get to home pc from outside world

DonnieBrasco

Hi,

I'm going to try configure my wireless/broadband setup to allow me to get to my pc from when im in work etc i.e. from the outside in!

I'm using eircom broadband with a netopia router.

My question is this..

Before i embark on this do i have to first arrange it with eircom to allow this... or can i manually configure this via the netopia admin url etc (granted i make it sound easier than it is)

If i have to go through eircom first i might just give it a miss. If not... i'll go through the manuals and take it on!

cheers dudes.

l337

unless you work really close to home (< 100m) the wireless aspect of your question is redundant, so you will have to do this over the internet

also, unless you have some knowledge of this stuff and can set up a vpn securely, this will involve compromising the security of your firewall/router (ie. if you can get in then everybody else on the internet can too)

DonnieBrasco

yeah, disregard the wireless part ! i meant across the web.

Its just i notice that without rebooting the router etc, i seem to get a different ip address returned each time from Whatismyip.com - i probably get 2 different ip addresses throughout the day.

I presume this means i'm not using a static ip address and would make this task a bit tougher... but still possible right ?

For argument sake, lets assume security isn't an issue...

MrPinK

On the router side, all you need to do is configure it to allow access to a certain port on your PC. Look for a "Port Forwarding" option somewhere in your router setup.

For the PC, there are a number of different software options. Personally, I use TightVNC. Securing it for use over the internet takes a bit of work though, and might not be for beginners. I've heard that UltraVNC and MyWebExPC are fully secure for internet use, but haven't tried either.

As for the dynamic IP address problem, this is solved with a dynamic DNS service. You get a domain name, and this automatically points to whatever IP that your machine currently has. There are some companies offering this for free I think, but can't remember the names of them.

Subh

We use "pcanywhere" from Symantec here at work, but if you have windows xp you can configure remote desktop for free.
And yes, you would need a dynamic dns service if your ip changes that much.

Zascar

logmein.com - I couldn't do without it. free too

DonnieBrasco

thanks all.
I'm familiar to a point with remote desktop, VNC and pc anywhere.

I'll check out the config side more now.

thanks a gazzillion !

wandererz

Try webex, www.mywebexpc.com .

Saves you the hassle of needing a static IP address & is based on SSL VPN & Citrix.

DonnieBrasco

I like the look of this! from what i've read it looks like i could go both directions
i.e. remote to my workstation in work and vice versa.

i'll crank it up and print my review!

cheers

beer enigma

I've just set up a VPN to my home pc, using the same router, Cayman Netopia 3347 wireless from Eircom.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=306500

First thing you'll need is a static IP address whether you're using VPN, VNC, XP Remote or PC Anywhere. Costs about €5 per month with the main providers & you just have to call them or email & state the reason why you need it. Once provided, re-start the Netopia & it'll automatically pick up the new IP address.

The forwarding bit is easy on the Netopia, but can be confusing at the same time. You go into the router control panel, Expert mode / Configure / Advanced & select "software hosting". I know its doesn't sound like the right option, but that's how the netopia handles VPN, FTP etc.

You'll get two tabs on the next page, one says Games & the other says services. Select Services & in the drop down box at the top, select pc that you're connecting to - you may only have the one, so that makes life easy. then on services menu below, select the services that you want to let through, PPTP for VPN (you can also select VNC or FTP depending on what you're after). You'll see a yellow warning triangle appear at the top right of the screen, click this & select save & restart. This will configure the router & when it detects an incoming VPN PPTP connection (standard on XP) it routes it through the pc.

Thats the routing bit, the rest is done in Network Places, configure new connection & select advanced to allow an incoming connection.

NOTE FIREWALL !!! - its all too easy to do the aboe & open your pc up to the wide world, so check the security on the VPN connection.

Here's the Netopia site page....as I say, dont worry about it saying software hosting...if your router is running firmware 7.3 onwards (which it will be) its configured this way.... http://www.netopia.com/support/technotes/hardware/CQG_027.html

If you have any probs, just PM me

Good luck

Andi

DonnieBrasco

Andi this is gold

thanks a million for this stuff.