ok, when I connect internet router to the switch, one switch port to core and another switch port to the Mac, Client comes up immediately.
So, it seems Google Wifi access point is the issue. Which is strange because everything else works just fine with it.
I need to have NAS in front of Google access point in order to be able to access it from outside. Everything else is behind Google access point and interconnecting wirelessly.
This also explains why I can’t connect the iPhone to the Core. The iPhone is connected to wi-fi and going through the Google access point.
Both Client (Mac) and the Core (NAS) are on the local 192.168.x.x network, but different subnets. All communication is opened between the two, and it seems that if I could only point the Client (Control and Remote) to the NAS IP (or at least the subnet it is on), it would find it and connect right away.
Of course, if it has to search cold across all possible IPs on 192.168.x.x network, it’ll take a while. I feel that’s why it is taking so long. Btw, earlier it did connect once - perhaps by chance.
Please provide the ability to specify the NAS IP, unless you can think of another way to solve this.