Related
Using this program you can control your phone from any browser. It requires a rooted Android phone.
* You can click and type on the phone (we inject touch events to the touch device and create a new HID for typing),
* get screenshots (copied from the framebuffer device) in jpeg and png, record images in sequence
* start phone calls (it uses '/bin/system/service' from android)
* open webpages on the phone (it uses intents)
* browse, download from, upload to the SD card (it uses AjaXplorer so you can rename files, listen mp3, etc.)
* browse and read every files on phone
* adjust LCD backlight
* get the phone's location (GPS and network, it uses our JAVA code and shows the result on GoogeMaps)
* exporting contacts, messages, call list in txt, csv, xml,
* chat with phone and other users
* terminal emulator with Shell In A Box
* user rights management, log
* works on wifi, 3g
* DynDNS support (it's a dinamic DNS service, after you register at dyndns.org, your phone will have an address like: myphone.homeip.net, this only works if you can reach your phone using its IP address)
* if your 3g internet provider blocks the incoming connection to your phone, then you cannot connect using its IP address or DynDNS, but you can connect through our server (the phone starts the connection like GoogleTalk does)
* user admin has a random password each time, but you can add new users. The connection is not encrypted, we are planning to use https instead of http
* opensource (it is licensed under General Public License)
* most of the functions uses only C++ part, which has very low memory footprint and almost no CPU use in idle.
* Homepage: androidwebkey.com
Feel free to ask for features and send bugs.
Market Link
I don't trust this AT ALL!!!
Yzord said:
I don't trust this AT ALL!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? Everything works as listed. It's opensource, you can compile it for yourself.
Sorry for my attitude. It is not personal, but these kind of apps give me the creeps...
Yzord said:
Sorry for my attitude. It is not personal, but these kind of apps give me the creeps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all right. But I can't image a way to make it more trustable.
Pretty slow but it works.
evilkorn said:
Pretty slow but it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there is a demand for this, we will hire a server with a faster connection. It seems like all the 3G internet providers blocks the incoming connection to the phone in USA, so we have to redirect the packets through our server. In Europe the situation is better, and we can connect to the phone directly.
Webkey listens on all interfaces, so if you manage to set up a VPN, it will work.
morapeter said:
If there is a demand for this, we will hire a server with a faster connection. It seems like all the 3G internet providers blocks the incoming connection to the phone in USA, so we have to redirect the packets through our server. In Europe the situation is better, and we can connect to the phone directly.
Webkey listens on all interfaces, so if you manage to set up a VPN, it will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know for AT&T unless you have the laptop connect type package, ie: APN is isp.cingular, this is true. So nearly all AT&T mobile phones will have this limitation.
I like that you've worked around it using this method, I think I'll have to give this a try myself.
Also sounds like something a business might be interested in having, but their own server.. Is the communications secure between the phone and server?
khaytsus said:
I know for AT&T unless you have the laptop connect type package, ie: APN is isp.cingular, this is true. So nearly all AT&T mobile phones will have this limitation.
I like that you've worked around it using this method, I think I'll have to give this a try myself.
Also sounds like something a business might be interested in having, but their own server.. Is the communications secure between the phone and server?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is nothing new about this topic. Virtual Private Network is made for this, it's secure and everyone can have an own server (although it's not so easy to set it up, but most of the firmwares support it on the phone). There are several other solutions, for example ssh reverse port forwarding (-R option), or socat can create a tunnel device as well. None of these solutions were good for us, because I didn't want to mess up anything on the phone like creating new network interface, or maintain a ssh tunnel.
Our solution is simple. The phone creates a TCP connection to the server and listen on that. It reopens it when it closed. Whenever a user connects to our site from a browser, the server searches for the appropriate socket, and connects them.
It's not secure yet, but I'll finish https when I have time. After that the connection will be secure between the browser and the phone (which is better than securing the connection between the phone and the server).
I like where this app is going. Seems good.
I ran this before on 2.1, but now Webkey won't run on my Evo running Froyo. It just hangs with black screen on start. I am running the rooted stock 2.2 ROM and other apps requiring root run fine. Any ideas?
Also, I'm a developer and want to add an option to select an http port to listen on. I'm pretty sure http will work fine over another port, like 8080 (over Sprint without using your proxy server), and I wanted to mod the code (and submit to you) if it works. Is it obvious how to build the full solution from the C and Java sources? Just Java I've done, but not built an app requiring the NDK, yet.
Thanks!
So if I understand this correctly, this relies on a server at some fixed location, as well as an apk on the phone.
Is the server source available so that I could modify the APK to point to my own server? It seems that the sources you provide are only to rebuild the APK, and that a user would have to trust your server.
wvufan said:
I ran this before on 2.1, but now Webkey won't run on my Evo running Froyo. It just hangs with black screen on start. I am running the rooted stock 2.2 ROM and other apps requiring root run fine. Any ideas?
Also, I'm a developer and want to add an option to select an http port to listen on. I'm pretty sure http will work fine over another port, like 8080 (over Sprint without using your proxy server), and I wanted to mod the code (and submit to you) if it works. Is it obvious how to build the full solution from the C and Java sources? Just Java I've done, but not built an app requiring the NDK, yet.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At start the Java code tests whether it needs to extract files. I assume that something changed on Froyo. Do you have a directory /data/data/com.webkey after install? Or does it put it on the SD card?
There is a function for changing port. You can do it from the Java gui.
For the compiling (under linux):
I used "Customized Android NDK r3 with enabled support of C++ exceptions, RTTI and Standard C++ Library", see
http://www.crystax.net/android/ndk-r3.php
and downloaded the precompiled binaries. Please find a build.sh in c.zip (I uploaded it right now). It uses my directory structure, but I hope you can find out how it works. There are some bash tricks with grep and sed to generate the menu in every html. The README.txt might help as well. Feel free to ask about anything.
heilpern said:
So if I understand this correctly, this relies on a server at some fixed location, as well as an apk on the phone.
Is the server source available so that I could modify the APK to point to my own server? It seems that the sources you provide are only to rebuild the APK, and that a user would have to trust your server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In some countries you don't have to use the server (the internet providers don't block), but yes, you are right. The server code is a python script and I need to check it (again) for security leaks before opening it and ask permission from the other developer. I would say this will happen this weekend. (However, the protocol is simple. It couldn't be simpler.)
There are some other solutions for this problem:
- If you set up a Virtual Private Network on the phone (I never did that, but reverse ssh port forwarding worked for me), then you don't have to use our server.
- I hope in the next release there will be https, which encodes the data between the phone and the browser (after that you if you check the certificate then you can trust to any server). I try to finish it in a week.
I believe the publication of a program like this needs extra care because of its reputation. Before https there won't be a Market version, where you can change the server address (because of security reason). Of course, if you would like it, I'm happy to send you an apk where you can change the server address, or you can compile it for yourself.
Alright, so where can I download this from please? The hompage link is not working.
Aqua1ung said:
Alright, so where can I download this from please? The hompage link is not working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should work, please try again. It is also available on the Market (search for Webkey).
Okay, now it works. Thanks. All I gotta do now is root my phone
As for suggestions, how about taking pictures remotely using the FFC and/or BFC? Just in case your phone gets stolen or lost...
Aqua1ung said:
Okay, now it works. Thanks. All I gotta do now is root my phone
As for suggestions, how about taking pictures remotely using the FFC and/or BFC? Just in case your phone gets stolen or lost...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice Now you have to start the camera program and watch the screenshot . I'll check what can I do with the camera device from C++.
This is a great app. I love how you can upload and download from your sd card! The remote control is a little slow over 3g, but very promising. Thanks
stickerbob said:
This is a great app. I love how you can upload and download from your sd card! The remote control is a little slow over 3g, but very promising. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... There is an option in AjaXplorer, which downloads several files in a zip archive (even directories), but I was lazy, I didn't implement it in C++ (although the zip library was already there because of the png library). I don't promise to finish it in the following weeks, but I'll do it sometime.
I recently read in a post about whether AT&T can tell if you are tethering. This is the response that another user here posted:
thekurrgan said:
Truth: They can tell you are tethering via ANY conveyance that uses IPNAT.
If it uses IPNAT, then the TTL is reduced by 1 since there is another hop. This is how they tell. This little bastardly monitoring technique is deployed on all "enhanced backhaul" sites and is slowly being added to the rest of their towers that are UMTS or better. A simple defeat is using a proxy type of program.. at that point there is absolutely no way they can prove you are tethering, since all packets actually ARE originating from the phone. I personally installed a squid server and set my devices to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Inspire is rooted, running CM7, and I tether very seldom. I am however going to be traveling soon, and will probably be tethering much more often. Can someone kindly tell me how to set up this "squid" server, or point me to a guide somewhere? Is it an app for the phone, a tool installed on my laptop, or a combination of both? This all sounds pretty foreign to me, so any help would be appreciated..
Thanks in advance..
..........
Some more fodder on Squid:
http://www.squid-cache.org/
knarfl1 said:
Some more fodder on Squid:
http://www.squid-cache.org/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I checked out that site earlier, and it was way over my head. I also noticed that you mentioned SSH Tunnel but you edited it. I actually installed that already, but have no clue how to set it up. By looking at both links, I'm assuming I need applications installed on both my laptop, and phone. Am I correct in assuming that the host name I need to enter on SSH Tunnel is the name of the squid (or other) server on my laptop?
As far as Squid goes, is there anything else out there that is a little more novice friendly in terms of installation?
I'm beginning to think this whole thing may be a little over my head, and should just tether sparingly. Guess I'm a little paranoid..
ddiehl said:
Thanks for the reply. I checked out that site earlier, and it was way over my head. I also noticed that you mentioned SSH Tunnel but you edited it. I actually installed that already, but have no clue how to set it up. By looking at both links, I'm assuming I need applications installed on both my laptop, and phone. Am I correct in assuming that the host name I need to enter on SSH Tunnel is the name of the squid (or other) server on my laptop?
As far as Squid goes, is there anything else out there that is a little more novice friendly in terms of installation?
I'm beginning to think this whole thing may be a little over my head, and should just tether sparingly. Guess I'm a little paranoid..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realized SSH Tunnel wasn't much of a help so I removed it.
What the unnamed person is talking about is basically you need to have your phone point to a proxy for apps that access the mobile network.
Whether AT&T knows rogue tether users by non-ATT APNs or natted IP bounce, proxy will hide the usage and make you anonymous.
So,
You need to configure your phone to point to a proxy. Since Android doesn't have proxy features, you need to modify system files (don't want to do that) or install a proxy app (like ProxyDroid) to point to a proxy server (in the unnamed network guy's case, a caching proxy server running Squid.)
Now the question is do you have a proxy that you can point your phone to?
I've noticed PDANet tethering app (v 5.01) for iPhone now has hide usage feature. Hide usage feature is not yet implemented for Android version.
IMO, if you use the tethering sparingly, you will be ok.
I'm using my transformer at school and the school is providing wifi to its students. But there are apparently some odd restrictions associated with it. No app of mine is allowed to access the internet with the exception of browsers and also I'm not allowed to download anything (it just says "download unsuccesful" no matter what I download or from where). I've tried to look for a reson for this and I found out that it might be some firewall settings on the computer that is hosting the wifi, I also asked the school's IT guy and he said that it's likely to be the reason. But the thing is that all the people with computers and iPhones can use applications that use the internet with no problems at all. This makes me think that the wifi host regards me as dangerous or suspicious for some reason, and because it does allow computers and iPhones to use apps that access the internet and are allowed to download files, I think that it might be fixable. Perhaps there are some particular settings that make the wifi host's security to regard me as dangerous and doesn't allow my apps to go to the internet. So what do I have to do for my apps to be able to access the internet and to be able to download files? I really want to know this, because many of the useful apps require internet and by not using them I'm not taking the full advantage of the device. I should also mention that my tablet is running 3.2.1.
But have you tried asking them about letting you use your "netbook" on their netbook. What's the worst they can do? say NO TABLETS ALLOWED? Because unless they know your exact MAC address, they probably won't be able to do anything about it. In my old school, I brought up that I would like to connect my windows mobile device to their network (when I was using it as an mp3 player) and they said sure (they had terrible firewalls which blocked most every site that was fun). Sometimes, the best kind of hackery is the social kind.
Dyskmaster said:
But have you tried asking them about letting you use your "netbook" on their netbook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by that?
norsul said:
What do you mean by that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess his telling you to ask for permission to use your netbook on their network.
Well first of all I'm using a tablet running android 3.2.1. And I'm kind of confused by your use of the word network, because I said that I can use the school's wifi network for students, but only to some extent, meaning that none of my apps with the exception of the browser are not allowed to access the internet e. g. android market, google translate don't work, they just say that they are unable to connect to the network or something similar. Also downloading any file from anywhere is not allowed, it says download unsuccessful. But iPhone user's apps work perfectly fine. From this I concluded that there must be something about my tablet that makes their security think my apps are dangerous and therefore blocks them, and that because there is no such problem on iOS, I thought that the might be something wrong with my end, and that it it fixable. And my question was what do I need to do to fiz this? I hope that clarifies my point.
statsminister said:
I guess his telling you to ask for permission to use your netbook on their network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, thanks, I was kinda in a hurry when I typed that
Ask your school's IT department. Network configurations can be quite complex, and without knowledge of how or what they're blocking- it's hard for us to help. IT would know the issue better, or at least give the explanation as to why it isn't working. For instance, last year at my college nothing but computers were allowed to connect to the wifi. Such control can be done on the network side, and it may not be your tablet's fault.
Have you any friends with an Android device, or better yet android tablet?
I did ask the IT guy and he said that he has no control over the security settings, because it's a network across all of the schools in the city, not just the school in which I am.
Hey, I've tried using dropbox at school and then it says "cache access denied", maybe that can somehow clarify my problem.
settings
Have you set your settings/applications to allow unknown sources (ie is it ticked).
Colin
colint3 said:
Have you set your settings/applications to allow unknown sources (ie is it ticked).
Colin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's only to allow installing apps not from the Market (sideloading). It has nothing to do with an app working or not.
Haven't you ever heard of proxy and content filtering?
Schools often set up proxies to restrict certain sites and content from working on their networks. They do it for a variety of reason, including bandwidth conservation, content filtering, network security, etc.
More than likely, they have blocked anything that they deem unnecessary. That means that probably only port 80 is allowed (the http port), possibly a few others for https, pop3 and imap for email, etc.
However, if you're a more advanced user, you can probably bypass right past all of this stuff by setting up your own proxy, or using encapsulation (like nstx or icmptx) to bypass their proxy by encapsulating other services inside DNS or ICMP traffic which are usually allowed to bypass the proxy at school. Like I said though, these are advanced techniques and require you to research and set it up yourself.
a.mcdear said:
Haven't you ever heard of proxy and content filtering?
Schools often set up proxies to restrict certain sites and content from working on their networks. They do it for a variety of reason, including bandwidth conservation, content filtering, network security, etc.
More than likely, they have blocked anything that they deem unnecessary. That means that probably only port 80 is allowed (the http port), possibly a few others for https, pop3 and imap for email, etc.
However, if you're a more advanced user, you can probably bypass right past all of this stuff by setting up your own proxy, or using encapsulation (like nstx or icmptx) to bypass their proxy by encapsulating other services inside DNS or ICMP traffic which are usually allowed to bypass the proxy at school. Like I said though, these are advanced techniques and require you to research and set it up yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I do not no anything about proxy or content filtering, but I remember when I was connecting to the wifi network of the school I was asked to configure the proxy settings by putting some ip address ( I presume that it is an ip adress because it looked like one) and writing 8080 in the port field. If I didn't configure it like that, the internet would simply not work. Could you please tell me where I could educate myself about bypassing proxies or is i a matter that would require a very long time to learn and a lot of prerequisite knowledge?
And by the way, are you sure that this could be done on a tablet? All of that fiddling around seems to require a considerable degree of control which android may lack, or would rooting give me that control?
norsul said:
No, I do not no anything about proxy or content filtering, but I remember when I was connecting to the wifi network of the school I was asked to configure the proxy settings by putting some ip address ( I presume that it is an ip adress because it looked like one) and writing 8080 in the port field. If I didn't configure it like that, the internet would simply not work. Could you please tell me where I could educate myself about bypassing proxies or is i a matter that would require a very long time to learn and a lot of prerequisite knowledge?
And by the way, are you sure that this could be done on a tablet? All of that fiddling around seems to require a considerable degree of control which android may lack, or would rooting give me that control?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK yeah you are going through a proxy then. The good news is, that because you have to configure it manually, they probably aren't using transparent proxy which can make it easier to bypass.
Getting nstx or icmptx working natively on Android should be possible in theory as both are lightweight and designed to work in Linux... perhaps it can be made into a module that can be activated/deactivated with a shell script, or added to a custom kernel.. obviously this would require a rooted tablet to accomplish.
The other required part of the equation is a computer accessible from the internet, which you can set up install a DNS server and nstx on.
If you manage to get it all working correctly, set your home IP address as your proxy instead of your schools proxy, and you should be able to get through. It should also work to let you access the web for free at places like Starbucks or at hotels where the web is normally routed to a site where you have to pay for web access.
Good luck!
a.mcdear said:
OK yeah you are going through a proxy then. The good news is, that because you have to configure it manually, they probably aren't using transparent proxy which can make it easier to bypass.
Getting nstx or icmptx working natively on Android should be possible in theory as both are lightweight and designed to work in Linux... perhaps it can be made into a module that can be activated/deactivated with a shell script, or added to a custom kernel.. obviously this would require a rooted tablet to accomplish.
The other required part of the equation is a computer accessible from the internet, which you can set up install a DNS server and nstx on.
If you manage to get it all working correctly, set your home IP address as your proxy instead of your schools proxy, and you should be able to get through. It should also work to let you access the web for free at places like Starbucks or at hotels where the web is normally routed to a site where you have to pay for web access.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds awesome maybe you could make the app id buy it
I found two apps on the android market : proxydroid and ssh tunnel, do you think they would help me to bypass the school's proxy?
And by the way, how legal is this business? I mean I doubt that the school would send be to jail for using google translate but I'm still curious.
Legal issues are a potential problem, but its doubtful it would ever be a problem at school. Setting this up on your tablet certainly isn't illegal in itself, but if you're stealing wifi that you would otherwise have to pay for, you CAN get yourself in quite a bit of trouble if you get caught.
a.mcdear said:
Legal issues are a potential problem, but its doubtful it would ever be a problem at school. Setting this up on your tablet certainly isn't illegal in itself, but if you're stealing wifi that you would otherwise have to pay for, you CAN get yourself in quite a bit of trouble if you get caught.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks, wifi network in the school is free for all students so I should be ok. But what about those apps I mentioned before?
And how would I protect myself from geting caught and what is the likelyhood of me getting caught? Can they immediately notice it if someone's trying to bypass their firewall or not? I should point out that the it manager in our school knows quite little about the sexurity system or ao he told me when I asked him whether my problem is somehow connected to their security settings, but the network is not pwned by the school, it's owned by the city and it is present in many schools beside mine, so I think that they might take their security seriously. So basically what I am trying to say is that if I investigate this matter, come there and bypass the proxy so that the youtube app works, is it likely that I am going to get caught, and if yes then what are the ways of minimising the risk (please bear in mind that I have not experience in this)? I'm asking this because I think it's not a very good idea to just walk in and hack the network without any experience and expect that there is no possibility of getting caught.
No neither of those apps are really the solution to your problem. There isn't currently an app for Android that will set up encapsulation like I'm talking about.
And yes, your IT manager at school "might" be able to catch you, but only if he's specifically looking for it. What this basically does is encapsulate your regular IP traffic inside DNS packets (or pings for the icmptx method), which are generally allowed to pass through firewalls and content filters. Basically, it is detectable if your network administrator is looking in the right place and knows his stuff. There would either look like a constant stream of DNS requests from a particular IP on the school network, or a constrant stream of ICMP traffic (pings) being sent out. However both ICMP and DNS are normal for any network, so its also equally possible that the administrator never notices that anything is wrong at all...
Some more sophisticated networks may employ transparent DNS or transparent proxy, which would make these efforts much harder. Transparent proxy is able to intercept any traffic and force it through the proxy at school, while transparent DNS is able to intercept DNS traffic and force it to use a specific DNS server regardless of settings on your tablet.
Like I said in the beginning though, these are really advanced networking tricks that certainly aren't easy to set up, even when all the components are readily available.. its possible they haven't even been attempted yet on an Android device. That said, it shouldn't be difficult to port either icmptx or nstx over to Android for somebody with the requisite programming skills.
Hello everyone,
Currently my lappy uses Nortel (XEAN) and a grid card to connect. I called my company support but they are not interested in helping me.
At this writing, I have been lappy-less for the last 3 weeks. There are 2 tasks that I cannot perform and this is one of them.
I was going to try Cisco AnyConnect ICS+ from the store and see how that goes.
Any and all comments or assistance is welcomed!
Thank you and Regards,
would like to know how you progress
We also uses VPN to connect with home pc/laptops to the office but I would LOVE to use my note 10.1 instead.
So, if you make any progress, please let me know.
THanks
bert269 said:
We also uses VPN to connect with home pc/laptops to the office but I would LOVE to use my note 10.1 instead.
So, if you make any progress, please let me know.
THanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly will. As of this hour all dead-ends... nothing will work, I did manage to convince them to give me the group ID password but no luck in connecting.
about VPN for Private usage.. i'd need a VPN Server running on my Home Computer right? does Windows7 has an included vpn Server?
Hideninja
GalaxyBill said:
Hello everyone,
Currently my lappy uses Nortel (XEAN) and a grid card to connect. I called my company support but they are not interested in helping me.
At this writing, I have been lappy-less for the last 3 weeks. There are 2 tasks that I cannot perform and this is one of them.
I was going to try Cisco AnyConnect ICS+ from the store and see how that goes.
Any and all comments or assistance is welcomed!
Thank you and Regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're looking for a program that enables you to surf the net anonymously, then I recommend Hideninja.
Haldi4803 said:
about VPN for Private usage.. i'd need a VPN Server running on my Home Computer right? does Windows7 has an included vpn Server?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want a home personal server, and have a spare android device lying about, you could try "servers ultimate" from the playstore with "openvpn"by openvpn, from the playstore, i sucessfully tested a connection between my tab and my phone, server on the phone, client on the tab, simple enough, servers ultimate after setting up the vpn server profile, it lets you export a file with the settings needed for openvpn, it was quite easy to setup.
I dont know if this is what your looking for, and im pretty sure the secure connection was over network only, as im still to unknowledgeble on these things, all i know is, apparentky there is a way to put an "internet" ip address on a vpn server profile, so that if you connect to a public wifi network like you find in stores, you can vpn to your android device at home acting as your vpn server, making an encrypted connection through the public wifi, to your android vpn, and then your vpn server would pass through YOUR home internet, while protecting your connection on the public wifi from any prying eyes who may be using apps that sniff the network data, i believe, like the apps on android that "sniff" out facebook sesions....for instance, not something i use personally
A benefit to this is that your not paying an unknown vpn to pass a "secure" connection through THEIR systems in between, you control, that in between, or at least, better control, over your own private property......i dont think its able to spoof ip address, if thats what folks might be looking for, but the servers ultimate app is pretty extensive, and my knowledge withese things is limited, so for those looking, who knows what their doing, might be worth checking it out (i wouldnt mind a small setup guide, if someone manages that)......if it makes a difference, your also able to setup a proxy server, although i never did figure out how, hell, aint to sure what it does ...........
well, hopefully this helps
Basically there's two things I'm trying to accomplish. The first thing is to be able to SAFELY access my pc when I'm not at home. The second is to be able to log onto my local network from the outside world and make it look as if the traffic originates from there.
At home on my local wifi I often access my PC using Remote Desktop. I'd like to safely be able to do the same thing from a phone or external PC. I'm under the impression that the best way to do this was with a VPN but the precise what and how eludes me. My best current guess is to setup a VPN Server on my wifi router but does that mean any generic VPN software I install on my phone can get through? I'm really just guessing but possibly this will accomplish both things I'm trying to do.
Additionally I could also setup a VPN Client on the wifi router which would provide VPN protection to any device logged onto my lan without having to install anything on every tablet in my household.
Added to this is that I've used Kaspersky antivirus for over 20 years on my pc's and VPN just became free with the package so I've used the 3 licenses I get on my PC and my and my wife's phones. Hopefully I can use my Kaspersky VPN to access the DDNS that I got free from ASUS to complete the circle.
It should be clear from this discussion that I'm grasping at straws, I've googled a bunch of confusing and potentially conflicting information along with everybody and his brother that wants to sell something VPN related.
I'm also posting this on the Windows 10 Help forum as here and there is where I get most of my technical advice.
Look inside here:
How to Build Your Own VPN (and Why You Might Want to)
Ever thought of creating a VPN from scratch but didn't know where to start? Get answers to all your questions in this comprehensive guide.
vpnoverview.com
As far as I know, there are many models of home router with built-in VPN server capabilities. Check your router's manual at first.
James_Watson said:
As far as I know, there are many models of home router with built-in VPN server capabilities. Check your router's manual at first.
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I'm goimg forward on the basis that all I need to do what I want is the Router's built-in server, along with an Asus provided DDNS, to allow VPN connection from my outside devices and the Router's built-in VPN Client to give VPN protection to all devices within my local wifi. I bought the router with this capability in mind as well as speed improvements over my old router. It's the Asus RT-AC86U router and it "should" do the above as well as allow externally connected devices to act as if originating from my home system.
It may take me a bit to do this but I'll report back once I have an answer.
jwoegerbauer said:
Look inside here:
How to Build Your Own VPN (and Why You Might Want to)
Ever thought of creating a VPN from scratch but didn't know where to start? Get answers to all your questions in this comprehensive guide.
vpnoverview.com
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Thanks for the response. I looked at a number of how to guides, the one I'm going forward with is how-to-easily-access-your-home-network-from-anywhere.
I have an issue with setting up the VPN Server Client on my router (Asus RT-AC86U) that I have a service call in with Asus for, so the VPN Client side is on hold for a bit.
I was able to successfully configure the VPN Server (at least the OpenVPN protocol section) and setup a DDNS. From what I read this should be sufficient to allow an external device to login to my home system but I've seen no guide that describes this final step.
Do I simply use Remote Desktop on the external device to logon to my PC through the DDNS while the VPN (in OpenVPN protocol in this case) is enabled?
That would mostly work but what I really would like would be for the external device appear to be on my local wifi and not on the local PC itself. How do I do that?
Can anyone point me in the correct direction?
I did just find another piece of information the may apply here. In one of the guides I read the following:
"save the OpenVPN configuration file which will be used by the remote device to access your router."
There was a client.ovpn file generated during the router's VPN Server setup. The above sentance implies that I need to somehow get the VPN software on the external device to use this file and then I'll be able to logon to my home system. Can anyone shed more light on this?
*** Update ***
I was able to setup the OpenVPN Server on my ASUS RT-AC86U router and it does allow me to safely access my home LAN from anywhere. I can login to my home router's user interface and use Remote Desktop to login to my PC. Also since the VPN changes my IP address to that of my home system everything works as it would if I was actually there.
The one thing I haven't been able to do is access my pc's shared drive.
Anyone have any clue how to fix that?
Finally I also tried to setup the VPN Client on the router to access the VPN Server. ASUS said you should be able to do that but it results in an IP conflict that their tech support hasn't yet solved.
The benefit of using the router's VPN client is that any device on my local wifi is automatically protected by a VPN without installing anything on the device. The point is somewhat moot since all each device needs is a free app and the config file created by the VPN Server.
I did look at setting up a VPN Server on my Win 10 PC, but it looked like too much work and too much chance of messing something up, to attempt.