How to Access a Home Network Drive or Device Remotely

You're at work and you suddenly need a file that's sitting on your home NAS. Or you want to check your home security camera while you're on holiday. Maybe you just want to print something at home from your laptop in a coffee shop. Whatever the device, the question is the same: how do you reach it from outside your home network without opening up your whole house to the internet? This guide covers the safer approach, whether you're accessing a Synology NAS remotely or any other home device.

This guide shows you how to access a home network drive remotely, along with printers, cameras and other single devices, using a VPN or Tailscale rather than poking holes in your router. It takes about 30 to 60 minutes to set up, and you only need to do it once. After that, reaching your home devices becomes as easy as opening an app.

What You'll Need

• A router that supports VPN (built-in WireGuard/OpenVPN) or a spare device that can run Tailscale
• Admin access to your router's settings
• The device you want to reach (NAS, printer, camera, PC) already working on your home network
• A laptop or phone to test the remote connection from outside your home
• 30 to 60 minutes, more if your router's interface is unfamiliar

Step 1: Decide Between a VPN and Tailscale

Before touching any settings, pick your approach. Both get you onto your home network safely, but they work a bit differently.

1. A traditional VPN (WireGuard or OpenVPN) on your router creates a private tunnel between your phone or laptop and your home network. Once connected, your device behaves as if it's sitting on your home Wi-Fi.
2. Tailscale is a mesh VPN that's quicker to set up, especially if your router doesn't support WireGuard natively. You install a small app on your home devices and on whatever you're using remotely, and they find each other automatically.

If you're not sure which suits you, our comparison of the best way to access your home network remotely breaks down the pros and cons of each in more detail. Either option avoids the real problem with port forwarding: exposing a device directly to the internet, where anyone scanning for open ports can find it.

Step 2: Set Up Your VPN Server (Router Method)

If your router supports WireGuard, this is usually the fastest route to a secure home network VPN.

1. Log into your router's admin panel, usually at an address like 192.168.1.1.
2. Look for a VPN or WireGuard section, often under Advanced Settings or VPN Server.
3. Enable the WireGuard server and let it generate keys automatically.
4. Download the configuration file or scan the QR code it produces for your phone or laptop.
5. Install the WireGuard app on your device and import that config.

The exact menus vary by brand. We've got step-by-step walkthroughs for a few popular routers:

• Setting up WireGuard on an ASUS router
• Setting up WireGuard on TP-Link and Omada routers
• Setting up WireGuard on UniFi and Ubiquiti gear

If you want to understand what's actually inside that config file before you import it, our guide to WireGuard config files explains each line in plain English.

Step 3: Or Set Up Tailscale Instead

If your router doesn't support VPN hosting, or you just want something simpler, Tailscale is worth a look.

1. Create a free Tailscale account.
2. Install the Tailscale app on a device that stays on at home, ideally your NAS, a mini PC, or even a Raspberry Pi.
3. Install the same app on your phone or laptop (the one you'll use away from home).
4. Log into both with the same account. They'll appear on your private Tailscale network automatically.
5. Once connected, you can reach the home device by its Tailscale name or IP, from anywhere.

There's no router configuration needed, which makes this a good option if your hardware is older or locked down. Some mesh VPN services, including NordVPN's Meshnet, work on a similar principle. If you already pay for NordVPN, our piece on whether NordVPN can access your home network via Meshnet explains how that compares to Tailscale.

Step 4: Find the Address of the Device You Want to Reach

Once your VPN or Tailscale connection is live, you need to know how to address the specific drive, printer, camera or Home Assistant dashboard on your home network.

1. On your home network, open your router's connected devices list and find the IP address of the target device (for example, 192.168.1.50 for your NAS).
2. If the device has a hostname (like nas.local or printer.local), note that too, as it's often easier to remember.
3. For shared folders, confirm the exact share name, such as \\192.168.1.50\Shared on Windows or smb://192.168.1.50/Shared on a Mac.
4. For Tailscale users, the device will show up with its own Tailscale IP (usually starting 100.x.x.x), which you can use instead of the local one.

Write these down somewhere, because you'll need them in the next step.

Step 5: Connect From Outside and Test Access

Now for the part that actually matters: reaching the device from somewhere other than your home Wi-Fi.

1. Turn off your home Wi-Fi on your phone or laptop, or use mobile data, so you're genuinely testing a remote connection.
2. Open your VPN app (WireGuard or Tailscale) and connect.
3. Once connected, open your file manager and type in the network drive address noted in Step 4 (for example, \\192.168.1.50\Shared).
4. Enter your usual username and password for the shared drive if prompted.
5. For a printer, add it through your device's printer settings using its home IP address, just as if you were on the home network.
6. For a camera, open its app or web interface and log in using the same local address.

If it connects, you've done it: you now have remote access to a device on your home network without opening anything to the public internet. If it doesn't connect, check that the VPN itself is active first, since everything else depends on that tunnel working.

Step 6: Make It Reliable for Future Use

A working connection today doesn't guarantee a working connection next month, so a little maintenance goes a long way.

1. Set your target device (NAS, PC, Pi) to have a fixed local IP address in your router, so it doesn't change and break your saved connection.
2. Save the VPN or Tailscale profile on your most-used devices (phone, laptop) so reconnecting is a one-tap job.
3. Check your router occasionally to confirm the VPN server is still enabled, especially after a firmware update.
4. If your home internet provider changes your public IP address often, Tailscale avoids the issue entirely, while a router VPN might need dynamic DNS. Our beginner's guide to accessing your home network remotely covers dynamic DNS if you go down the traditional VPN route.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forwarding ports directly to a device instead of using a VPN. This is the main thing to avoid, since it exposes that device to anyone scanning the internet.
• Using default or weak passwords on the shared folder, printer or camera itself. A VPN protects the connection, but a weak password on the device is still a weak password.
• Forgetting to give the target device a static local IP. If it changes address after a reboot, your saved connection will simply stop working.
• Not testing from outside the home network. A connection that works on home Wi-Fi doesn't prove anything, since you're not actually leaving the network.
• Leaving an old VPN or Tailscale profile active on a device you've sold or given away. Remove access when a device changes hands.
• Assuming all devices support VPN access equally. Some older cameras or printers rely on cloud apps rather than local network addresses, so check the manual if Step 5 doesn't work as expected.

Conclusion

Once it's set up, remote access to a device on your home network stops being a hassle and just becomes a normal part of how you use your files, printer or camera. A VPN or Tailscale connection gives you that access without exposing anything directly to the internet, which is the safer trade-off every time. If you ever need to tidy up your home network from afar too, such as restarting a router that's acting up, it's worth knowing how to restart your router remotely as a companion skill.

FAQ

Do I need a static IP address at home to do this?

Not necessarily. Tailscale works around changing public IP addresses automatically. If you use a router VPN instead, dynamic DNS solves the same problem without needing a fixed IP from your internet provider.

Is Tailscale free to use for this kind of setup?

Tailscale offers a free tier that covers personal use for most people, including a handful of devices. Check their current plan details before relying on it long-term, as limits can change.

Can I access more than one device this way?

Yes. Once the VPN or Tailscale connection is active, you're effectively on your home network, so you can reach any device you'd normally access locally, not just one.

Is this safer than using the manufacturer's cloud app?

Generally yes, because you control the connection rather than routing your data through a third-party cloud service. It also means the device itself isn't exposed directly to the internet.

What if my router doesn't support VPN hosting?

Use Tailscale instead. It runs as a small app on a device at home (like a NAS or mini PC) rather than relying on your router's firmware.

Will this slow down my home internet?

Barely, if at all. A VPN or Tailscale tunnel only uses bandwidth while you're actively transferring files or streaming video from the device, much like browsing normally.