Win10 finally allow network share access from phone?

[hotphil]

"get a better isp" mind sharing how I do that, with the monopoly situation we have? In some rural parts of the US, you're lucky to get 1.5Mbps DSL, though you can get it from multiple companies the ugly truth is that they all use the same copper wire installed decades ago by the incumbent carrier.

Relocate?
Start your own?
Etc etc

Or we're just back to the start - cruddy bandwidth is probably the main reason why direct access to fileshares from a handset is a bad idea.

 

[luke_f]

But anyway, to get back on topic, I'll make it even easier for people: ShareFolder Explorer | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

For copying a file evey now or then, this app might be sufficient. But it is not an integrated solution. I would expect it to be possible to access files stored on my local network from within any app. Just connect my phone to my home network group once, like I do with my tablet, and then being able to open network files from any app, using the standard open file dialog, as soon as I am connected to my home network. I just got a WP a few months ago and I was quite surprised to find out that this is not working out-of-the-box. Really hope that this will come with Windows 10.

Here is s WP user voice item for this:

https://windowsphone.uservoice.com/forums/101801-feature-suggestions/category/18995-file-system

 

[PepperdotNet]

Relocate?
Start your own?
Etc etc

Or we're just back to the start - cruddy bandwidth is probably the main reason why direct access to fileshares from a handset is a bad idea.

This doesn't even make sense. Because I have cruddy bandwidth for Internet, I should be forced to use an Internet service to access synced copies of my local files. Brilliant.

 

[EspHack]

I really want that feature, RT can join homegroups, and w10 for phones is supposed to be a mix of current wp and rt, so it should have that feature, the cloud is simply not a replacement for that, imagine you have a 40gb movie on your main pc you want to watch on your phone... its there for those situations when the "cloud" is one of your actual devices, and its only limited by your router's speed, which in most if not all cases is a lot faster than a cloud outside of your LAN

 

[runamuck83]

This is actually one of the most requested capabilities from my users for their tablet/smartphone. They always come to IT asking how to access the network file shares from their device. Right now the only option is for them to buy an app, which we do not allow because we have no idea how the passwords/authentication works security,etc.

I've been rocking Windows Phone for awhile and we recently started rolling them out to users. The first thing they said was "Awesome now I bet this just easily connects to the network shares right?" Wrong.. The most basic workplace file share use doesn't work on the Windows based phone.

They were all flabbergasted...

I hear people talking about SharePoint - that'd be great if I could get my company to invest the dollars and manpower, but again we wouldn't move EVERYTHING into SharePoint anyway, it would be project based.

OneDrive? Yea, that's great if I want to buy all my users a subscription - or worse allow them to use their own personal copying sensitive company data to their own files. Nope - not happening.

This feature should exist...

 

[anthonyng]

My first expectation of windows phone 8.0 on my 920 was to connect to my NAS via regular network share. Was a downer. Felt so lucky RT was able to at least.

 

[DaveBudgetman]

I would love this feature. It's shocking that the files app doesn't give you the option. I use network shares all the time on my android device.

 

[ODwyerPW]

If we had even elementary WorkGroup/HomeGroup functionality to share items between our Windows 10 Desktops, Windows 10 Laptops, Windows 10 Tablets and Windows 10 Phones over the Wifi we have in our house or even just dropping something from our phone to the printer,... well, then it would 'just work' wouldn't it. It seems simple enough to all of us early adopters of Windows Phone. That was the kind of collaboration as I was hoping for between my Windows 10 powered devices.

 

[Nikolai Kuzbanovsky]

This feature has to be implemented! I am wondering how it is not. And as I see people have been asking for this feature since 2012....

Some guy before suggested emailing the files to ourselves... How convenient!!! I hadn't thought of it, congratulations.

 

[Cruachan 11]

This feature has to be implemented! I am wondering how it is not.

I'm going to go with Microsoft want you to buy something from them. OneDrive has been suggested by several people, MS want everyone to use Office 365 which includes OneDrive for Business.

If this functionality does come it'll be from a 3rd party app rather than built-in IMO. It's not native in Android, I've got a Nexus 7 tablet and use ES File Explorer to access my NAS.

 

[ajj3085]

I can't think of a use-case where that would be beneficial...

Copying files to or from my PC is a good use case, since Bluetooth doesn't seem to be an option.

 

[ajj3085]

On a phone? Well, whatever floats your boat.
But SharePoint etc is the way to go. And the way for MS to rake in some licensing costs.
I'd wash my hands of any file server that my users had file access to from phones.

How would it be any different than users accessing the share through their PC?

 

[ajj3085]

Either way, as I mentioned above, there's already a solution, and it only costs $1.49.

Irrelevant. You could say the same thing about the flashlight functionality, yet it was built in anyway.

 

[Nikolai Kuzbanovsky]

I'm going to go with Microsoft want you to buy something from them. OneDrive has been suggested by several people, MS want everyone to use Office 365 which includes OneDrive for Business.

If this functionality does come it'll be from a 3rd party app rather than built-in IMO. It's not native in Android, I've got a Nexus 7 tablet and use ES File Explorer to access my NAS

Well on PCs it is native, not third party, and it is supposed to be "one OS".
Moreover, on android there is an option, for android to windows!! Yet windows10 to wondows 10 it is impossible. This is laughable.
And no, onedrive is no solution, they are different things.

 

[linda kamu]

there is a walk around, it is not exactly the same, but at least you have the option to stream videos from local network.

you can share files with DLNA, this function is built in in Windows just need to enable it.

Unfortunately I can't link in any think as this is a new registration, but copy this in google and check the first match:
How to Turn Your Computer Into a DLNA Media Server

(and you have the option to add custom folder in windows media player, once when you set up dlna)

after then you can stream movies from your windows phone with any player that support dlna
for example: smart player

 

[Christopher J Shea]

Re: Win10 finally allow network share access from phone? - SOLVED

Hi All,

Agreed, MS hasn't made this turnkey... I don't know what native CIFS/SMB support will ultimately be included in the Windows 10 Mobile "public release" because it is not yet available and am currently using WP 8.1 in a WS2012R2/W10 environment.

However, I can provide some real-world, here-today, use-them-myself-daily, broadly-inclusive COTS solutions for many of the genuine use-case scenarios mentioned in this thread (addressed from a "Windows Phone" orientation). These solutions can be secured for local as well as internet connection (application security and website/server security) and may be helpful for many home, personal cloud and SOHO deployments:

If you want front-end GUIs and care to invest the time:
1. PLEX for all multimedia except eBooks [Free server, free web client, $5 app].
2. CALIBRE for eBooks [Free server & free web client/your ebook app].
3. SHAREPOINT for anything else that can benefit from SharePointing (YMMV) [License fees].

For general-purpose phone access:
4. METRO FILE MANAGER for SMB access to network file shares using your Windows login credentials [Free/$2 app & streams videos over LAN nicely].
5. MS REMOTE DESKTOP phone app for direct access to your desktop/network using your Windows login credentials [Free].

For access from the Internet (if not already implemented elsewhere), please consider:
6. DNSExit IP Updater creates static Internet address pointing to your dynamic address (most home users) [Free].
7. SSL CERTIFICATE for secured access to your cloud/domain, traffic encryption and basic defense against man-in-the-middle attacks [~$5+ from Comodo, etc.].

My short answer to the original poster (as this thread & answer has wandered around a bit) is try the "METRO FILE MANAGER" app for Windows Phone.

r/Chris

 

[mjf196]

Re: Win10 finally allow network share access from phone? - SOLVED

I have been using the free Total Commander app to access my local SMB/Cifs shares at home with username/password authentication. Seems to work ok a bit slow.

 

[anthonyng]

I want to stream from my network shares. Smart Player finds my DLNA server ok, but I can't seem to pick a player like VLC instead of the one inside smart player

 

[Fred Shumacher]

OS based Windows Network support is crucial feature and It would be amazing if with win 10 this would not be included.. Truly needed BASIC feature!

 

[rexii23]

Metro File Manager sees the my SMB shares. Can also stream video with it too. I love it and paid for the pro version.