A beginners guide to setting up a Synology router | Network shares

• Open Synology Router Manager (SRM) and sign in using your administrators credentials.
• Now connect an external USB hard drive to the USB port on your router.

Note: While we used a 4TB Wester Digital USB hard drive. You should be able to use most makes and models of external drive. However if you intend to use a hard drive over 2TB. You will not be able to hot swap the drive between your router and a Windows PC. 

• In the SRM, your router should detect your hard drive and will inform you that “To reduce interference to WiFi, 2.4GHz, your USB 3.0 device was downgraded to USB 2.0.”
• Open Control Panel in the SRM.
• From the sidebar choose Storage.
• In the tab Shared Folder you should see you USB drive. 
• Select the Add (+) button to create a new shared folder 
• Using the Create New Shared Folder wizard, give your new share a name.
• Next enable Recycle Bin.
• Click on OK.
• Highlight the folder you just created.
• Under the heading User Permissions make sure that your administrators account has read/write access to your network share.
• Choose Apply.
• Once again from the sidebar, choose File Services.
• Under the heading Win/Mac enable Windows file service.
• Click Apply.

Note: As the firewall on your router is enabled by default. You will be prompted to allow CIFS traffic. So in order for file sharing to work you will need to click on OK. 

In order for users to access the network shares you create. You will need to create individual user accounts. It is always considered bad practise to use your routers administrators account in order to access your network shares. 

• Click Apply to save your settings.
• From the sidebar of Control Panel choose User.
• Select the Add (+) bitten to create a new user account.
• Create a user name and password.
• In Shared Folder Permissions assign your new user with the appropriate access permissions to your network share.

• Amazon store link – 4TB Western Digital USB hard drive.
• Amazon store link – Synology router RT6600ax.
• Amazon store link – Synology router WRX560.
• Amazon store link – Synology router MR2200ac.
• Amazon store link – Synology router RT2600ac.

• Synology support article – Synology Router User Guide 1.3.
• mydoodads article – How to map a network drive to Windows.
• mydoodads article – How to map a network drive to macOS.
• mydoodads article – How to connect to a network share from an Chromebook.
• mydoodads article – Working with your SMB network shares on an iPad.