Zyxel Network-Attached Storage [NAS] - Remotely access files on NAS via WebDAV

Created March 18, 2019 13:33 - Updated August 02, 2024 12:41

Serhii Boiarynov

This article provides a step-by-step guide to setting up WebDAV access to your NAS for secure file transfer over the Internet. WebDAV, unlike FTP, offers encrypted connections, ensuring safe credential and file transfers. The process includes configuring port forwarding on your router and enabling the WebDAV service on the NAS device. Additionally, you will learn to set up a WebDAV client on your PC to utilize this feature, allowing secure data transport over untrusted networks. This setup is ideal for anyone looking to transfer files safely and securely between their device and NAS.

End-of-Life Product Notice: We regret to inform you that the product "Zyxel NAS Devices" has reached the end of its useful life. As a result, technical support for this device may be limited. Please be aware that any manipulation or use of a device that is already end-of-life is entirely at your own risk. You can find a list of obsolete devices, including their retirement and end-of-support dates, at the link below. This page also provides the latest updated version for your device: End of Life

Requirements:

Internet connection with a public IP address is required to make remote connections possible
NAS series appliance
Access to router/firewall with NAT/UPnP support - these features are supported by most gateway devices today.

WebDAV configuration and port forwarding

Using UPnP

UPnP is a protocol that is used to configure port forwarding on a firewall/router device seamlessly. The only thing that is needed on the side of the firewall is to have this feature enabled. As already stated, this feature is simple to deploy. Its only disadvantage is a mild security risk involved - in networks where we don't have control over connected devices such as schools, it should be disabled for security reasons, and static NAT rules should be created instead. However, in a home environment, this feature might be favorable to configure much more multimedia devices, not only our NAS appliance.

Log in to your firewall/router and find the UPnP feature in the configuration menu. If unsure whether it is supported or not / unable to find it, please see the user's guide for your device. In this example, I am using ATP200 for your reference; in many home router devices with dull features, there is usually nothing else to configure than just enabling or disabling the functionality. In more advanced devices, you may need to select proper WAN and LAN interfaces that are supposed to have UPnP feature enabled.

With UPnP enabled, log in to your NAS appliance. Then head to the Control Panel > Network > TCP/IP > Network Interface > edit your network interface and set the static IP address to the appliance.

After this, go to the Service > WebDAV menu and enable the WebDAV service.

With WebDAV service enabled, head to the UPnP Port Mapping menu, on the first tab, you can check whether UPnP compatible router was discovered. On the second tab, you may add services that are supposed to be configured on your router. Select WebDAV HTTPS and confirm. You may enable other services if you wish to, just keep in mind that anyone can access them from the Internet, and you should use encrypted services to keep your data and login credentials secure. Fill in the port to be used for connection and select apply. If everything goes well, the result should look like this.

Now we are ready to set access permissions for our folders!

Static NAT rules

In scenarios where UPnP is not supported or might pose a security risk, creating static NAT rules might be necessary. Configuration of firewall rules will also be necessary. In this guide, we will follow the procedure demonstrated on our firewall. Additional information regarding NAT rules might be found in this article.

Depending on the vendor and model on your device, NAT configuration might vary. See the screenshot below to give you a rough idea of how it could look.

While some devices (such as our new VMG series modems) create firewall rules automatically when NAT rule is created, some devices need explicit firewall rules to make the NAT rule work. In this case, head to the firewall configuration and set up the rule accordingly. Once again, this might vary from vendor to vendor and from device to device, but the principle remains the same.

With NAT rule set, log in to your NAS appliance. Then head to the Control Panel > Network > TCP/IP > Network Interface > edit your network interface and set a static IP address to the appliance. Please confirm that the IP address matches the address you have set up in the NAT rule.

After this, go to the Service > WebDAV menu and enable the WebDAV service.
All set for the next step!

Setting permissions

The key feature to set and verify during publishing something to the Internet is to verify that the permissions are set as we expect. In this scenario, we will create a new folder for our online share.

If not already, log into your NAS appliance and open control panel.

Head to the Privilege and Sharing tab > Shared folders > and click on the "Add" symbol

Set a name for your folder and optional description. Please keep in mind that names are case sensitive! Lowercase names are recommended.

On the next tab, we can choose who has access to the folder, who can write to it. Set up to your liking, note the information about access right priority. If you enable permissions of a group and revoke permissions of someone within that group, the access will still be denied.

Confirm the settings. You can alter the configuration of existing folders to your liking.

WebDAV client configuration on PC

There are many WebDAV clients available, some are well known, such as Total Commander (with WebDAV plugin), in this example, we will map WebDAV share as a network drive to your Computer directory using integrated WebDAV client of Microsoft Windows 10.

Open Windows Explorer and navigate to My Computer folder. Select the "Connect to network drive" option on the ribbon.
Select the desired drive letter, click on "Connect using different login credentials" option; otherwise, Windows would use your login information. The most important thing here is the path to the shared folder. Since we are using a secure WebDAV connection, it should begin with https://, after which either domain name or IP address follows. After this, the colon with the port number is appended. /WebDAV/ is there to help Windows know it is dealing with WebDAV connection and finally share is the name of our shared folder. When the port is 443, specifying port is not needed, as this is the default for HTTPS connections. Examples are here:

https://mydomain.com/webdav/share
https://88.89.90.91:5003/webdav/share
https://88.89.90.91/webdav/share

After finishing the form, you will be prompted to enter your credentials. If everything is set correctly, a new window with your mounted share will pop up, and your drive can now be found in My Computer folder.

Useful information

Some useful information and solutions related to using WebDAV with Zyxel NAS devices on the Zyxel Community Forum. Here are some key points and solutions that might help you:

Access Issues: Many users have reported problems accessing WebDAV on Zyxel NAS, especially when trying to connect via a web browser. The common advice is to use third-party software like RaiDrive or CarotDAV instead of a browser, as WebDAV over a browser is often restricted and may result in permission errors (Zyxel Community) (Zyxel Community) (Zyxel Community).
Local vs. Remote Access: Some users have successfully accessed WebDAV on their local network but faced difficulties when trying to connect remotely. This issue often relates to port forwarding and network configuration. Ensuring proper port forwarding settings (e.g., external port 5003 to internal port 5003) and using a DDNS service can help. However, issues might still persist if there are router compatibility problems or double NAT configurations (Zyxel Community) (Zyxel Community).
HTTPS and SSL Certificates: Setting up WebDAV over HTTPS can be tricky due to SSL certificate issues. Users have reported problems with SSL certificates causing errors like "SSL_ERROR_INTERNAL_ERROR_ALERT". It's crucial to configure the SSL certificate correctly or consider using IP-based access if the certificate setup proves too challenging (Zyxel Community) (Zyxel Community).
Access Rights and Permissions: Inconsistent access rights between different scenarios can also cause issues. Ensuring that the user has the correct permissions and verifying the configuration through third-party tools can help resolve read/write access problems (Zyxel Community) (Zyxel Community).
Firewall and Security Settings: Make sure that your PC firewall has the necessary rules for the TCP port used by WebDAV, and that your router's port forwarding is correctly configured. UPnP settings on the NAS and router compatibility might also impact the connection (Zyxel Community) (Zyxel Community).

By following these tips and considering the use of recommended third-party software, you should be able to improve your WebDAV access experience with Zyxel NAS devices. For detailed guidance and user discussions, you can visit the Zyxel Community Forum here.

Just a heads-up: Zyxel NAS devices have reached the end of their support period. We understand this might be inconvenient, so to help you out, please visit our forum or explore the NAS section in our knowledge base for all the details. You can also find a list of outdated devices and their support timelines at the link below.

Thanks so much for your understanding and patience!

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