Hi,
So I bought my WD My Cloud to access my files in uni, turns out that wd2go.com is constantly failing to work and since I couldn’t download and install the WD software due to non-admin privileges…. I found myself with no access to my files while in uni, defeating the whole point of buying it and causing a lot of frustration.
I decided to look into alternatives and came across FTP, now I’m pretty new to FTP and have only learnt of this feature within the last week so forgive me if I am giving bad advice here or anyone has any further advice for myself in regards to the safety of FTP.
Using this method allows access to your MyCloud from within any windows pc (from what I’ve tried so far) without any installations or software. Access is given through the common windows explorer window. I’ll run through the steps exactly how I did it…
1) Enable the FTP feature found within the settings of the WD MyCloud device UI, accessible by typing the local IP address into your internet browser.
2) Enable port forwarding for ports 20 & 21, I also specified the port forwarding to be directed to the same local IP address (whether this was necessary or not).
3) Using a PC on your home network, find out your external IP address, this can be obtained by doing a quick Google search of “whats my ip address”.
4) Open any explorer window (my documents/my computer) and within the bar at the top where the directory is display (“Documents” for example) delete this and enter the following:
ftp://(your user share name) : (your usersharepassword)@(your external ip address)
*don’t include the brackets or spaces, this was done to prevent emoticons within this comment from appearing.
example:
ftp://nathan : password@12.3.456.789
5) This should then take you to your main folders located on the MyCloud.
Again, I’ve just made this discovery for myself and if anyone has any issues with this method and advice please do let me know. I assume it’s secure due to the user name and password having to be entered but if I’m incorrect, some guidance would be much appreciated.
Something to point out is I’ve heard many people say a static IP address is needed. I can’t say whether this is true or not but I’ve got the option on my router to reserve a permanent IP address for devices on my network such as the MyCloud and so if you do come across any connectivity problems, this may well be it.
Thanks
Nathan
