Just got a new EX4100 and have some questions about best practices for setting it up:
Since I’m the only one who will be using the unit, is it fine to use it under the default admin account, or is it best to create a separate account for everyday use? On my Mac, I have a login that I use for everyday use and a separate admin account for installing software, etc., as I’ve heard that’s the safest way to operate, but not sure if that matters in terms of using an NAS.
Again, since I’m the only one using it, does it matter if I place files in the Public share versus creating new Private folders? Note that I plan to move all the data I currently have on some external hard drives onto the NAS and use the NAS as my primary storage (backing up to external drives and/or a cloud service for safety).
On a related note, does placing something in the Public Share versus a Prviate share impact whether or not someone can access data if they gain physical access to the device (e.g. steal the unit or take a drive out of the unit)?
Interesting questions that caused me to wonder about accessing my DL2100 NAS system from beyond my home network. Here are some things I knew and new stuff I found.
I have a router with an app that allows for me to access all the devices shared on my home network – at home or from away, so I can also access the DL2100 via this app.
I have only media stored on my NAS; music, video files etc and nothing personal or sensitive. I have my NAS running without a password for me and my wife and we can use many different apps at home to access the NAS. So, today, I got off the home network and got onto a “hotspot” which Comcast customers can use called xfinitywifi. It is a hotspot coming from many places, including many of my neighbors using a Comcast-supplied router/modem combo device. (Comcast subscribers unfamiliar with xfinitywifi should get informed about it ASAP.)
Anyway, I connected my iPad’s wireless to xfinitywifi to see if I could get into my system from outside my home network. Of course I could with my router’s app. I could not using my other apps except for the WD My Cloud app which allowed me to access the DL2100 directly (as usual) and play music and videos. This surprised me, but when I thought about it, why not, because I am the admin and the admin seems to have automatic remote access, and I had not set up any of the remote access stuff in the NAS Dashboard. And the reason I could do this is because my iPad’s My Cloud app is registered to the NAS. But accessing the Dashboard was not possible from xfinitywifi – only possible through my home network. I suppose to do this remotely, I would need to make adjustments to settings in the Dashboard.
So, it seems only my iPad (w/My Cloud app; same would apply to my IPhone) can get in the NAS from a hotspot the way it stands right now, so I would be just as concerned if my iPad or phone got stolen as well as my NAS. Bottom line; I feel the NAS is as secure as I need it to be right now.
