I was under the impression I could access my cloud ex2 over the internet by just using a web browser once I have an account. However it wants me to install a desktop app when I try to do this. I don’t have permissions to install programs on my work desktop Windows PC at work. Is there any way I could retrieve a file from ex2, edit it, then put it back on my ex2?
There is supposed to be a way - which would have been ftp, using your browser. Unfortunately, the ftp feature is currently broken on the EX2 box with the latest firmware. I had called WD tech support last week and showed their level 2 tech support person that ftp is indeed broken if you are trying to configure the ftp via the dashboard (web interface).
Basically, for passive ftp you need to set the external IP address (of the network in which EX2 is kept in) via the dashboard but currently that value is not being set. It stays stuck at 0.0.0.0, thereby making the ftp from outside one’s home/local netowrk to access the box via ftp. And ftp would have been the easiest way to connect to the box via a browser - you wouldn’t have been using http but rather ftp but all browsers support ftp…just at the moment the EX2 doesn’t even though their marketing materials claim it does.
I really am hoping WD dev team rolls out a fix for this soon.
Thanks for the quick reply. I was hoping something like Google Drive and maybe the other cloud drives like OneDrive, etc. I can access my files on Google Drive without an app or ftp. Makes it very simple for less technical people.
WD may have to temporally copy the file from the desktop browser to a WD server, then transfer it to the WD my cloud ex2. Also make it work in both directions. If Google can do it, I think WD should also be able to do it.
an easy way to access files from a browser would be:
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in the dashboard, under “Settings”, set “dashboard cloud access” and configure port-forwarding to access the dashboard from internet.
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once you do this correctly, you can access any page of your dashboard from outside… so just go to “web File Viewer” under the “Apps” section… of course, you need to download the file, and then upoload it again…
On this one, WD is ages far behind third party cloud services… and I guess it would take very little to implement a simple web access to files on MC EX2…
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Thanks, Why didn’t I think of that? 
Which ports do I have to forward in my router?
Do I logon using wd2go.com or direct to my cloud ex2? If direct, how secure is it?
Thanks again.
You will need to forward the ports you want to use to access the Web UI. Typically this is port 80 - but you can configure in the Cloud Access (Manual mode). You will need to forward this port from your router. You will then access the WAN IP address of your home network using this port. For example, 10.4.12.60:80. If you chose a different port, just replace the (80) with that port.
Is it secure. You should create an admin password that is secure. If you have other devices on your network that use port 80, you should choose another port.
You don’t use wd2go.com - this is a direct connection using your IP address of your home WAN IP.
I found KB ID 8526. It talks about this for ports 8080 and 8443. I set the ex2 up for only port 8443. I also forward this port in my router.
I did a https://xx.xx.xx.xx:8443 where xx.xx.xx.xx is my WAN ip address. I verified the WAN ip using the web site from ShieldsUp. I got a “This page can’t be displayed” in the browser.
I then used the ShieldsUp web site to probe port 8443. The status was “Closed”. I then turned off my ex2 and used ShieldsUp to probe port 8443 again. It came back “Stealth”. To me, this proved I got the router set up correctly for port forwarding. But I may to do something additional with the ex2. Any suggestions?
I’m going to try to do the above for 8080 but I wourld really like https, not http.
OK, I did it ( http://xx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8080) for port 8080 and I get the following in my web browser where xx are my WAN IP:
Forbidden
You don’t have permission to access / on this server.
Apache/2.2.24 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.24 OpenSSL/1.0.1c DAV/2 Server at xx.xxx.xxx.xxx Port 8080
OK, I got something that worked once!
https://wdMyCloudName.deviceXXXXX.wd2go.com/
Where XXXXX is a number from the url I got before when I email a link to a file.
The dashboard came up and I was able to logon and able to download a file as was suggested before.
However, It no longer works. I think it may be the relay problem WD is reporting.
Anyway, it would be a lot simpler and better for WD customers if they had something like Google Drive.
The wd2go.com is not a direct connection, as WDTony mentioned…you’re routing through WD’s relay servers. I persnally prefer direct connections - which I think you were on the right track of when you got blocked by Forbidden. The relay mechanism is to make it easier for consumers but if that works for you then good.
Thanks for the reply. I’m kind of worn out trying all the different things.
I’ve notice in the dashboard the rely is sometimes up, sometimes down without me doing anything. This must be the problem WD has reported and they have not reported fixed yet.
When it is up, the https://wdcloudName.deviceXXXXX.wd2go.com/ works. I also beleave all files transfers are using SSL.
What I don’t like about the direct connect is that some ports are no longer in “Stealth” mode. Hacker can see it on the internet even when the ports are closed. When I’m using the relay mode, all ports are “Stealth” as I check them with ShieldsUp at https://www.grc.com My home network is invisible on the internet unless I connect to a server.
Of course hackers could attack WD but they should be monitoring this more then I do.
IMO, WD best approach is to do something like how Google Drive works. That would make it very user friendly and give it good reviews. Less tech people will be able to easily use WD’s MyCloud.
Edit:
Change URL for https://www.grc.com
Using direct connect, you can, if done right, keep things in what you called “stealth mode”. As long as most of your network devices have ICMP pings deactivated (which most are by default these days) then anyone trying to hack their way into your network won’t be able to figure out which ports are open using a port scan.
I ran a Universal Plug n’Play (UPnP) Internet Exposure Test using the grc.com site you mentioned and got:
THE EQUIPMENT AT THE TARGET IP ADDRESS
ACTIVELY REJECTED OUR UPnP PROBES!
This equipment is not fully “stealthful” inasmuch as it did respond to our probing. Thus hackers will know that some equipment exists at this IPv4 address—though they will have no idea what it is, and they will be unable to attack it though UPnP SSDP subversion because it is proactively replying that there is no active service available at its UDP port 1900.
And best of all I didn’t even do anything to configure it this way. Yet, I can do direct connect to the NAS server from outside. So hackers can’t hack into my network that easily, despite having ports open for direct connect.
The My Cloud EX2 product isn’t quite targeted at entry-level consumer market but rather at prosumers looking for a robust, well designed and feature-rich NAS server while still offering some user-friendly options. But one can’t expect the same level of ease of use that Google Drive or MS OneDrive provides. If those are really one’s favorite choices, one can pay really low prices to get a lot of storage from them in addition to the free quotas (Google Drive just lowered their monthly rates couple weeks ago). You can get as much space as you need if you are willing to pay for the convenience of a very user-friendly interface, etc. The EX2 on the other hand is meant for people who may want their own cloud and get a reasonable amount of user-friendly interface (obviously not like those big cloud options).
Hence, WD is trying to play a balancing act between providing user-friendliness and hands-on technical flexibility…and because I require the latter for my needs, I am finding the opposite of what you’re finding…I am finding it is too locked down (to protect from user errors). I don’t need the elegant user interface of Google Drive and OneDrive (and I do use Google Drive quite a bit myself and OneDrive sporadically)…I rather prefer power (aka flexibility/customizability) for my own NAS server needs. If you’re willing to setup your own NAS server (which the EX2/EX4 products are), then you can’t be expected to have a total hands-off, tech-newbie skill level…at the very least you may need to do things like port forwarding, etc. from your router…which aren’t too complicated but isn’t a piece of cake for the uninitated either. For them, fee-based Google Drive, etc. might be the right fit. Also, there is the single drive WD My Cloud for that need.
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Thanks for the info.
I use Google Cloud for small non sensitive files including some spread sheets. I also use it for offsite backup of a very sensitive file that I encrypt locally. I don’t trust cloud storage for sensitive files where the cloud server also has the encryption key.
The WD My Cloud ex2 is for my girlfriend which I will bring over this weekend. I use an older Drobo FS which has RAID like storage mostly for backup. I’ve also used it for DLNA.
My girlfriend is non-technical. She would freak out if I told her to FTP files. Some of the reason I picked the WD My Cloud EX2 are:
- Local RAID backup and sharing for her computers at her home.
- The apparent ease of access and storage using remote desk top computers. She often works on her stuff at her home and on a remote desktop where she is unable to install programs. The dashboard file viewer nicopizza suggested will work for her.
- Hopes of being able to have offsite backups and sharing files between our two homes with my Drobo and her WD MyCloud EX2. I would be doing that for the both of us.
- Ease of Cloud stuff for our mobile phones/tablets.
- DLNA at her home.
- I am a prosumer and wanted something I could grow and learn but still be easy for my girlfriend to use once I set it up.
Do you or anyone else have suggestions on what I can read or suggestions to help me set it up for direct? Port forwarding on routers is easy. I need to know what values and anything else I need to set it up. I found Knowledge Base #8526 which helped but I got a permission error as can be seen in an earlier post. I would like the web access to be SSL.
For now, WD’s relay stuff works when its up. But the disadvantage I see is WD is having problems with it and not working all the time. I can see that on the dashboard. WD has posted they are working on the problems but have not yet posted they fixed it.
Thanks
I actually use ftp and two of my friends ftp stuff from me. So ftp is my direct connect option 
But the thing is my friends are all mac users, one of whom is an older lady in her mid-50’s. I told her how to use ftp over phone/Apple FaceTime (she lives in another state) and once she and another Mac user (who lives in my state), complete non-techie friends, learnt how to do ftp there is no issue for them at all. They simply drag and drop files between their Macs and my ftp server (the EX2)…the ftp client I had them use is very intuitive. Screenshot of main interface → https://filezilla-project.org/images/screenshots/fz3_win_main.png
)
There seems to be a few possible ways to connect to EX2. My preferred, sftp, isn’t offered yet on the EX2, or at least can’t be offered yet on it because of the lockdown of ssh. And though even ftp isn’t gonna work the way it is on EX2 right now, I have found a temporary workaround for my needs by altering a file in the ssh shell. If you think your girlfriend might be amenable to learning ftp (using a user-friendly free ftp client like filezilla) then I can tell you the changes you’d need to make in the shell to get it to work - until WD fixes it. Currently, the bug is in the ftp configuration screen in the dashboard and prevents you from connecting by ftp from outside the network - which is gonna be almost 100% of the time for me because for local access I can simply pull up the drive on Windows network…no need for ftp. And ftp is so simple to use, that requires one-time settings like username, password, port number and in my case even my IP address, that even the most technophobe user can do the setup once and never have to fiddle with it again - like my friends did. Though not shown in the interface above, there is a user-friendly window called sitemanager in filezilla, which is like a bookmark for ftp sites…where you enter these settings one-time and then subsequently alwas use that saved site…just like a browser bookmark. And if IP isn’t gonna be static for you, you can look at a cheap $25/year solution like DynDNS and register your IP with an easy-to-remember domain name like mikey.dyndns.com that redirects to your home’s IP and use that always…then dynamically changing IP worries are put to rest.
MikeySoft wrote:
Do you or anyone else have suggestions on what I can read or suggestions to help me set it up for direct?
I would start at the manual → http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/library/UM/ENG/4779-705057.pdf
Before I even bought the product I spent a day poring over the manual to see what it can do, how to do it, etc. I was especially interested to learn whether any other ports besides 21 will work for ftp and their manual and screenshots seemed to indicate yes. But on getting the product I learnt that it was a qualified yes…the ftp can be configured for only ports 2121 and 9921 besides the default 21 for ftp. But that works for me…anything other than 21 becase Verizon blocks all data on port 21.
In the manual, they do show or at least mention the various ways you can connect. The only thing is they seem to emphsize using their mycloud software…which I too don’t want to install.
Thanks again.
Is the filezilla ftp client web based or does it have to be installed on the client’s computer? My girlfriend does not have install privileges on the remote computer she uses.
I was concern about my WAN ip changing but my ISP (Comcast) have never changed it for many years as far as I know. My girlfriend has a different ISP, not Verizon. I forgot who they are. I did have free Dymanic DNS set up on my router. I will have to check if it is still there. It was free for noncommercial use and had some limitations. I think I had to log on to the web site account every once in a while which I didn’t.
My biggest problem now is I am unable to set it up for direct connect. I have spent a lot of time on this. I will have even less time once the WD MyCloud EX2 is at my girlfriend’s house. Knowledge Base #8526 helped a little but I ran into “Forbidden. You don’t have permission to access / on this server” as seen in an earlier post.
It is a pain reading the manual on the computer screen. I printed it out the other day but it is too many pages. I’ll spend more time going over it again.
I hope WD will soon fixes and keeps the relay connection stable so she can use the dashboard web view thing to up/down load files with her remote computer.
Additional suggestions are welcome.
Thanks
I just checked. Dynamic DNS is still set up on my router. But www.DynDNS.org no longer has the free one, only a 14 day free trial. My account is also no longer active, because I have not logged on to it is a long time. I removed it from the router.
MikeySoft wrote:
I just checked. Dynamic DNS is still set up on my router. But www.DynDNS.org no longer has the free one, only a 14 day free trial. My account is also no longer active, because I have not logged on to it is a long time. I removed it from the router.
Yeah…they stopped that free service a year or so ago. But I don’t mind their yearly $20 or $25 fee. I used to use them a very long time ago (early 00’s) when it was fully free but only really used it briefly…until last year when I bought their paid subscription and turned auto-renew off.
MikeySoft wrote:
Thanks again.
Is the filezilla ftp client web based or does it have to be installed on the client’s computer? My girlfriend does not have install privileges on the remote computer she uses.
I was concern about my WAN ip changing but my ISP (Comcast) have never changed it for many years as far as I know. My girlfriend has a different ISP, not Verizon. I forgot who they are. I did have free Dymanic DNS set up on my router. I will have to check if it is still there. It was free for noncommercial use and had some limitations. I think I had to log on to the web site account every once in a while which I didn’t.
My biggest problem now is I am unable to set it up for direct connect. I have spent a lot of time on this. I will have even less time once the WD MyCloud EX2 is at my girlfriend’s house. Knowledge Base #8526 helped a little but I ran into “Forbidden. You don’t have permission to access / on this server” as seen in an earlier post.
It is a pain reading the manual on the computer screen. I printed it out the other day but it is too many pages. I’ll spend more time going over it again.
I hope WD will soon fixes and keeps the relay connection stable so she can use the dashboard web view thing to up/down load files with her remote computer.
Additional suggestions are welcome.
Thanks
No - unfortunately filezilla isn’t browser based. But you can use a browser for ftp if you cannot install anything…it’s just that you’ll have to enter the userid, password, port, etc. in the browser URL…perhaps even create a browser bookmark for quick re-logins later. But no - youwon’t get the pretty browser based interface you see on Google Drive, etc. but you will see folders and can navigate up or down the folder tree. It will look exactly like how folders look on aWindows or Mac machine…you’ll just travering the ftp drive using a browser.
The URLfor ftp to enter in the browser will be something like (imagine the below URL with colon followed immediately by p in place of the smileys):
ftp://username:password@ftp_server_ip:port
And of course, port forwarding on port 21 (or 2121 or 9921) will need to be done on the router.
I found the SOLUTION to consistently, easily, and securely transfer files between my MyCloud EX2 and my desktop computer’s browser WITHOUT having to install an app onto my desktop computer. This allows access from a computer which you do not have install permission such as at work. I did it for a Windows PC browser but I expect it to work and any browser such as on a Mac. I also did this on an EX2 but I think it would work on an EX4 any maybe even on a plain MyCloud.
I will outline the setup procedure here. Once you do that it is easy as just click a web link. This works even when the WAN IP address changes, say by your ISP. I change the location from my home to by girlfriend’s home with a different ISP and it still worked without changing anything or using a dymanic DNS.
Setup one time only:
1. Add user(s) with password using the dashboard’s “Users” icon according to the manual.
2. Enable cloud access using the dashboard’s “Cloud Access” icon according to the manual.
3. Enable Dashboard Cloud Access by Settings->General-> Dashboard Cloud Access->On. Thanks to nicopizza in this thread for that suggestion.
4. Enable HTTPS Port Fording on you my cloud by Settings->Network->Add. It worked when I change the external port to a high number to make it harder for a hacker to port scan. However the “Wd My Cloud” and “WD Photos” apps on my mobile devices no longer worked so I left then with the default values of 443. I hope these mobile apps will be update to allow them to be configured to use non standard https ports.
5. Install the “WD Photo” app on a mobile device.
6. Go throw the motions of email a link to a photo. Copy the link up to and including the wd2go.com. The link will look something like:
https://NAME.deviceXXXXXXX.wd2go.com
Where NAME is the name you gave your device. It defaults to WDMyClouldEX2. XXXXXX is a device number for your unit.
Procedure to transfer files between your MyClouldEX and a desktop web browser without installing any apps of the desktop computer:
- Click on the link found in step 6 above.
- Disregard the security certificate warning. I think you get this warning because the SSL certificate on your MyClould is just made up by WD. But it will still be used to encrypted the data transfer. I don’t know if this is a security problem or not.
- Logon with your user name and PW onto the MyCloud dashboard.
- Use the “Web File Viewer” App to up/down load file(s).
