Hi,
I am new on this forum and have just bought the MyCloud 3TB. It is a great device to use when I am in the same network as the drive to drag and drop files to the drive. But in order to be a real ‘Cloud’ it is nice to have the same possibilities when I am at work, so from a different network than the cloud is in.
I can do that via www.mycloud.com or by using the different WD apps, but then if I want to open files then I have to download it first. the WD MyCloud app is almost ideal, however it does not map the cloud in finder/windows explorer so other programs cannot browse on the drive.
I already tried setting up a FTP sharing protocol by using port forwarding of my router. It seemed to work, I can open the drive and mount it in finder, the only problem is that it is READ only. There are other programs but they are pretty expensive.
So my question is, can I access MyCloud like a real cloud with finder/windows explorer from a different network?
No. Officially the My Cloud does not support mapping or accessing the drive remotely using Finder or Windows File Explorer. WD removed the ability to remote map the My Cloud through the web portal (MyCloud.com) more than a year ago (when they released the OS 3 firmware). WD has no plans to re-enable it. See the following Cloud Ideas thread:
https://community.wd.com/t/re-enable-remote-drive-mapping-through-mycloud-com/134944/
Unofficially if one is using a first generation single bay My Cloud running v4.x firmware there is a mod (see link below) that will enable one to remote map a My Cloud. If your single bay My Cloud is running v2.x firmware then its second generation.
https://community.wd.com/t/app-clouddavmod-various-versions-for-firmware-v4-12-2016/161543
The single bay MyClouds are not really meant to be used across the internet. Doing so is not something I would consider a normal user to try doing anyway, because of the issues involved.
That said, if you are not a normal end user (like many of us here) there ARE ways to convince the single bay myclouds to offer real internet reachable cloud services. These are easier to enable persistently on the Gen1 myclouds, but can still be enabled (with even more savviness on linux console and scripting) on the Gen2. Naturally, such actions are NOT endorsed by Western Digital, will likely result in voiding any and all warranties for the units, and will predispose you to getting hacked by botnets. (the device is not very secure/resistent to sustained attacks. it is NOT meant to live on the internet.)
For instance, I made a thread some time ago about how to turn on static port NFS on the Gen2, which allows the Gen2 to function as a remote-reachable (and mountable) cloud storage for Linux and OSX hosts, assuming the necessary ports are forwarded properly.
Just to be sure, this is not something that is easy to accomplish, nor is it endorsed, suggested, or sanctioned by the OEM. The official answer is that it is not within the featureset of the single bay mycloud offerings. That out of the way, there are clever ways to make it do fun stuff like this ANYWAY, if you are willing to assume the risks, and are savvy enough to pull them off.
Thank you for your replies.
I have the 2nd generation so the mod will not work for my device. Because I will use this device mostly at work I will just keep it there and use the wdmycloud website/apps for uploading. Good to know it is not meant to ‘live’ on the internet because I actually thought that this device was build for that.
I thought that, too. As, I think, do WD.
The problem is that there are many vulnerabilities that have been identified, and, despite a recent firmware upgrade, it’s not yet clear how many of these vulnerabilities have been closed.
Not only have I spent over 48 hours trying to get this to work remotely only to find that I can’t mount the drive remotely. I’m not only returning the drive I’m never buying from WD again. In the 48 hours I’ve only learned that they don’t care at all about providing solutions to their customers. DONE. #brandmanagementFAIL
Just bought this for $10 more. Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation DS218j
