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Fixing Network Drive Disconnecting Issues: A Complete Guide for Synology NAS Users

Unstable network drives can make it hard to get work done, slow down file access, and cost a lot of money in downtime, especially for businesses that rely on shared storage for their daily operations. Network drive disconnections are a common problem in Windows, macOS, and hybrid environments. Start with a comprehensive Synology NAS setup guide. However, they can usually be fixed by properly configuring the system, keeping an eye on it, and optimizing the Synology NAS settings.

This guide looks at the most common reasons why network drives disconnect and offers technical fixes. It also talks about how Epis Technology helps businesses keep their Synology infrastructure stable, safe, and running at its best to avoid problems with disconnections.

Why Network Drives Disconnect: Common Reasons

Network drive interruptions are usually caused by a mix of system settings, unstable networks, or problems with authentication. The most common reasons are:

1. SMB Timeouts for Idle Time

After a while of not doing anything, Windows or Synology may disconnect an SMB session.

2. Wrong login information or mapped drive settings

Drives that are mapped without “Reconnect at sign-in” or that use old saved passwords often lose their connection. Learn secure credential management with Synology C2 password best practices.

3. Changes to DHCP or IP Address Conflicts

Mapped drives won’t automatically reconnect if the NAS IP changes. Read our comprehensive guide to Synology login issues.

4. Network infrastructure that isn’t stable

Intermittent connectivity can happen when Wi-Fi is weak, switches are set up wrong, or duplexes don’t match.

5. SMB Protocol Not Matching

Communication between devices may stop working if they use older or unsupported SMB versions.

6. VPN problems or firewall limits

Strict firewall rules or unstable VPN tunnels can cause remote users to lose their connections.

How to Fix Problems with Network Drives Disconnecting

1. Give your Synology NAS a static IP address

When an IP address changes, mapped drives lose track of the NAS.
To fix this, go to Control Panel, then Network, then Network Interface, then Edit, and then Set Manual IP.

Static IP makes sure that all users can always connect.

2. Turn on “Reconnect at Login” and change the saved credentials

For Windows users: Right-click on This PC, then click on Map Network Drive and check “Reconnect at sign-in.”

For macOS users, go to System Preferences and add the NAS SMB path to Login Items.

3. Make SMB session timeouts longer

You can change the SMB server’s idle timeout in Synology:

Go to DSM, then Control Panel, then File Services, then SMB, and then Advanced Settings.

Add:

  • Idle Time for Clients
  • Minimum SMB Version for Server
  • Values for keepalive

This stops disconnections when there isn’t much going on.

4. Fix mistakes in authentication

SMB sessions fail without any notice when credentials change.

Steps:

  • Open Windows Credential Manager
  • Delete old Synology login information
  • Remap the drive with new login information

LDAP/AD users may need to have their password and permission policies synced.

5. Make the network more reliable

Problems with network hardware often look like SMB disconnects.

Look:

  • Bad Ethernet cables
  • Switch loops
  • MTU that doesn’t match
  • Interference with Wi-Fi
  • VLAN settings are wrong

Epis Technology does full network health audits for businesses to get rid of bottlenecks.

6. Make sure that the Synology DSM and SMB Packages are up to date

Older versions of DSM may have SMB bugs or problems with compatibility.

Go to DSM, then Control Panel, then Update & Restore, and finally Check for Updates.

Updating DSM regularly improves performance, stability, and security.

7. Make sure the DNS and gateway settings are correct

When DNS is wrong, NAS discovery problems happen from time to time.

What you should do:

  • Use your own DNS server
  • Set the NAS gateway to the router or firewall
  • Make sure that DNS can resolve the hostname

8. Fix problems with VPN or remote access

For people who work from home:

Epis Technology helps businesses set up secure hybrid-cloud remote access so that drive dropouts don’t happen at all. 

Advanced Solutions for Business Settings

1. Set up Synology High Availability (SHA)

Stops hardware failures from causing disconnections.

2. Use Active Directory to connect

Makes it easier to sync credentials across desktops and NAS systems.

3. Move up to 10GbE or Link Aggregation

Makes workloads with a lot of data more stable.

4. Set up automated alerts and monitoring

Epis Technology sets up monitoring systems that can find:

  • Sessions for SMB that were dropped
  • Network latency goes up
  • Failed authentications
  • Bottlenecks in storage

How Epis Technology Helps Keep Network Drives from Disconnecting

Epis Technology offers enterprise-level Synology installation and troubleshooting services to fix problems with drives that keep disconnecting. Get expert Synology support for peak business NAS performance. Their experts are good at:

Professional optimization makes it possible for businesses to access files faster, have more reliable connections, and have a lot fewer drive disconnections on Windows, macOS, and hybrid networks.

Epis Technology in a Nutshell

Epis Technology offers a full range of IT infrastructure services, such as Synology consulting, hybrid-cloud deployment, secure data backup, large storage architecture, and business continuity planning. Their certified Synology experts help businesses get rid of performance problems, improve security, and set up storage environments that can grow and are strong enough to handle modern workloads.

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