Ubee EVW32C port forwarding help

Hey everyone,

So, I’ve got this Ubee EVW32C-0S-010 router sitting on my desk, and I decided to get a little adventurous—you know how it goes—and try hooking up an external hard drive to it. The goal? To share my music and movie collection across the network. I actually managed to get the local sharing working just fine; the drive shows up perfectly when I'm hanging out on my home Wi-Fi.
But, once you taste success, you start getting greedy, right? So I thought, why stop at the living room? Why not make this drive accessible from anywhere in the world? To pull this off, I went through the whole ritual: first, I called up Comcast to get them to ditch the CGNAT (which was a headache, honestly), then I went into the router settings and killed the FW, disabled the 'WAN block' in the advanced options, and dove headfirst into the port forwarding configuration. I set up two rules—forwarding ports 444-446 and 136-140. For the external address, I double-checked everything by comparing what the router says with what comes up on my IP lookup site to make sure they match. As for the internal IP, I wasn't totally sure which one to use, so I tried both 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.10. Unfortunately, it's been a total bust—the drive is still invisible once I step outside my house. I can ping the external IP just fine, but those ports? They aren't opening for either of the internal addresses I picked.
I even gave customer support another ring to see if they were pulling my leg or if there was some issue on their end, but they just insisted everything looks perfect from where they're sitting.
Just to test things out, I've been using CX File Explorer on my phone—which, by the way, is an absolute lifesaver for local file management.
Does anyone have any bright ideas? Like, am I missing something obvious here??

Thanks in advance!

You can't just go rogue and try to "log in" to a router via its IP from outside the network; that's a massive no-no.

Megan Thomas5 said:You can't just go rogue and try to "log in" to a router via its IP from outside the network; that's a massive no-no.

But I guess why wouldn't you be able to? 🤔

Having remote access to a router could actually be quite a handy feature, especially if you happen to be managing networks across several different locations.

Not every router supports remote access out of the box. You actually need something like DynDNS or a similar service because your IP address is constantly shifting—unless the router specifically has those settings built-in. You can't just shout "156.17.18.1333" at the internet and expect it to work.

It’s actually super easy to get in. I mean, NAT has been around for over 30 years, and then you’ve got PAT too.

Friendly advice though—if you have no clue what you're doing, just don't touch it.

Raspberry pi VPN with Pi-hole--

Thanks for all the input.
Look, I know my plan isn't exactly textbook when it comes to security—obviously. But honestly? I don't see any technical walls stopping me from pulling this off. I’m just opening up one specific port for Samba to the internet. My router is already reachable from the web, and since the ISP has all the ports wide open on their end, I’m really just punching one single hole through to the internal IP of my Samba server.
As for having a static public IP, they actually pulled NAT off my setup, but the IP still cycles every time I reboot the router. It’s not like this is some mission-critical enterprise application where that's a total dealbreaker for me. Though, I am leaning toward skipping the No-IP DDNS thing too... I don't really feel like dealing with the headache of calling them up every month just to renew a free account. That kind of hassle isn't worth the trouble, you know? Besides, my router has built-in DDNS support anyway.
Regarding the Raspberry Pi suggestion—I actually have an old Android stick lying around that I was thinking about trying to repurpose for this, which would be my Plan B. But, if I'm being real, I'd much rather not have to juggle any extra hardware at all.

Samba (if I remember correctly, we were on v4.0?) is basically just an open-source version of a Microsoft protocol. It’s honestly such a waste because it just ripped off an old IBM protocol meant for tiny local networks way before NAT even existed.

Just a friendly heads-up: don't go messing around with stuff you don't actually understand.

Thanks for the input, though I gotta say it feels a little condescending since you didn't actually give me a solid "why" behind it. I don't really see how the protocol's origin story changes anything here—the setup is working for now, and honestly, if it isn't absolutely flawless, I can live with that.
I’m just looking for some real-world advice or actual, concrete reasons why switching over to a DDNS plan would be a total waste of my time. Just so we're on the same page and I can get the best info possible: the whole point of this rig is pretty simple—I just want to stream music from the drive to my phone while I'm out and about.

BTW, you running on fiber or what?

shadowviper12 said:Thanks for the input, though I gotta say it feels a little condescending since you didn't actually give me a solid "why" behind it. I don't really see how the protocol's origin story changes anything here—the setup is working for now, and honestly, if it isn't absolutely flawless, I can live with that.
I’m just looking for some real-world advice or actual, concrete reasons why switching over to a DDNS plan would be a total waste of my time. Just so we're on the same page and I can get the best info possible: the whole point of this rig is pretty simple—I just want to stream music from the drive to my phone while I'm out and about.

Well, you got your practical advice. === Don't expose your file server to the open internet ===.

A static IP costs you money—you gotta pay your ISP for it (could be anything from a single address up to a full C class if you're feeling really loaded). If you don't want to shell out for a static one, you need dynamic DNS because your provider is gonna swap your router's public IP roughly once a week. There are plenty of reasons they do that, and all of them are valid.

The IBM file protocol (aka SMB, Simple message Block) was built for tiny local networks, like maybe 10 PCs sitting in a room. Once Microsoft took over, the thing ballooned into this massive beast that’s practically useless on the internet.

If you really want your files online, just use services like Dropbox or Google Drive. What people always overlook is that when you dump your files onto a public service like that, you're basically handing your content over to the service provider, both in practice and legally.

I've got fiber, yeah. Well, technically it runs to the building and then it's just coax all the way to my router.

Jack Cook7 said:Well, you got your practical advice. === Don't expose your file server to the open internet ===.

A static IP costs you money—you gotta pay your ISP for it (could be anything from a single address up to a full C class if you're feeling really loaded). If you don't want to shell out for a static one, you need dynamic DNS because your provider is gonna swap your router's public IP roughly once a week. There are plenty of reasons they do that, and all of them are valid.

The IBM file protocol (aka SMB, Simple message Block) was built for tiny local networks, like maybe 10 PCs sitting in a room. Once Microsoft took over, the thing ballooned into this massive beast that’s practically useless on the internet.

If you really want your files online, just use services like Dropbox or Google Drive. What people always overlook is that when you dump your files onto a public service like that, you're basically handing your content over to the service provider, both in practice and legally.

Again, don't take this the wrong way, but I've always been pretty skeptical of "appeal to authority" arguments—especially when they come from random folks on the internet. I prefer actual logic, and I think I can wrap my head around what's being said here if we stick to the facts.

I had no idea my ISP swaps IPs every week—I'll have to double-check that. If Verizon actually operates that way, it's definitely a downside for standard plans, but a big plus for anyone using a DDNS solution.

You didn't really explain *why* Samba is unusable or specifically in what context it fails. I'm sure there's truth to that for certain setups, but I'm struggling to see how it applies to my specific use case. If you could shed some light on that, I'd really appreciate it.

I use public storage services, but they aren't practical for what I'm trying to do—the free tiers offer way too little space to be worth it for my needs. And as for someone stealing stuff from my Dropbox? Honestly, if they're stealing things I've already "borrowed" myself, it's not exactly a crisis.

shadowviper12 said:I've got fiber, yeah. Well, technically it runs to the building and then it's just coax all the way to my router.

Again, don't take this the wrong way, but I've always been pretty skeptical of "appeal to authority" arguments—especially when they come from random folks on the internet. I prefer actual logic, and I think I can wrap my head around what's being said here if we stick to the facts.

I had no idea my ISP swaps IPs every week—I'll have to double-check that. If Verizon actually operates that way, it's definitely a downside for standard plans, but a big plus for anyone using a DDNS solution.

You didn't really explain *why* Samba is unusable or specifically in what context it fails. I'm sure there's truth to that for certain setups, but I'm struggling to see how it applies to my specific use case. If you could shed some light on that, I'd really appreciate it.

I use public storage services, but they aren't practical for what I'm trying to do—the free tiers offer way too little space to be worth it for my needs. And as for someone stealing stuff from my Dropbox? Honestly, if they're stealing things I've already "borrowed" myself, it's not exactly a crisis.

So you go out of your way to hunt down advice from a bunch of random internet experts, but once they actually tell you what you need to hear... suddenly you're totally unprepared to actually listen? Classic.

Man, I had no clue my ISP rotates my IP address once a week! I’m definitely gonna have to double-check that. If it turns out Verizon actually does that, then it's a total bummer for anyone on a fixed plan, but honestly? It's a huge win if you're running a DDNS setup. Makes life way easier.

Man, you didn't actually say *why* Samba is useless or even what kind of stuff it fails at. I mean, sure, maybe it sucks for certain specific things, but honestly? I have no clue how that affects my own setup. If you could give me some actual info on where it falls short, I'd really appreciate it!

I’ve tried using those public cloud storage services, but honestly? They’re useless for what I’m trying to do. The free tiers are such a joke—there’s way too little space to actually make anything interesting happen with this setup. And look, if someone decides to swipe my stuff from Dropbox, I really couldn't care less. It's not like they're stealing anything I didn't already "borrow" myself!

The whole thing with Samba is that its authentication—you know, actually making sure users are logging in securely—is a total mess. Honestly, NAT basically kills any chance of secure user login because that's just how it's built to function. It’s a huge headache!

Maybe give NAT-T (tunneling) a shot? It’s basically just a stripped-down, cleaner version of NAT. Worth a look!
Check this out! I just stumbled upon some seriously intense research from the folks over at the University of Arizona. They’re diving deep into NAT traversal—basically how devices find their way through those pesky network barriers—and honestly, the technical depth here is wild. It’s one of those "rabbit hole" links that starts simple and ends up making your brain itch in the best way possible. Definitely worth a look if you’re into the nitty-gritty of network architecture!

I’m always down for some solid, well-reasoned advice.

I’m still a little lost on what you’re getting at with NAT—how exactly is one of its functions supposed to be secure user authentication? NAT is all about address translation, right? What does that have to do with verifying who someone is? And that stuff you sent over regarding NAT tunneling... honestly, it's a pretty wild concept, but is anyone actually using that out in the real world?
Could you dive a bit deeper into the authentication headaches people run into with Samba? I did a quick little deep dive on Google, and besides the occasional glitch where a user can't log in or group permissions act wonky, I didn't see much else. Is that what you're talking about? Or if there's something more complex going on, do you have a link or something where I could actually sit down and learn the ropes?

So, what kind of upload speeds are we actually looking at here?

Megan Thomas5 said:So, what kind of upload speeds are we actually looking at here?

But I guess, does that even really matter in the grand scheme of things? I mean, at the end of the day, isn't the main thing just whether you're running on fiber, copper, or some ancient 56k modem? 🤔

So a1 says the upload speed sits somewhere between 14 and 20 Mbps—which, honestly, is more than enough for what I’m trying to pull off here.

The real headache is that I can't pin down which specific IP address the router is using to host this Samba share. The gateway is sitting at 192.168.0.1, but then I see .10 popping up on the network with port 445 wide open. When I browse the shared drive, it just shows up by its hostname, and I haven't been able to figure out how to confirm that the name actually maps back to that specific IP. I really need that info so I can get my port forwarding set up right. Up until now, every time I try to point an internal IP through the port forwarding settings, the port stays closed on my public address... so maybe it isn't the IP itself, but I'm kind of flying blind here. I know plenty of people forward ports all the time for online gaming, so it's definitely doable, but I'm wondering if it matters that I'm trying to forward directly to the router instead of a separate device on the network? It feels like a bit of a stretch, though—not sure if that's actually the culprit.

shadowviper12 said:So a1 says the upload speed sits somewhere between 14 and 20 Mbps—which, honestly, is more than enough for what I’m trying to pull off here.

The real headache is that I can't pin down which specific IP address the router is using to host this Samba share. The gateway is sitting at 192.168.0.1, but then I see .10 popping up on the network with port 445 wide open. When I browse the shared drive, it just shows up by its hostname, and I haven't been able to figure out how to confirm that the name actually maps back to that specific IP. I really need that info so I can get my port forwarding set up right. Up until now, every time I try to point an internal IP through the port forwarding settings, the port stays closed on my public address... so maybe it isn't the IP itself, but I'm kind of flying blind here. I know plenty of people forward ports all the time for online gaming, so it's definitely doable, but I'm wondering if it matters that I'm trying to forward directly to the router instead of a separate device on the network? It feels like a bit of a stretch, though—not sure if that's actually the culprit.

Maybe try running ipconfig/all and see if you can spot the local IP for that drive.

Kenneth Cruz67 said:But I guess, does that even really matter in the grand scheme of things? I mean, at the end of the day, isn't the main thing just whether you're running on fiber, copper, or some ancient 56k modem? 🤔

Because he wants to stream movies from home while he's out on the road.

Kenneth Cruz67 said:Maybe try running ipconfig/all and see if you can spot the local IP for that drive.

The local IP for that drive is 192.168.0.1 because it’s plugged directly into the router.
To be more precise, though, the drive doesn't have its own IP address. It just has a shared folder named "sharea."
Shares don't carry their own IPs; you access them via the host they're attached to.

If I were him, I’d plug the drive into a computer on the network instead, share it from there, and then set up port forwarding on the router to point to that PC. If that works, then the issue is likely that the router can't (or isn't configured to) forward ports from the outside world back to itself.

I've shared drives like that before, though not quite that direct. I usually set up SSH access to internal drives—basically hitting the internal "hosts" where the storage lives. I've never actually plugged a drive straight into a router; it's always been to "something inside the local network." Honestly, I'm not even sure if that's a thing you can do. Haven't tried it.