Seagate Consumer NAS - How to increase your file transfer speeds

Note: Consumer NAS refers to Seagate Central, Personal Cloud, and Personal Cloud 2 Bay.

Copying content the first time

The first time you copy content to your Seagate Consumer NAS, it might take awhile, depending on the size of  your media library and documents.  Seagate does not recommend transferring large quantities of data over your Wi-Fi network. For this reason, Seagate suggests doing your initial data transfer with everything directly connected to the router.  This means that you would plug your computer directly into the router with an Ethernet cable. Note: If your computer has Wi-Fi make sure you shut it off if you are going to use this method. 


First make sure you have the most recent firmware installed on your Seagate Consumer NAS.

Personal Cloud:

1. PC—In Windows or File Explorer under Networks, click PersonalCloud. Mac—In Finder under Shared, click PersonalCloud. 
2. Open the Public folder and then double-click Personal Cloud. 
   Note: If the drive does not show up in Explorer or Finder open a web browser and type in http://PersonalCloud. That should take you to the admin page of the device.
3. Log into the device
4. Click Device Manager >  Setting
5. At the bottom of the page click Check Now.  If there is an update,  download and install it.

Note: Always make sure your critical data is backed up before doing a firmware update

 Seagate Central.

1. Launch the Seagate Central’s user interface by opening the Seagate Central’s Public share and clicking on the “Manage the Seagate Central” link this will open the web UI (User Interface) of the drive. Note: If the drive does not show up in Windows Explorer or Finder you can open a web browser and type in http://Seagate-XXXXXX  (where XXXXXX is the last six digits of the MAC address on the Seagate Central label, which can be found on the bottom of the device).
2. Log in with your credentials.
3. Select the Settings tab.
4. Under the Advanced tab, select Firmware Update and note the currently installed version. 
5. Now navigate to the Seagate Download Finder. Note: Right click the link and choose open in new tab so that you don’t lose this page. 
6. Type in your Serial Number and the other required information. Then click Submit.
7. Check the version of firmware that shows up and compare it to the version installed.
8. If the version on the Download Finder is newer, then download it.
   Note: The file will download as a .zip file so it will need to be extracted before use.  Just right click the file and choose extract. Take note of where the file is extracted.
9. Once the file is downloaded, go back to the web UI (User Interface) of the Central and click Choose File under the Install from file section.
10. Browse to the newly downloaded firmware and choose Select. 
11. Then choose Install
12. Wait while the firmware on your Central is updated

Note: Always make sure your critical data is backed up before doing a firmware update. 


Here are a few things to try once your verify your firmware is up to date. 

1. Connect your computer and Seagate Consumer NAS to your Wi-Fi router using a Gigabit Ethernet (CAT-5E or CAT-6 ) cable.
   Note: If your computer has Wi-Fi make sure you turn it off if you are going to use this method. 
2. Turn off  Seagate Consumer NAS services, such as DLNA, Seagate Media Server, and iTunes.
   Note: You must have administrative privileges to turn services on and off. 
3. Copy files:

• Drag and drop files to your Seagate Consumer NAS.
• Install Seagate Dashboard and use Smart Copy to copy your files and automatically keep them up to date on your Seagate Consumer NAS.

After you have transferred the bulk of your data to you Seagate Consumer NAS, reconnect to your router via Wi-Fi. 

Wi-Fi network settings tips

• Make sure that you are using up-to-date hardware (cables, computers, routers, and modems). 
• Check your computer placement in relation to your Wi-Fi router. 
• Make sure that no obstacles are affecting the signal to and from your router.

Check your LAN connection settings on Windows Vista/7/8+

1. Open the Control panel.
2. Navigate to Network and Sharing Center.
3. There will be something called Connections. Click on the connection type to see the speed of that connection. 

Connection Type            Network Connection Speed

Gigabit Ethernet             1,000,000,000 (1.0 Gbps)
T100                               100,000,000 (100 Mbps)
Wi-Fi                            < 100,000,000 (100 Mbps)

Check your Wi-Fi speed on Mac OS

1. Press the option key and select the Airport/Wi-Fi icon at the same time.The Wi-Fi network you are currently connected to displays network information in grey text.
2. Check your RSSI number. The range is 0 – 100, with 0 being the preferred RSI number. 
   Tip: Move your computer closer to your router to improve your RSSI number.