Question My Sony KDL - 40W650D TV cannot connect to my media server over my Linksys EA8100-AH Max-Stream AC2600 wifi router

[J_George]

My aim when I started out was to have 1 common storage for my 2 purpose:

Host a media server over my home network and the same as a file share also.

Intent is that my TV can access the media server to play the content while I can manage the files on the media server through the file share configured on my laptop.

I have a Sony TV - KDL - 40W650D TV, Windows 7 Laptop and a Linksys EA8100-AH Max-Stream AC2600 wi-fi router.

My Tv cannot see the 5GHz band so thats connected to the 2.4 GHz band, Laptop connects to the 5GHz band.

I tried 2 approaches:

1) My router has option to configure external storage via USB 3.0 to which I hooked up my external hard drive. The router allows me to configure this hard drive as a file share and also as a media server. Which I did.

When I add the file share on my laptop, the TV cannot connect to the media server. After disconnecting the file share from my laptop, restarting everything the router, laptop and TV, my TV can connect to the media server.

So I gave up on this configuration.

2) Next I tried connecting the external hard drive directly to my laptop. Configured My laptop as a Media server using the default windows media server option. Again TV can see my laptop as a media server but cannot connect to it.

Can somebody please enlighten me so as to what I am missing here. Or any other way to meet my objective? Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[Alabalcho]

Just for tests - connect your laptop to the router over Ethernet (disable WiFi), and try Option #2 again.

 

[jsmithepa]

Whether wired or wireless it shouldn't make any difference, assuming you are running a single subnet (simplest for most people). See but can't connect suggests a share configuration issue, may firewall on laptop.

 

[J_George]

Hi everyone,

Thank you very much for your support. Took some time testing out every scenario.

Half my problems were solved the moment I switched everything to the 2.4 GHz network.

But could not solve the simultaneous sharing issue as file share to my PC and Media server to my TV when I hooked up the external storage through my router. So I have now configured my Laptop as the media server instead. While I try to figure out a long term vs cost solution!