Sequoia - Easiest SECURE way of setting up HD / File sharing on Macbook Pros over home network

To address setting up sharing, please use the following articles as reference on how to go about it. You mention knowledge base articles, but we have no idea which exact ones you are referring to:

• (Server side) Set up file sharing on Mac - Apple Support
• (Client side) Connect your Mac to shared computers and servers - Apple Support

If you have concerns about guests using your home network, you may want to consider setting up a Guest wireless network for them to use that just provides them with Internet access and no access to local network resources. This will depend on, whether or not, your current wireless router can support this feature. Most do.

Visitors are not on your network, or are restricted to a guest network. The guest network is either a separate VLAN, or uses a Guest SSID available with mid- and upper-end Wi-Fi routers and access points or both a VLAN and Guest SSID. The guest network csn be shut down when not in use, as well.

Guests can be provided with a QR code to access the guest network credentials, as well. (There’s a QR code Shortcut available to generate the Wi-Fi credentials QR code, as well. Open Shortcuts app, access the Gallery, and search for QR or Wi-Fi.)

You do not want guests on your main network.

As for file sharing on a private network, sharing usually uses SMB, and shares specific directories.

• Set up SMB file sharing on Mac - Apple Support
• Connect your Mac to shared computers and servers - Apple Support

The SMB connections are encrypted by default.

The local Wi-Fi router or access points security is preferably set for WPA3 security (and which also opens up 6 GHz access), though that WPA3 setting can block some older gear and which then means a compromise such as selecting WPA2/WPA3 transitional. Use a very long password.

Further along the home-networking path that various folks can follow, you’ll probably also want to look at the media-sharing and backup features of a Synology NAS box, or at a Plex media server. Synology can also support distributed authentication and network authentication and other security-related features, but that's probably more than you want to deal with now.

You will need to be connected to the file server as a registered user or via Apple Account, and not as a guest.

As a registered user, you’ll need to use the account credentials for (from) the file server, and those credentials on the file server must have access to the directories involved.

As an Apple Account, the same Apple Account will need ro be used on both the client and the specific directories exported by the file server.

This is included in the “Connect” link above.

Coe2Go wrote:

I have tried logging in as an admin (both computers have the same admin account) as well as tried logging in as the owner of the computers account. What am I missing?

Both computers do not have the same admin account. They may well share the same user and password, but — absent use of LDAP directory services or ilk — they’re two entirely different accounts.

So to confirm, the connection is using either of the yellow-highlighted paths?

I have tried logging in as an admin (both computers have the same admin account) as well as tried logging in as the owner of the computers account. What am I missing?