Remote file access on EX2 Ultra with OS5

My Cloud OS 5 Personal & Network Attached Storage My Cloud EX Series
1

So basically through painful reading and searching for two days I learned that

  1. admin panel in OS5 works only within private network - not convenient, but more or less acceptable

  2. the only way to access files remotely (outside private address range) is through my cloud online service (WebDav option is removed on OS5) - what is totally unacceptable because when you share something with someone from my cloud it is public !!! - link is not protected by password or in any other way - that is total security flaw!

So - basically I need disk space what I can share (password protected) as appropriate with one or several other users, which I define myself (so I can revoke sharing anytime) - globally (anywhere in world).
If EX2 OS5 doesn’t support this - then I need a way to revert to OS3 (what was installed on my device initially) or I have to return product as not meeting initial specification as stated on original OS!

Any comments/suggestions about other remote access options on EX2 ultra OS5 - I definitely need true network drive not another local USB/LAN storage disk

2

WD is notorious for leaving their nas customers high and dry. Their customers got scammed out of licensing subscriptions for Milestone Arcus and then they killed the app. Their customers payed their hard earned money for what basically amounted to a trial product. I’d move on. Try another brand. Maybe even an Xpenology box.

3

I have switched to Synology DS220j. Everything works fine now without any problems :slight_smile:

2 Likes
4

So. . .how are you currently accessing the NAS?
Are you talking about directly from the internet to a HTTPS port? Is that a tad insecure?

For my usage, I use a direct VPN connection to my home network. (For this, I use OpenVPN running on my router) This VPN connection places the PC within my home network (albeit with an IP on a different subnet). Access to the NAS then can occur normally.

The only question at that point is admin access: Earlier versions of OS/5 did not permit access from diffeent subnets. Starting with 5.06. . .it does.

Note: In the latest version of the OS. . .I think there is a general restriction that only allows access to/from private subnets (192.168.x.x; 10.0.xx.xx and I think one other)

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I don’t, it is unusable to me after largely accidental installation of OS5

If you are talking about WD cloud service - yes, when you share something residing in your EX drive via link to someone - it becomes available to anyone without any restriction.

In general I’m regular user not knowing much about VPNs etc…

What I know - in the office our router (over which I have no control) assigns DHCP IP address to EX and with OS5 EX becomes unmanageable in this situation (management access gets disabled), though it allows access to files within our office IP address range. WD my cloud service can’t see EX and says it is offline, although it is not.

At home I have control over my router, and its DHCP assigns private IP address to EX, but the only remote access option as I understand is WD my cloud service, which leaves open and unprotected everything I share with a link.

So there is 0 remote access options when I connect in my office (EX is just a USB/Lan drive). On the other hand if I connect EX at home everything I share is plainly open through my cloud service.

Anyway the only solution seems product return… as well it would be fair if WD provided me compensation for two day meaningless struggle with their misleading product features.