Network shares (SMB, FTP, SFTP)

ComicDrive reads comics straight from a NAS or a shared folder on your computer. Each comic is cached on the phone the first time you open it, so pages turn fast and it stays readable when the server is out of reach.

Connect to a server

1. On the Start screen, tap the + button and choose Add network share (SMB/FTP/SFTP). The dialog Connect to a server opens. Its How to connect link opens this page. New in 3.06

2. Choose the protocol at the top: SMB for a Windows share or most NAS folders, SFTP for a server you reach over SSH, FTP only if nothing else is available.

3. Enter the Server address, for example 192.168.1.20 or nas.local. Leave Port empty to use the protocol’s default.

4. For SMB, enter the Share name: the name of the shared folder on the server, such as comics. If your comics sit deeper inside it, add the rest as Folder path (optional).

5. Enter your user name in Username (empty for guest) and your Password. For a Windows domain account, write the user name as DOMAIN\username.

6. Tap Test connection. Saving is possible only after a successful test; when it shows Connected, tap Add.

Caution

FTP sends your password and your comics unencrypted over the network, so anyone on the same network can read them. Use SFTP if your server supports it.

Find your share name

Synology

In DSM, open Control Panel, then Shared Folder. The share name is the folder’s name in that list, for example comics. SMB must be turned on under Control Panel, File Services.

QNAP

In QTS, open Control Panel, then Privilege, then Shared Folders. The share name is the folder’s name in that list.

Windows

Right-click the shared folder, choose Properties, then the Sharing tab. The network path reads like \\COMPUTER\comics: the part after the computer name is the share name, and the computer name or its IP address is the server address.

Your password

The password is used only to log in to your server. Otherwise it leaves this phone only in Android’s own backup and device transfer, encrypted with a key that stays on this phone, so you enter it again on a new device. It is stored encrypted with the Android Keystore; if encryption is not available, ComicDrive refuses to save the connection rather than keep the password unprotected. ComicDrive’s own backup file never contains it: after restoring a backup, the Start screen asks you to re-enter it once.

For SFTP, ComicDrive remembers the server’s identity the first time it connects. If that identity changes later, the app shows the previously trusted and the presented identity side by side and asks before it continues. Only choose Trust new identity if you expected the change, for example after reinstalling the server.

If a comic can’t be loaded from the share, see “Can’t reach the network share”.