If I want to use my device (My Cloud ex2 ultra) as a pure local NAS. No remote access. Would it work? If I completely block internet access from the device?
You can do this.
There are two levels, based upon your paranoia level
Level 1 Paranoia: Turn off Cloud access from the OS5 dashboard. This will block WD app and WD server access to your device. The device will still “phone home” for things like Plex; Time update checks and whatever else.
Level 2 Paranoia: Block Internet access to the device FROM THE ROUTER (usually based on device MAC address) This will stop all communication from the device.
Me? I do Level 1 Paranoia. Using OS3. When I block Level 2 Paranoia; I find that I also wind up blocking access to the device when I VPN into my home network from the outside. (With VPN, the remote computer is placed on a separate subnet from the rest of the network; When I block internet access to the NAS at the router, it ALSO blocks access to other subnets within the router)
Option 2 also forces OS5 app to not work.
And currebtly, moving files using samba doesnt work for me.
sorry - - - in my view OS5 web apps are the security issue. So. .that is reflected in my options.
When using VPN into my network, I am using a PC. Once the PC is connected to my network, I use simple file explorer for file managment. I have not played with accessing files on tablets or phones.
