How to Connect Kodi to Your UGREEN NAS (SMB, NFS, WebDAV Guide)

Connect Kodi to your UGREEN NAS, so you can stream movies, TV shows and music from the NAS to Kodi installed on any device — PC, smart TV, Fire Stick, Apple TV or Raspberry Pi.

The UGREEN NAS supports three protocols compatible with Kodi for media access: SMB, NFS and WebDAV.

Which Protocol Should You Use? (SMB vs NFS vs WebDAV)

For most users, SMB is the right starting point. It works on every Kodi platform, and performs well enough for almost all media including 1080p and most 4K.

Choose NFS if you’re running Kodi on LibreELEC, a Raspberry Pi, Android TV, or any Linux-based device and you want the best possible performance for 4K content.

Choose WebDAV only when you need to stream from your NAS over the internet.

You can also use more than one protocol on the same NAS — for example, NFS for your home theater Kodi on LibreELEC and WebDAV for remote access from a laptop on the road. Each protocol is configured independently in Control Panel.

How to Connect Kodi to UGREEN NAS via SMB

SMB is the easiest way to connect Kodi to your UGREEN NAS and works on every Kodi platform.

Enable SMB on Your UGREEN NAS

1. Open Control Panel on your NAS
2. Go to File Service → SMB
3. Check Enable SMB service
4. Click Apply

Confirm User Permissions on Your Media Folders

Before connecting Kodi, make sure the NAS user account you’ll use has read access to the folders containing your media. Read-only is the right permission level — Kodi doesn’t need to modify your files, and read-only access prevents Kodi from accidentally deleting or moving anything.

Add the SMB Source in Kodi

1. Launch Kodi
2. Go to Settings → Media → Library → Videos
3. Click Add videos → Browse
4. Select Windows network (SMB) from the list of source types
5. Browse to your UGREEN NAS — it should appear in the SMB network list automatically as a discoverable device
6. Select your NAS, then navigate to the folder containing your media (Movies, TV Shows, etc.)
7. Enter your NAS username and password when prompted
8. Click OK to confirm the source path
9. Give the source a name (this is what shows up in Kodi’s library — “Movies” or “NAS Films” works fine)
10. Click OK to add the source

If Your UGREEN NAS Doesn’t Appear in Kodi’s Browse List

Network discovery sometimes fails — firewall settings, network configuration, or Kodi quirks can prevent your NAS from showing up in the SMB browse list automatically. The fix is to enter the path manually:

1. In the Browse screen, click Add network location
2. For protocol, select Windows network (SMB)
3. Server name: enter your NAS IP address (for example, 192.168.1.50)
4. Shared folder: enter the share name (for example, Movies or Media)
5. Username and password: your NAS credentials
6. Click OK

Once you’ve added the network location manually, it appears in your sources list and works the same as a browsed source.

How to Connect Kodi to UGREEN NAS via NFS

NFS is often the best choice when you’re running Kodi on LibreELEC, Android TV, a Raspberry Pi, or any Linux-based device and you want the best possible streaming performance, especially for high-bitrate 4K media.

Enable NFS on Your UGREEN NAS

1. Open Control Panel on your NAS.
2. Go to File Service → NFS.
3. Check Enable NFS service.
4. Click Apply.

Create NFS Permission Rules for Your Media Folders

NFS handles access control differently from SMB. Instead of usernames and passwords, NFS grants access based on the client device’s IP address. You need to add a permission rule for each shared folder Kodi will read, specifying which IP addresses are allowed to mount it.

1. Go to Control Panel → Shared Folder.
2. Select the folder containing your media.
3. Open NFS Permissions (or the equivalent NFS access tab).
4. Click Add to create a new rule.
5. Configure the rule:
   • Client IP: The IP address of your Kodi device, or your local network range such as 192.168.1.0/24 to allow any device on your home network.
   • Privilege: Read-only is recommended — Kodi does not need write access to your media.
   • Squash: Map all users to admin or guest, depending on your security preference. Map all users to admin is simpler but less secure; map all users to guest is more restrictive and safer on less‑trusted networks.
   • Security: sys (the default) is fine for most home networks.
6. Save the rule.

Repeat these steps for every shared folder Kodi will access — Movies, TV Shows, Music, etc. Each folder needs its own NFS permission rule.

Add the NFS Source in Kodi

1. Launch Kodi.
2. Go to Settings → Media → Library → Videos.
3. Click Add videos… → Browse.
4. Select Network File System (NFS) from the list of source types.
5. Your UGREEN NAS should appear as an IP address — select it.
6. Browse into the shared folder you want to add and select it.
7. Click OK to confirm the source path.
8. Give the source a name.
9. Click OK to add the source.

Kodi does not prompt for credentials when adding an NFS source — access is controlled entirely by the IP-based permission rules you created on the NAS. If Kodi cannot connect, the NFS permission configuration on the NAS is almost always the cause. If the permission rule looks correct but the NAS still does not appear, also check your NAS firewall setup to make sure the Kodi device is not being blocked.

If Your UGREEN NAS Does Not Appear in Kodi’s NFS Browse List

If your NAS does not appear automatically, enter the path manually:

1. In the Browse screen, click Add network location….
2. For Protocol, select Network File System (NFS).
3. Server name: Enter your NAS IP address (for example, 192.168.1.50).
4. Folder: Enter the exported NFS path (typically something like /volume1/media or /data/Multimedia — check the NFS path displayed in UGOS Pro when you created the permission rule).
5. Click OK.

When NFS Connection Fails: The Most Common Causes

• The permission rule doesn’t include your Kodi device’s IP. Re-check the Client IP field in the NFS permission rule. If you used a specific IP and your router reassigned the Kodi device a different address, the rule no longer applies. 
• The NFS service isn’t actually running. Re-check that NFS shows as enabled in Control Panel → File Service → NFS. UGOS Pro updates can occasionally reset service status.
• The NFS path is wrong. If you entered the path manually, verify it matches exactly what UGOS Pro displays when you view the NFS permission rule. A wrong volume number or capitalization will cause the connection to fail.

How to Connect Kodi to UGREEN NAS via WebDAV

1.Log in to the UGOS Pro management interface and go to Control Panel > File Service > WebDAV.
2.Check “Enable Service”, then click “Apply” to activate the setting.
3.You can adjust the access ports in “Advanced Settings” (default ports: HTTP: 5005, HTTPS: 5006).
4.After clicking “OK”, return to the shared folder browsing page and locate the shared folder you just configured.
5.Click to enter the NAS shared folder and find your personal movie folder, for example the “Movies” folder.
6.You can also rename the folder here or simply click “OK”.

Configure Remote Access Before You Continue

WebDAV by itself only works on your local network. To actually use it from outside your home, you need a way for your remote device to reach your NAS through your home internet connection. UGREEN NAS supports three remote access methods through UGOS Pro: UGREENlink, DDNS, and Tailscale.

For most users, UGREENlink is the easiest option — it’s built into UGOS Pro, requires no router configuration or public IP, and handles the network plumbing automatically. See our UGREEN NAS remote access guide for full setup instructions on each method.

Once remote access is configured, your NAS is reachable from outside via either an IP address, a UGREENlink domain, or your own DDNS hostname. That’s the address you’ll use when adding the WebDAV source in Kodi.

Add the WebDAV Source in Kodi

1. Launch Kodi
2. Go to Settings → Media → Library → Videos
3. Click Add videos → Browse
4. Click Add network location
5. Select WebDAV server (HTTPS) as the protocol — not the plain HTTP version
6. Server address: your remote access address (UGREENlink domain, DDNS hostname, or public IP)
7. Port: 5006 for HTTPS (or your custom HTTPS port if you changed it)
8. Folder: the path to your shared folder on the NAS (for example, /Movies or /Media/Films)
9. Username and password: your NAS credentials
10. Click OK to save the network location
11. Back in the Browse screen, your WebDAV location now appears in the list — select it and navigate to the folder you want to add as a Kodi source
12. Click OK to confirm the source

What to Expect from WebDAV Streaming

A few practical realities to know before you rely on WebDAV for daily use:

• Playback quality is limited by your home upload bandwidth, not your NAS hardware. A 4K HEVC file streaming over WebDAV from your home network depends on your home internet upload speed.
• Buffering is more common than on local network playback. Network jitter across the internet causes pauses that don’t happen on your local Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Use Kodi’s video cache settings to smooth this out — increasing the buffer reduces stutter at the cost of higher startup delay.

Can I Run Kodi Directly on My UGREEN NAS via HDMI?

NO. UGREEN NAS Server doesn’t support running Kodi natively on the NAS, even on models with HDMI output. The HDMI port on UGREEN NAS devices is designed for direct file management and basic media playback through UGOS Pro’s native apps, not for running a separate media center OS like Kodi.

FAQs About Connecting UGREEN NAS to Kodi

Is Kodi free to use with my UGREEN NAS?

Yes. Kodi is free and open source — no subscription, no licensing fees, no premium tier. Your UGREEN NAS provides the storage and file services; Kodi reads the files from a separate device. The only costs in this setup are the NAS hardware you already own and the device running Kodi (PC, Raspberry Pi, Fire Stick, smart TV, etc.).

Do I need to install Kodi on the NAS itself?

No. Kodi runs on a separate playback device — a PC, smart TV, Fire Stick, Apple TV, Raspberry Pi, or any other supported platform — and reads your media files from the NAS over the network. 

Should I use Kodi, Plex, or Jellyfin?

They solve different problems and aren’t direct substitutes. Plex and Jellyfin are media servers — they run on your NAS, manage your media library centrally, transcode video on the fly for client devices, and stream through dedicated client apps with features like remote access and user accounts built in. Kodi is a media player — it runs on a client device and reads files directly from the NAS over the network, with library management happening on the playback device.

Use Plex or Jellyfin if you want a centralized media server with consistent client apps on every device and built-in transcoding. Use Kodi if you want a powerful, highly customizable media player and prefer to manage library settings on the playback device itself. They’re not mutually exclusive — some users run a media server like Jellyfin for casual streaming to phones and tablets, plus Kodi on their main TV for the customization and add-on ecosystem. If you want to compare, see our guides on installing Plex on UGREEN NAS and installing Jellyfin on UGREEN NAS.

Does Kodi work with all UGREEN NAS models?

Yes. SMB, NFS, and WebDAV are core UGOS Pro file services and work on every UGREEN NAS model. Performance varies with NAS hardware — faster processors and better network interfaces handle multiple simultaneous streams more comfortably — but basic connectivity works on any UGREEN NAS.

This is different from running Plex or Jellyfin, which require Docker support and therefore exclude the DH2300. Kodi connecting to the NAS uses only file sharing protocols, which are universal.

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Conclusion

SMB is the right starting point for most users — easy to set up, works on every Kodi platform, performs well for almost all media. Switch to NFS if you’re running Kodi on LibreELEC, a Raspberry Pi, or another Linux-based device and want maximum performance for 4K streaming. Reserve WebDAV for remote access when you’re streaming from outside your home network.