I read this article, https://community.netgear.com/t5/Nighthawk-Wi-Fi-5-AC-Routers/ALL-Netgear-USB-Drive-Mapping-Issues-R... which covers a firmware update for other Nighthawk routers but mine, Nighthawk X6S AC4000/R8000P, did not receive it. The update adds support for SMBv3 from SMBv1. Without this update I'm stuck either not using ReadyShare storage, which is one of the reasons I bought the router, or adding SMBv1 back to Windows 10 Pro and being vulnerable to WANNACRY Ransomware. I did refer to the aforementioned article to turn on SMBv1, so I can use ReadyShare but I'm not happy about needing to do this to use this feature.
I really hope someone from Netgear will make note of this and get a firmware update for the R8000P that will support SMBv3, so I can disable the vulnerable SMBv1.
Something to contact NG support about and let them know.
Being that the R series routers are getting up in age, it's possible that NG may not implement any fixes. You maybe best finding a newer generation router that supports SMBv3 or make the jump to NAS. I've been on NAS for years now. Never looked back at USB storage since. So nice having NAS.
Actually 2bay NAS with couple of drives is very affordable these days.
Asustor Drivestor 2 AS1102T - 2 Bay NAS, 1.4GHz Quad Core, Single 2.5GbE Port, 1GB RAM DDR4, Network Attached Storage, Personal Private Cloud (Diskless) $179.00
Drives are now under $100 for a 4Tb mechanical.
Western Digital 4TB WD Red Plus NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - 5400 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, CMR, 256 MB Cache, 3.5" -WD40EFPX $69.99
NAS isn't that complicated. Very easy to learn and be guided. Also once setup and running, so easy to map drive or share out folders for streaming and such. Great placed for storage and backup. In the long run, Less hassle than making old USB tech work on something that probably won't be fixed. My 2 cents.
The article I referred to was about some other R routers, so I don't think it is a matter of R routers being too old. I've considered NAS before but the R8000P and other Nighthawks are advertised to support ReadyShare. The problem is that the other R routers got the SMB update to securely support ReadyShare and mine did not. I received a firmware update not all that long ago but it did nothing to address the SMBv1/SMBv3 security & compatibility issues. Since my router will only connect via SMBv1 without a firmware update to add support for SMBv3, I'm stuck.
In general, I've stuck with NG for a long, long time to make transitioning my network more seamless but support from them has been sorely lacking. If the answer isn't in their meager user manual they always try to charge for even listening. Do you know where I can contact them without them trying to charge me for support?
If you're outside of the 90 days, support isn't free sadly.
And the router is 6 years old (released 2017) so not sure how many updates you'll continue to get on the R series devices. A lot of the other R series are already end of services.
If the answer isn't in their meager user manual they always try to charge for even listening. Do you know where I can contact them without them trying to charge me for support?
The "meager" usual manual for the R8000P is 142 pages long, more than enough for most people.
FURRYe38said that my concern about getting a firmware update was up to netgear, so it's up to them and I should ask them. I get that butsaw another R-router owner (I think an R9000, slightly higher-end model than mine) post that his router received a firmware update after posting about the exact issue that I'm concerned about. I'm not paying netgear to read an email from me (a.k.a. support) for something that should be addressed by pushed software/firmware updates.
You asked for an update to the firmware to support SMBv3.
There won't be major updates like that.
Netgear's implementation of USB support has always been flaky. With little sign of improvements. And most new routers don't offer that feature.
Many people happily use SMBv1. Yes, there are security issues. Partly because Microsoft imposes increasingly rigid security on people to cover issues, some of which rarely, if ever, appear in the real world.
One router user recently complained here that SMBv1 didn't work any more. So Netgear seems to have done what it can to protect that router. (They ended up rolling back the firmware to reconnect their USB drives.)
For bullet proof security – or as near as possible – ditch USB and go for NAS, as @FURRYe38 recommended. Or investigate third part firmware, as @plemans suggested.
