At this point we should note that there are two exceptions to the app-only access restrictions. If you want to use Time Machine for backups on a Mac, a standard network share will be created because that's how Time Machine works and it's too popular to not support.Secondly, one folder called Public is permanently exposed as a standard network share. We used a free network scanning tool to discover the My Cloud Home's IP address, and were able to mount the Public folder manually both in Windows and in macOS. This folder is visible to everyone on your network - there is no way to assign permissions - which means that anyone can see and even delete its contents without a password. This lets it work with the Windows Backup and Restore tool.
The Public folder is also for some reason hidden from all the apps, and even the virtual Z: drive in Windows Explorer. There's no storage quota and no security, and the apps can't show you how much space its contents are occupying, all of which make it a poor backup destination. At least it's a standard network share which could come in handy - and yes, it worked just fine without an Internet connection, exactly as it's supposed to. We just wish we could create more folders and manage permissions, bypassing the apps altogether. Clearly, since WD allowed these two exceptions, it could have gone all the way.
