bit vague, isn't it? if it just means for you that an icon from your device is present, it's a bit light, and it has nothing to do with accessing content.

Now, if you want us to help you, you should start by taking the steps we suggest. If you get stuck on "it worked before", you're not going to solve your problem.

[ddalley]

Yes, of course I am describing the Asustor NAS. The image that I linked clearly shows that I am dealing with 5304T issues.