Use FTP over the internet to transfer files between systems connected via the web.
Use FTP over the internet to transfer files between systems connected via the web.
If it runs directly on the router, port forwarding won’t apply—it’s just a firewall rule for remote access. I’m not sure it’s reliable since exposing parts of the router OS to the WAN could pose security risks. Generally, router NAS features are meant for local networks, not wide area networks, and even then, I wouldn’t suggest it due to limited capabilities.
The router supports No-IP ddns, would that make it work? I asked my ISP for assistance, and since they are a small local ISP they couldn't really help much on the phone and refused to send a technician for further assistance. They told me, however, that I probably have to use VPN to make it work. What does a vpn have to do with it? Some kind of tunneling has to take place or what? I'm no network guru so I'm only as good as following guides on the i-net. That area is kinda lacking community support on the internet so that's a bummer. There's a lot of info on stupid stuff like how to restart your router and a lot of info on quite advanced stuff, but nothing inbetween. QQ Would've saved me a lot of time if Linus made a video on how to use your router-hosted usb ftp server outside your LAN....
I confirm local connectivity is possible. I'll examine the drive's properties to identify the port or share address. For shared setups, I'll ping it in CMD to retrieve the IP. If it aligns with your router, I'll forward the port securely. I'll also check if your external HDD has a MAC address or assigned IPv6 and map it via port 21. This method avoids the router entirely and connects directly to the storage. Using an FTP client is straightforward, but mapping provides a cleaner path.
The device uses the router's IP address, but I encounter an issue forwarding it. It seems the software restricts exposing the router details. The firmware only lists partitions and capacity, not the drive's MAC address. I plan to find the drive's MAC code to investigate further. Thanks!