Just an update.
Did more testing.
Now i'm using the QWA-AC2600 in the following configuration for my own usage
- Wireless ap station (this means, other devices will log into the QNAP via wireless, to connect directly)
to set it up, had to do a few things
1. install the wireless adapter (duh). do this with the QNAP unpowered.
2. boot up qnap after installation of hardware and refitting everything in place, then go to QTS network & virtual switch. You should see the wireless adapter as a selection, create a virtual switch for this device.
3. next is to go to QTS > nertwork & virtual switch > DHCP server.
Select the virtual switch you made for the wireless adapter, then configure the DHCP server setup based on one of the 3 suggested settings. The first one offered hints that there may be issues if you already use DHCP server. So it would seem to me the other 2 options are better at least for me because my router is DHCP assigning an ip for my QNAP, and then i'm running a DHCP on the QNAP solely for the wireless ap usage.
Not sure which is the better setting so if anyone knows just comment back here.
https://www.qnap.com/en/how-to/tutorial ... al-switch/
https://www.qnap.com/en/how-to/faq/arti ... nfigure-it
anyway i used the 2nd setting selection, then it will set the virtual switch to a static IP (for the wireless adapter). Then you have a range of ips for connected devices to have once they log into this wireless ap.
However from what i saw, there is no permanent IP for the connected devices. not sure how to fix that. i set mine to expire 30 days.
4. install wireless ap station. and configure it, e.g. SSID, password etc.
5. then on your wireless client device, e.g. in my case i tested an android smartphone. login to the wifi as normal.
*update
apparently if connecting to the wireless AP by the QNAP's QWA-AC2600, it DOES connect you to the internet. I ran the ip check, and it is using the QNAP's PIA VPN gateway. I'm not sure whether the requirement for this is to use the QVPN setting (allow all devices connected to the QNAP to also use the internet), but i suspect so. So if you don't get internet access, try enabling that option (if your using e.g. VPN PIA as gateway)
As such my setup is just mostly to connect to the QNAP wireless just for access to the NAS only (for stuff like browsing pictures, videos, files etc, using apps like filexplorer, qphotos, qfile etc....)
so anyway, when your client device connects to the wireless ap, you can also go to QTS wireless ap station and see that your client successfully connected.
So now to test that i can actually browse my QNAP shares, i use file explorer fx for android. because it has lots of neat features.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... tapp.fx.rk
You to the apps, network, then click the add, then browse. Your QNAP should be detected. Add your credentials then logged in. mine worked fine.
Next test i did was with qnap's own android app qphoto.
I click detect nas, but it didn't find anything.... so i had to manually add in the wireless AP IP, add credentials then connect. it worked. However like i said, in contrast to the file explorer app which could detect the QNAP on the network auto, the qphoto app could not. I don't know why not.
Another difference between these apps i noticed, the file explorer i could use the NAS name rather than digit lan ip. but the qphoto app did not allow that, and strictly wanted a digit lan ip.
Summary
So with my setup, the QNAP can be accessed wirelessly for both local. Also can get internet access through it as well for connected client devices.
Then for router wireless (for internet), that has another wireless ap setup in router which is for guest wireless with no LAN access. There is also another wireless ap for admin users, which has both lan and internet access (meaning entire lan access to other devices on the lan, besides the QNAP).
To access the QNAP, it can then only be done via rj45 direct to physical switch connected to the QNAP. or as i said, to use the QNAP's own wireless ap.
tested wireless performance, it has good signal strength