QNAP NAS Community Forum

myQNAPcloud...
CloudLink...
SmartLink...

Jesus. I *just want to access my NAS desktop interface like a big boy, from away from home. But I can't do it.

When I go to myQNAP cloud, I can log in, fine. But when I invoke the "SmartURL" it says NO DEVICES FOUND.
I get ERRORS in the myQNAPcloud settings on the NAS, so perhaps this is the problem. But... I don't knwo how to fix it, and the litterature seems disjointedly ubiquitous at best.

But, I'm sure someone will flame me into getting it right...

Any thoughts and PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS on how to properly set up CloudStink/MyQNAPcloud would be awesome. Thanks!

I wish I was here to the rescue, but alas I only wish to add my support for your sentiments, which are pretty much what I would post. You were first.

After an initial setup experience which gave me a URL and seemed to work (for only a day) I have the same NO DEVICES error with Cloudlink. Strangely the status shows it is as connected - green check mark and everything.

It seems there are two main approaches. Myqnapcloud, which requires port forwarding to work, and Cloudlink, which does not. Looks like I am forced to resort to MQNC instead of a non-functional Cloudlink.

Still digging through other posts looking for clues.

@tim, @corrco,

Well I was in the same boat as you two, but have (just today) got FTP/FTPs/SFTP + remote admin access through myQNAPCloud (I have since switched FTP and FTPs off).

What exactly is it you want to do and I will try to help.

cheers,
James.

Options to access the NAS from away:

Most secure way:
Your router is VPN capable, so build a VPN connection and work from anywhere as if you where at home. It's the most secure connection, because the NAS is not exposed to the outside. But it's the most limited, because you have to initiate a VPN connection and your router must support this.

Less secure:
The QNAP way.
The least secure way is to just use myQNAPCloud, open the ports on your router and thus expose the NAS to the outside, allowing hackers and whatever direct access to your NAS. As long as you run the latest and greatest firmware, strong passwords, two factor authentifications, etc. it's ok. But keep in mind, that anyone can acess your NAS now and try to hack it. myQNAPCloud works like a DDNS, meaning, your NAS communicates with a QNAP server, tells him the IP and once you contact the QNAP server with your myQNAPCloud adress you get forwarded to your NAS. You also get a nice web interface to mimic a file sharing service which allows you to easily share files with others.

To make it more secure QNAP offers CloudLink. That way you don't have to expose your NAS to the outside and won't interact directly with the NAS. Instead, the NAS communicates, through a secure connection, with a QNAP server, and you have access to your NAS through this server only. That way a hacker has to hack the QNAP server, which are way more secured and have much more powerful firewall than your cheap home router, to get access to your NAS.

Least secure:
As above, open the ports on your router, expose the NAS to the outside and use a third party DDNS. You get direct access to your NAS and can use all possible features your NAS offers without using myQNAPCloud (like web server hosting, third party cloud services, ...)

Hi Upspin,

UpSpin wrote: Least secure:
As above, open the ports on your router, expose the NAS to the outside and use a third party DDNS. You get direct access to your NAS and can use all possible features your NAS offers without using myQNAPCloud (like web server hosting, third party cloud services, ...)

Why is using a 4rd party DDNS less secure than myQNAPCloud DDNS (assuming you are going to forward a port - in my case for SFTP)? ...I am not suing a 3rd party DDNS, I am just curious.

thanks,
James.

jameshenderson wrote:Hi Upspin,

UpSpin wrote: Least secure:
As above, open the ports on your router, expose the NAS to the outside and use a third party DDNS. You get direct access to your NAS and can use all possible features your NAS offers without using myQNAPCloud (like web server hosting, third party cloud services, ...)

Why is using a 4rd party DDNS less secure than myQNAPCloud DDNS (assuming you are going to forward a port - in my case for SFTP)? ...I am not suing a 3rd party DDNS, I am just curious.

thanks,
James.

If you only use the DDNS part, I don't think there should be a difference. But myQNAPCloud offers more than just the DDNS: a web portal with sharing capability. It's probably easier to share files that way than without the myQNAPCloud and some custom solution.

hi all
in the myqnapclouyd / router / UPnP configuration i've some error. for L2TP i've already opened the doors on the router.
moreover, i try to connect and it seems to work.

any ideas?
tx

ironpink wrote:hi all
in the myqnapclouyd / router / UPnP configuration i've some error.

[...]

any ideas?
tx

That happens if your QNAP does not recognise your uPnP router and so cannot forward the ports itself. You can forward them manually yourself through your router's admin page.

J.

Whatever you do - DO NOT ACTIVATE uPnP in your router!!
There are plenty threads in this forum explaining why. Just don't do it.

The easiest and reasonably secure way is to use QNAP's CloudLink service. It's not difficult to set up and get it to work.
If you only need SSH access, use KeyBox with 2Factor Authentication. It's easy and its' free.
Using a VPN is ok, but unless you are prepared to deal with certificates and use a better IPSec protocol, it's not a waterproof solution. The default (most used) VPN protocols are not hacker proof.
If you want remote access - not only to you NAS, but to the rest of your LAN, then Browser Station or Guacamole with 2FA could be your choice.
Check out my cook-book for Guacamole: viewtopic.php?f=320&t=135638

Should not be this f*cking hard...but it continues to be.

If it makes you feel any better I've been trying to get this one simple thing to work on two different QNAP products for several years. No luck yet.

i have never been able to get any kind of usable connection on the road unless you count qnapcloud, which i don't in 2017. The NAS looks good but literally does zero of the sh*t it's advertised to do from outside the LAN, and not much well inside the LAN.

Today I get a email notice telling me that my qnap registration will be expiring because I haven't been logged in on the piece of sh*t cloudlink that I haven't been able to keep working for more than 1 month consecutively, ever. Only thing I'm missing now is for pwilson to make an appearance and chew my ** because I haven't wasted enough time on his life's only hobby to have my sh*t work the way it's supposed to.

Should have listened to my colleague and stayed well clear of this ** show. Guess I'll be belatedly doing that.

instead of throwing profanities around, learn how to establish a vpn ...works like a charm for me

dolbyman wrote:instead of throwing profanities around, learn how to establish a vpn ...works like a charm for me

Strangely enough, my establishing-a-VPN skills seem to work just fine with every application I need a VPN for...except this one. Appreciate you illustrating my other point with a condescending reply though. Ask the OP if your info helped, or that matter whether he has got his setup working yet. Want to bet?

Just this thread title, and/or a cursory search of the forum using any search term one cares to use involving connecting to a qnap product via a network should give the new customer an idea of how user friendly the product and (forum) is. Not impressed.

Know what works like a charm for me? Buying ** that works the way it's advertised and is supported when it doesn't.

I’m away from the office for the first time since installing an updated version of CloudLink on my NAS, and installing QNAPmyQNAPcloudConnectWindows-1.3.1.0907 on my laptop. Completely frozen out.

The VPN link is shown on my network connections, but will not connect.
myQNAPCloud allows me to log in but I immediately get an error message “CloudLink is not installed or does not function properly.”
MyServerName.myqnapcloud.com times out, site cannot be reached.
Entering the IP address, site cannot be reached.

If anyone could make any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

Follow up:

Ended up ** canning our QNAPS for non performance and getting Synology to replace them. To our non surprise they did everything they were advertised to right out of the box. Got everything set up and running literally same day without a single issue, including remote access.

Not as fun as spending months trying to figure out how to try to make entry level features work on a QNAP I guess, but I have enough hobbies. I like equipment that works.

qnpdrver wrote: ↑Sun Jan 19, 2020 7:04 pm Ended up ** canning our QNAPS for non performance and getting Synology to replace them.

Having allot of problems with vpn and this message did not brighten my day. Might join you when its time to replace mine.