I was another user who didn't receive any notification that the Readycloud facility was going.I see advice on setting up a VPN using OpenVPN - but I don't see that app on my list of available apps. I do see VPNServer - but if I try to install that it fails (I receive an EMail).All I want is a simple way of sharing some files/directories with remote users - how can I now do this?

StephenB I bought the ReadyNas so I didn't have to use the cloud to share!I know this is not your fault, but it's so frustrating when companies treat software/firmware as something they can just 'remove'. It's part of what people buy, and potentially why they decide to buy a specific brand or model - a bit like a company coming along and removing your air conditioning from a car and telling you you can always open the windows or use a fan. No.

steveTu wrote: Again, it's not your issue, but I'm not sure I like the 'but we're quitting that market' argument. To be clear, I don't work for Netgear and don't represent them in any way. Overall, there's been a long pattern of Netgear launching and then abandoning ReadyNAS services over many years. ReadyRemote, Photos, Photos II, Surveillance, Milestone Arcus, ... ReadyCloud is just the latest (and last one) to fall. I tried it for a little while, but decided it wasn't something I could depend on. The service went down unexpectedly (sometimes for days) and speeds were inconsistent even when it was working. Also, I didn't think they were transparent enough on security. So I gave up on it.

OwnCloud or NextCloud are good options for sharing content directly. There is no up-to-date version that can be installed directly on a ReadyNAS, but you could install it on an always-on PC and point to the NAS as external data. While those require the extra step of getting a URL for your site (from NoIP, for example) that ReadyCloud didn't require, most similar solutions will also require that. ZeroTier is another option, in that it gives access to just the device(s) on which it runs, not your whole network, and then you can use the ReadyNAS share permissions to control where on the NAS the users can access. See ZeroTier-as-a-ReadyCloud-replacement. Be sure to read the entire thread, as things have changes since it was started. If you try to do what it says in the first post, it'll fail.

steveTu Hello, steveTu, I completely agree with you because, like you, I am shocked (the word is weak!) to have never been openly informed of the situation of abandonment of "NAS" by Netgear: I canceled my iCloud subscriptions, after having invested, in April 2022, in a ReadyNAS424 system (4x10 TB in RAID5) because there was remote access (not local!) via ReadyCLOUD® and have just discovered with amazement few days ago (back from vacation), thanks to responses from the Netgear community, that ReadyCloud® was removed on July 1, 2023. I also learned that its "loss" was "announced" (but not by Netgear®!), and even worse, that the servers NAS have been at the “end of life” for several years already!!! I would have liked all the same to be informed directly by Netgear® of this removal of remote access to my server and above all, to be really guided (assisted!) to consider a favorable follow-up: what good is a NAS to which we can only access locally (USB, what a regression!!! Ah, no! There is now the Orbi Series 960: the Mesh WiFi 6E Quad-Band System...). Until now and for more than 40 years, I had admired the Netgear® company, but now I find it pitiful to have had so little regard from them! It's incomprehensible!Please, could you explain a little bit more what for is your "move to the FTP route" and how you set up the "Filezilla" app on the laptop? Would this give remote (through the net) and selective access to the invited people?Many thanks in advance,Joseph

JoVe34 wrote: Please, could you explain a little bit more what for is your "move to the FTP route" and how you set up the "Filezilla" app on the laptop? Would this give remote (through the net) and selective access to the invited people? One thing you should be aware of - this won't work with some internet service providers, because they don't allow (or cannot support) port forwarding. This includes broadband internet services, including hotspots. Some landline ISPs also use a technology called carrier-grade NAT - it won't work with them either. On the NAS, you set up a local NAS account for each user. Enable FTP for each share that you want them to access, and set it up something like this: You want the passive ports to be in the range 49,152-65,535. Other choices often work, but this range is dedicated to private/dynamic ports. Generally I've found that 4 passive ports for each simultaneous user is a good value. I generally set the main port to one less than the passive port range. This is a non-standard port value - slightly harder for an attacker, since they won't know for sure what service is behind the port. But the main reason is that it lets me forward all the ports to the NAS in the router in one setting. (50001-50025 in this case). Alternatively use the standard FTP port (which is 22). In the router you will need to reserve the NAS IP address so it always be assigned the same address forward the passive and main ports to that IP address in the NAS set up DDNS with a DDNS provider so you can reach the router using a name. Most routers do have DDNS - Netgear routers include a free service from noip.com that uses *.mynetgear.com names. After you've forwarded the ports, check that they are open. https://canyouseeme.org/ is one of several internet sites you can use to make that check. In FileZilla, you set up the connection this way in the site manager: NASusername is a placeholder for one ot the local NAS accounts you created above. XXXXXX.mynetgear.com is the hostname for your router that you created when you set up the DDNS service. Then the user simply selects the NAS using the site manager, and it will connect to the NAS.

Readycloud Replacement....again.... ReadyNAS212

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StephenB
Guru - Experienced User
Aug 17, 2023
steveTu wrote:

I see advice on setting up a VPN using OpenVPN - but I don't see that app on my list of available apps.

That's because it's installed on your router. Not all routers include the feature - Netgear Nighthawk and Orbi routers have it, as do many similarly priced routers from other manufacturers.

What router brand and model do you own?

steveTu wrote:

All I want is a simple way of sharing some files/directories with remote users - how can I now do this?

OpenVPN isn't the best service for that. It gives the remote users full access to your home network.

The simplest way is to use a cloud service, and copy files and folders you want to share to that. Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, etc.

While I generally recommend using a VPN, it is also possible to set up a secure FTP service on the NAS, and forward the needed ports in your router to the NAS.
- steveTu
  Apprentice
  Aug 18, 2023
  StephenB
  I bought the ReadyNas so I didn't have to use the cloud to share!
  I know this is not your fault, but it's so frustrating when companies treat software/firmware as something they can just 'remove'. It's part of what people buy, and potentially why they decide to buy a specific brand or model - a bit like a company coming along and removing your air conditioning from a car and telling you you can always open the windows or use a fan. No.
  - StephenB
    Guru - Experienced User
    Aug 18, 2023
    steveTu wrote:
    but it's so frustrating when companies treat software/firmware as something they can just 'remove'.
    
    Agreed.
    
    Though it is pretty clear that Netgear has been quiet-quitting their storage business for some years now.
    
    The newest ReadyNAS platforms were introduced in 2017
    
    All current ReadyNAS platforms are identified as end-of-life on the Netgear support pages
    
    Users are finding it impossible to get paid Netgear support
    
    So dropping ReadyCloud is part of the overall process (though it also affects routers).
    
    As I said above, you can set up secure FTP on the NAS, and then use something like FileZilla to access files remotely. You would need to forward some ports in the router to the NAS (and I'd recommend using non-standard ports for that). And set up NAS user account(s) for the sharing instead of ReadyCloud accounts.
    
    It is also possible to share folders/shares using https - accessing them in the browser. However, that can also be used to access the admin web ui, so that would only be protected by the admin password if you do that. So I don't recommend that approach.
    
    ZeroTier can also be used - it is in some ways similar to OpenVPN, but you can set it up to limit remote access to just the NAS. But harder to deploy than secure FTP.
raluc
Aspirant
Dec 29, 2024
I have a nether ready cloud and looking for a new replacement please advice
I need to use the drives I already have model RN10200 2 ports
- StephenB
  Guru - Experienced User
  Dec 29, 2024
  raluc wrote:
  
  I have a nether ready cloud and looking for a new replacement please advice
  
  I need to use the drives I already have model RN10200 2 ports
  
  Are you wanting to
  
  access the NAS when not at home?
  
  Share files with other people? or
  
  something else?

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Readycloud Replacement....again.... ReadyNAS212

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