FAQ Do I have to open a port on the router for LinkDrop?

[Silas Mariusz]

Symptoms

• You want to share files with LinkDrop and wonder whether the router needs setting up first.

Cause
No, there is nothing to set up on the router. The LinkDrop service only connects the two ends. The files travel directly between them and never pass through the service. With the default settings, the NAS asks the router for a way in by itself, over UPnP or NAT-PMP. When the router refuses, or a carrier's NAT sits in front of it, both ends open a direct path through their routers when a download starts (NAT punching).


Resolution

1. In Files, right-click the file or folder and choose Share in the row at the top of the menu.
2. Read the line at the bottom of the window: Connection: direct or Connection: through NAT punching. Both carry the files; neither requires anything on the router.
   
   
3. Pick Expires: and, if you want one, a Password:. Press Create link, then Copy and send the link.

Notice & Advise

• The line appears once this NAS has registered with the LinkDrop service, which happens at its first share.
• On some networks no direct path exists, for example when both ends sit behind routers that give every connection a port of its own (a VPN, many mobile networks). The download then ends with Failed: No direct path between these networks. Try another network, such as Wi-Fi in place of mobile data.

Ref. links:
Rtorrent 16 guide: LinkDrop