AJ777 wrote:
You must be on the WD payroll. I am merely letting WD know that they have another severe problem with their MyCloud implementation. If their apps are unusable then our MyClouds are unusable. Bringing it to their attention should prompt them to fix it if they care about their customers and if they like having customers.
Actually, using a VPN service adds another potentially unsafe variable into the equation since there is not currently a VPN service that I feel that I can trust. Also, I do not want to pay out more more money in monthly or annual service fees for a VPN merely because WD is releasing unusable apps. Additionally, to setup my own VPN I need a dedicated PC running 24/7 for it to be fully operational/functional 24/7. WD just needs to fix their app and problem solved.
Their apps are not unusable. The personal choice you are making not to run Java is what makes the remote feature unsuable for you. The WD2Go.com site utilizes a encrypted connection when logging in. As such that places the Java they employ behind an encrypted connection. That encrypted connection appears to continue on through even when one “maps” in a sense the drive through the WD2Go.com interface.
You have several choices for remote access, each have their own trade offs:
WD My Cloud Desktop
WD My Cloud app for Android/iOS
WD Photo app for Android/iOS
Private VPN
Create your own software, app, Debian module for access
If WD doesn’t already have a change in their software/WD2Go product pipeline it will be many months to a year or more before such a change, like removing Java, can be analyzed, programmed, tested and implemented. All that costs WD time and money. They may simply decide that the loss of a few users who refuse to use Java (for what ever reasons, valid or invalid they may be) does not justify the time and expense to change the current software or WD2Go site. They will probably have to do something about the use of Java simply because Chrome is ending support for one form of Java which causes the WD2Go site to become unusable in Chrome (see this thread and the workaround for Chrome).
The fact remains (as mentioned in your other thread) that remote access to any device on one’s local network presents potential security issues and opens up the possibility for a hacker to compromise one’s local network and devices.
If firmware such as that from DD-WRT, OpenWRT or Tomato can be loaded to your Linksys EA6700 then it may be possible to setup an OpenVPN server on the Linksys EA6700 router and create a VPN tunnel into your network to access the WD My Cloud. If the Linksys EA6700 router doesn’t support third party firmware then there are loads of used routers one can buy to load DD-WRT, OpenWRT or Tomato that can support setting up a OpenVPN server. Ask around to friends and family to see if they have an old unused router laying around and see if that router can be configured with third party firmware for OpenVPN support.
No I and most others posting here are not on the WD payroll. We are here on our own time and expense. The WD My Cloud and its software/WD2Go is what it is. There are various issues, problems and limitations with the WD My Cloud. As the previous poster indicated, one seeking to gain certain features or options often has to find work arounds for those issues, problems and limitations. For the average Joe the WD My Cloud and its software/WD2Go site probability work without issue (or very little issues) once properly setup and configured. For those concerned about security the remote features and security or lack of it on any lower cost entry level NAS like the WD My Cloud will be an major issue. For those who are seeking a low cost NAS on par with the much more expensive offerings from Synology, QNAP and others they will be (probably sorely) disappointed as the entry level WD My Clouds are not marketed for those folks who seek more features and capabilities.
