FAQ A LinkDrop link does not open

[Silas Mariusz]

Symptoms

• The link's page in a browser says "No direct path between your network and the sender.", "The sender is offline. Try again later." or "This link is no longer available."
• A download on the LinkDrop page ends with Failed: No direct path between these networks., Failed: The sender is offline. or Failed: This link is no longer available.
• The page says "The link is incomplete: its key is missing."

Cause
LinkDrop sends the files directly from the sender's NAS. On some networks no direct path exists, for example when both ends sit behind routers that give every connection a port of their own (a VPN, many mobile networks). A link also stops working when it expires or the sender revokes it, and it cannot open while the sender's NAS is offline. The part of the link after the # sign is its key: a link cut short there cannot open.


Resolution

1. No direct path: try another network, such as Wi-Fi in place of mobile data, and open the link again. If you leave the page open on that message, it tries again by itself when you return to it a minute or more later.
2. For a more reliable connection, use Rtorrent 16 on a NAS: paste the link on the LinkDrop page, or in Files press More (⋯), then Download from link…. A failed download there has Retry.
3. Incomplete link: copy the whole link again, with everything after the # sign.
4. Offline or no longer available: ask the sender to check that the NAS is on, or to send a new link. The sender's LinkDrop page lists every link with its expiry.

Notice & Advise
The LinkDrop service never carries the file in place of a direct path. The download needs both ends online at the same time.


Ref. links:
Rtorrent 16 guide: LinkDrop