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Since Netgear will terminate ReadyCLOUD service by April 1st, how can I access to my NAS device remotely? Is there any solutions/instructions by Netgear or anyone who can using other solutions? Thx.
P.S. For me, It's very annoying terminating ReadyCLOUD service by Netgear and can I ask what is the acceptable reason for this?
Yes, there are alternatives, which have already been discussed in other message threads..
A VPN hosted in your router and ZeroTier are the easiest/most secure, IMHO. You can also make provisions for remotely using FTPS or SFTP via port forwarding, but that requires you to either have a fixed IP or use a Dynamic DNS provider. There are even ways to use OwnCloud or NextCloud, setting up the shares you want to access as "external" (to OwnCloud/NextCloud). They also require a fixed IP or DDNS, but are a bit more secure (IMHO) than port forwarding.
As for why, it's very clear that Netgear is leaving the NAS market, though this will also affect a lot of their routers that offer it. ReadyCloud requires that Netgear maintain a server that acts as the "operator" to connect your NAS and app. And, of course, they have to do updates of the app as other OSes change and provide user support. Since they don't charge for it, they rely on new sales to fund it, and those have gone away as far as NAS are concerned.
Yes, there are alternatives, which have already been discussed in other message threads..
A VPN hosted in your router and ZeroTier are the easiest/most secure, IMHO. You can also make provisions for remotely using FTPS or SFTP via port forwarding, but that requires you to either have a fixed IP or use a Dynamic DNS provider. There are even ways to use OwnCloud or NextCloud, setting up the shares you want to access as "external" (to OwnCloud/NextCloud). They also require a fixed IP or DDNS, but are a bit more secure (IMHO) than port forwarding.
As for why, it's very clear that Netgear is leaving the NAS market, though this will also affect a lot of their routers that offer it. ReadyCloud requires that Netgear maintain a server that acts as the "operator" to connect your NAS and app. And, of course, they have to do updates of the app as other OSes change and provide user support. Since they don't charge for it, they rely on new sales to fund it, and those have gone away as far as NAS are concerned.
This is horrible! I think my 628X is still under warranty! They shouldn't have bought Infrant only to watch it die 10 years later. This is what happens to all good companies. Thankfully there's still some small community around to help with all these pain points.
@StephenB- You're right, 15 years and all mine are going strong (after few capacitor replacements and power supply replacements) but with many more limitations now. Thank you and @Sandshark both for all that you have done to help the ReadyNAS community!
- Have you guys done anything to move away from Netgear OS on your existing hardware? (I've seen those threads too)
- Have you decided on a future brand NAS box? If so, may I ask what brand?
I'd be curious as to where you land here.
@WhoCares_seems to be going down the path of OpenMediaVault and I'd be interested in seeing his journey too!
I'd really like them to just opensource the ReadyNAS OS, readynasd etc instead of just throwing it all away.. sad times.
- Have you guys done anything to move away from Netgear OS on your existing hardware? (I've seen those threads too)
- Have you decided on a future brand NAS box? If so, may I ask what brand?
I have not done anything to move away from the Netgear OS, and am not planning to by a new NAS at present.
Personally I use my NAS just for storage - applications are run on an always-on PC that has the NAS volume mapped to a drive letter. I don't allow inbound connections to my NAS from over the internet either (no port forwarding).
So I am ok just continuing to run them for the time being. I've also found the hardware to be very reliable, so they could well remain in service for many more years.
If I were looking at a new model today, I'd be looking at Synology first.
@StephenB- Thank you for your reply! I'm hoping for the same (a longer life without having to upgrade). I've looked at Synology a bit, but the hardware is lacking and it appears like some boxes require Synology branded/specific drives.
Have you looked at Asustor? Expansion capabilities are also good.
For about Netgear, I haven't had many problems so far and not complain aboout it's stability but from now on I'm thinking of staying away from Netgear NAS devices, especially which have slow 32Bit ARM processors like my RN214.
Xpenology is another option. choice of your own hardware. It can be setup as virtual machines as well.
Building your own NAS is another path. FreeNAS is another OS option.
I've seen some posts about switching the ReadyNAS OS to Xpenology, but not something I've tried. Likely it would be a one-way migration (no way to undo it).
but from now on I'm thinking of staying away from Netgear NAS devices, especially which have slow 32Bit ARM processors like my RN214.
The RN214 is a 7 year old platform, and I think was quite competitive when it was launched. It's still a good option for storage, as it will keep up with a gigabit network connection.
The "elephant in the room" is that Netgear hasn't launched a new ReadyNAS platform since 2017. No indication that it ever will, instead it looks like they are just quiet-quitting the storage segment of their business.
The VPN options for ReadyNAS also apply to other NAS systems. There are up-to-date specific versions of ZeroTier for some. So adopting one of those options makes things more future-proof and allows easy concurrent use of different brands (including DIY).
Speaking of DIY, once upon a time I made my own NAS on HP Microserver Gen 8 but I don't recommend TrueNAS, it requires significant hardware and configuration is complicated for most users, OpenMediaVault is a little easier and convenient but my favorite is always to be Rockstor (openSUSE).
Looks like another nail in the ReadyNAS coffin, which is a shame because I am using it at home an in business. For my home device, it's used to store documents, music and video (running a Plex server). Many of the other NAS boxes around aren't great with Plex and transcoding on the fly, has anyone got experience of moving from ReadyNAS to something else to run Plex?
There is a way to get around the remote access but it takes a little effort. Unplug the ReadyNAS BOX, throw it in the trash, make an old PC a server, and run FreeNas/TrueNas. I actually have an RN104 with 12Tb of space for business and it is sad that Netgear decided to stop support for remote access. To me, it's not the end of the world, I pay a few extra dollars for a dedicated IP and set up my equipment to tunnel into the NAS. The problem is always going to be when you are away from your own LAN since your CelPhone provider doesn't have support for dedicated IP (I think).
Many things you can do on a do-it-yourself NAS can also be done on the ReadyNAS. You can even add a do-it-yourself box, even a pretty lame one, and mount the NAS as external storage. I have a Pro2 running OS6 that serves as an OwnCloud server (but it could just as easily be on a Raspberry Pi, other Linux system, or even Windows) that has shares from my main NAS mounted as read-only. For me, it's a bit of extra security to prevent anyone who hacks my OwnCloud unit (not that anyone would have a reason to) from doing anything nasty on my main NAS, but it can just as easily be a main part of a remote access solution if they are mounted as read/write.
Yes, this also takes effort, and many of the same skills as full do-it-yourself, which many users don't have; but not as much as trashing and completely replacing the ReadyNAS. Of course, lesser capable units like the 100 series are going to be more challenging to do that with.
If Netgear doesn't update the Linux core of the ReadyNAS (and I'd be surprised if they do) or turn things over to the users so they can, the time is going to come where that solution gets too long in the tooth. But there is no need to throw away the ReadyNAS at this point. Intermediate steps can be taken to reduce the monetary impact. Now, that may not be palatable for some users, especially businesses, but it's out there.
I and @StephenB don't even use ReadyCloud and have remote access, using different solutions. I've never used ReadyCloud because I don't like how it is so divorced from the local interface. Well, I did try it and didn't keep using it. When ReadyNAS Remote went away, I looked for something similar to it and decided on ZeroTier. I'm not sure about @StephenB , but I believe the same is true for him except that he chose OpenVPN.
Now, if Netgear cared, I bet they could make changes to ReadyCloud that allow it to be used with just a DDNS service or with a VPN (which most of theior routers offer) and not need their server. But I would be stunned if they did given how this slow and unacknowledged death of the ReadyNAS line has unfolded.
When ReadyNAS Remote went away, I looked for something similar to it and decided on ZeroTier. I'm not sure about @StephenB , but I believe the same is true for him except that he chose OpenVPN.
FWIW, in the early days of ReadyCloud I found the performance hit-or-miss, and the service sometimes went down altogether. I also didn't like the lack of transparency on its security (though to be clear, I'm not saying it is insecure).
So like @Sandshark I looked for something else. My router had OpenVPN built in, so it was an obvious thing to try next.
I have played some with ZeroTier - it does have some nice features, especially if you want to limit the VPN network to specific devices. But I'm fine with full remote access to my home network, so I've stuck with OpenVPN.
Is DropBox a option? As of now, all my files are cloned in DropBox, because I use it generally only for security reasons. Will they stop support DropBox as well?
I have netgear readynas rn204 4 3TB discs Firmwear 6.8.10.
Have used it for over 7 years for local storage and video and music files. Have 2 daughters , one living in USA and the other in England. They have there own folders on the NAS and we all access it remotely using readycloud. This allows them to share data files between them and me. I use readycloud to get video and music remotely from my server when away from home. Now ready cloud is being terminated so am looking for another way to do same as or similar to readycloud.
I have been following the current correspondence on the forum about this and have general idea of what is needed.
I note on the available Apps page of the Netgear system there is a VPN server which comes from Softether, which according to the blurb is better than OpenVPN. Anybody using this? I have installed the package on my NAS and downloaded the management service app on my pc from Softether web site.
Now although I have 30 plus years as communications software developer, it was over 25 years ago. I am now 80 years old and my physical and mental health is deteriorating so following the tutorials to set this system up is beyond me and I cannot get a simple direct connection to work between the NAS and my PC on my home network, let alone set up a remote connection.
Is there a simple help document that will work me through what is needed to set up a simple Adhoc system so that my daughter can log in to their folders on the system and I can remotely log into the whole server ?
I note on the available Apps page of the Netgear system there is a VPN server which comes from Softether, which according to the blurb is better than OpenVPN. Anybody using this? I have installed the package on my NAS and downloaded the management service app on my pc from Softether web site.
This is not an app I use myself.
The version on the apps page is 1.5 (about 9 years old) so it is very out-dated. The current version is 4.41. The instructions on the softether web site might not match the old version you have. Updating it from ssh might not work, since the linux version in the NAS is also old.
Do you have a Nighthawk or Orbi router? Just wondering if it has OpenVPN built in.
