Hi, because you disable the DHCP function on the VR400, so the VR400's ip adrdess must in the same subnet mask with your main router, then the clients which connected to your main router/VR400 can access to the USB driver.(eg, your main router's lan ip address is 192.168.1.1, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, on the VR400, you can configure the LAN ip address to 192.168.1.10, subnest mask 255.255.255.0)

Thank you.

Not sure i understand.

1. DCHP is purpused to assign IP addresses to the clients. As I understand, you talk about the IP address of the VR400, which is a different thing.

It is possible to disable the DHCP, anf assign a the VR400 an IP as you explained. Isnt it?

I didn't do it before.

2. In the meatime I returned the new device because of that, and because of the fact the TP-Link support team in my country, does not aggree to support the usage of the VR400 as AP.  They would not explain why. The only thing they do say is that the manufacturer did not mean to use the device as AP, just because the Operation Mode in the management interface does not have Access Point mode. Unlike the Archer C7 that do have it.

I asked what does Operation Mode Access Point do accept of disabling the DHCP. Didnt got an answer.

3. What you say about assigning IP, came to my thoughts before, but after I returned the device.

I do want to be 100% sure that If I will take it again, assigning the right IP to the VR400, will solve the problem.

tx

I checked the emulator of Archer VR400 published by TPLINK and i didn't find Access Point mode, which i found in an Archer C7

Emulator :  

For Archer VR400 https://emulator.tp-link.com/Archer_VR400(EU)_V2/index.htm 

For Archer C7 https://emulator.tp-link.com/emulator_c7v5/index.html

Seems correct that there is no Access Point support on Archer VR400.

So even if you disabled DHCP server on VR400, i suppose that this router is still think itself as a router not a access point and it will keep using the default ip address 192.168.1.1

There would be ip conflict orArcher VR400 is not in the same subnet with your main router and devices

So if your main router already takes ip address 192.168.1.1, you have to setup LAN ip address on VR400 to another one, maybe 192.168.1.2 or 192.168.1.254.

Then your client will be able to visit the Archer VR400

I was not aware of the emulator, thank you.

However I do not see this can be really be tested. 

It is only possible to see the interface, id doesn't really work.

Am I wrong?

Regarding the actuall suloton.

I know the VR400 does not have operation mode Access Point, but this can implemented. I do not see the difference between setting operation mode like in the C7, or implement it by disabling DHCP and setting the VR400 IP.

So I ask if this can be fully implemented, so everything would work. 

You suggest to change the VR400 IP Adderss. This is what I have asked in the first place.

So the question for me is, do you know it will work (USB storage will be accessible to other clients), or you assume it will work? 

Thank you.

Of course it should work

The USB is just a service on the TP-Link router (using Linux system). when you can access the router, you can access the USB settings