Others seem to have your issue, you weren’t alone - not sure exactly what. I recently swapped drives, let the tablo power up, “go” to the setting screen via PC then connect the drive - wants to format drive. Quick start guide says to connect everything then turn it all on at once, didn’t work… but maybe it does for others.
Friendly pet names are cute, at least they’re not Geek Talk inconsistent 
I’m hoping it’s a “learning curve”. Not sure it’s a trick as much as that’s just how it works, I agree it’s kind of a PITA. If you want to do some conflict resolution between the two I suggest (I use my.tablotv.com in different browsers) using 2 different apps/devices.
Generally, scheduling one “type” or channels between the two doesn’t seem overly complex. I also incorporate 3rd party app APL Tablo Client which lets me see both at the same time.