First, go to strada.tech and login to your account. If you have not yet connected an Agent, you should see a blank screen with a blue button that allows you to download the Agent.
Once the agent is installed on your device, you must enable the Strada Agent to connect to your external drives. To do this, select the check mark from the drop down under “manage external connections” and click in the check box to select drives.
The Strada Agent automatically detects any mounted drives (USB, Thunderbolt, NAS). You don’t need to add them manually.
If a drive doesn’t appear:
Make sure it’s mounted as a lettered drive (Windows) or volume (Mac).
Check that it’s not a system/backup drive (like Time Machine, which can’t be shared).
Connect a NAS or External Drive to Strada
Strada lets you turn any mounted storage—USB/Thunderbolt disks or a NAS share—into a secure, remotely accessible library without uploads.
1) Before You Start
Agent host: Have a Strada Agent running and signed in on the computer that will “share” the storage.
Best performance: Apple Silicon Mac (M-series) or Windows with a modern NVIDIA/AMD GPU.
Network: Use Ethernet on the Agent host (and the NAS).
Power: Disable sleep for the host and connected disks; enable “wake for network access.”
2) Attach or Mount Your Storage
External Drive (USB/Thunderbolt)
Plug in the drive to the Agent host.
Wait for the OS to mount it (Finder on macOS / File Explorer on Windows).
If encrypted, unlock it so Strada can read it.
NAS (Network Share via SMB)
macOS: Finder → Go → Connect to Server… → enter smb://NAS-IP/ShareName → Connect → authenticate → check “Remember password.”
Windows: File Explorer → Map network drive → choose a letter → \\NAS-IP\ShareName → check Reconnect at sign-in → authenticate.
Tip: Give the NAS a static IP, enable SMB, and keep disks from sleeping for smoother access.
3) Open the Strada Agent
macOS: Agent lives in the top menu bar. If hidden behind the camera notch, close a few menu-bar apps, then Command-drag to reposition it.
Windows: Agent is in the system tray (lower right). Fully expand the window to see all controls.
Status: Green = connected. Red dot = no connection → Quit, relaunch, and re-login. Right-click → Check for updates to match versions across Agents.
4) Add the Drive to Strada
In the Strada app on the Agent host, go to Drives / Media.
Click + Add Drive (or Add Folder) and select the mounted volume or a specific directory.
Enable Share this drive/folder (the “make available remotely” checkbox).
(Optional) Give it a friendly name so collaborators recognize it.
5) Set Access & Permissions
With the drive (or any subfolder) selected, click + Invite.
Enter collaborator emails and choose roles (e.g., Member or View-only).
Inviting at the root grants access to the whole disk; inviting inside a specific folder limits access to just that directory.
Save to send invites; collaborators will see shares under Shared with me.
6) Verify from a Second Machine
Sign into Strada on another computer/account.
Open Shared with me and confirm the drive/folder appears.
Click any asset to instant-play (no upload).
If downloads are allowed, start a peer-to-peer transfer (watch the Jobs panel for progress).
7) Keep It Online (Best Practices)
Host machine: Prefer a Mac mini/Studio or plugged-in laptop; display not required.
Sleep: Disable host sleep; set disks/RAIDs not to sleep (restart if you changed this).
NAS: Use Ethernet, disable aggressive HDD spin-down, keep SMB enabled.
Bandwidth rule of thumb: ~10 Mbps upload per simultaneous viewer on the Agent host.
8) Troubleshooting
Drive not listed in Strada: Confirm it’s mounted in the OS and you have read permission.
Red dot in Agent: Quit → restart → re-login; ensure same app version across all Agents.
NAS credentials prompt loops: Re-enter SMB creds; on macOS remove old keychain entry and reconnect.
Playback stalls on NAS/RAID: Wait a few seconds for spin-up; then refresh the player.
Network dropouts: Switch to wired Ethernet; reboot modem/router; verify no VPN/firewall is blocking traffic.
The Bottom Line
Mount the storage on your Agent host, add it in Strada, set who can access what—and your team can stream or download straight from the source, with no uploads or storage fees.