Access Home HDD from a Work Laptop Using Tailscale + SMB (No Complicated VPN)

The article shows how to access a home PC or HDD from a work laptop using Tailscale as a private network and SMB for Windows file sharing.

A dedicated Windows user account is used for the SMB share, making remote access simpler and more controlled.

The setup avoids router changes, public servers, and complex VPN configuration, while still giving secure file access from outside home.

It is presented as a low-cost, practical alternative to traditional VPNs or cloud storage for remote file access.