Good Afternoon, (Merry Christmas)

While I'm off over the holidays I wanted to setup a home network that uses my 3TB external hard drive to share files.

So yesterday I tried to connect my PC2 (Upstairs) via Ethernet to my router which the Wi-Fi comes from and share the external drive to my laptop which connects to the same router via wi-fi. However no matter what I tried I could get the two windows 11 machines to see the same folders on the drive.

They share the same router, internet and everything and the only difference is that my PC2 was connected via ethernet and my laptop connects via Wi-Fi.

I then thought lets try disconnecting PC2 from ethernet and connect wirelessly and straight away I could see the external drives on both systems and everything is great.

However my main PC1 is in my office at the bottom of my garden and doesn't reach my Wi-Fi for the house. We have an ethernet Cat6 cable that runs from the Main router which the Wi-Fi is feed from down the garden and then goes into a TP Link (Deco unit) and then out into PC1. (I have the TP Link in the system so that I can get a Wi-Fi signal for my phone while in Office. The office is insulated really well and mobile signals don't work.

What id Like to do......

PC2 (Upstairs) with 3TB hard drive connected to it. Connected to (internet) router via Ethernet (Faster and more reliable)

PC1 (Office) connect to (Internet) Router Via Ethernet Cat6

Laptop Connected Via Wi-Fi to the same router.

I want to be able to create a file in the Office PC1 share it to the 3TB drive in the house connected to PC2 and then use my laptop anywhere in house to edit files and save back to the shared drive.

I hope I have explained myself OK but any help or ideas why my drive can be shared fine when both Laptop and PC2 are on WIFI but then it doesn't work when Laptop is WIFI and PC2 is Ethernet.

Is there something I'm missing ( I have another TP Link Router in the conservatory if I need to use it which is connected via Ethernet to the Main router).

Any and all help would be great. Thanks British_Rosie Xxx