Introduction
We are all Internet road warriors. Whether we are working from home, an office, or truly on the road, we are constantly accessing remote services.
Adoption of “the Cloud” has made this nearly ubiquitous. “Nearly ubiquitous” is a key point - while many applications are served from “the Cloud”, we still have resources at our home and office we want secure, reliable remote access to. From network attached storage, to cameras, thermostats, security systems, audio visual equipment, home automation, and everything in between, having remote access to these devices enables our daily lives. Remote Access to the home and office powered by Big Network is simple, secure, and reliable.
The Problem
Remote Access is hard to deploy, maintain, and manage. On residential or small business Internet Services can be even harder to configure, use, and maintain because these types of Internet connections are not meant for hosting services like a VPN server. There are many hurdles to overcome:
Dynamic IP Addresses
Residential and small business Internet connections often use dynamic IP addressing pools for WAN IPs, making it impossible to host services such as a VPN server by IP address. Workarounds exist, such as Dynamic DNS, but require the use of a third party DNS provider.
Carrier Grade Network Address Translation Gateways (CGNAT)
Some carriers (especially mobile LTE and satellite based providers) utilize CGNs to scale availability of IPv4 address space while the Internet transitions to IPv6. When CGN is in use on a carrier’s network, subscribers do not receive a publically routable WAN IP address, making it impossible to “phone home” to any service
Port Forwarding and Network Address Translation (NAT)
Given a singular WAN IP address, residential and small business networks use NAT to provide for multiple IP addresses on the local LAN. This means complex port forwarding rules must be put in place to host a VPN service. Moreover, misconfigured port forwarding can leave the home or office open to attack and/or compromise.
Client Compatibility
VPNs are notoriously picky about remote client compatibility. While you might find one solution for your Windows laptop, it is possible that the same VPN system won’t work with your mobile phone.
Our Solution:
Remote Access
Remote Access
Big Network’s Remote Access solution intensely simplifies the process of setting up Remote Access. No Dynamic DNS, no Port Forwarding, automatic NAT traversal, and universal client support. Configure a Cloud Network, install our Apps, and login. Done.
Here’s how to enable this:
- Configure a Cloud Network in the Big Network Portal.
- Choose a range of available IP addresses matching those from your home or small business LAN.
- Invite yourself and family members to join the Cloud Network by email address.
- Install Big Apps on devices; support for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android are all available.
- Join the Cloud Network, and voila, to become directly connected with Remote Access just as though you’re at home or in the office.
Conclusion
Big Network’s Remote Access solution is a quick way to remotely connect to your home or small business network. By using our technology, home users and small business owners can create Internet wide private networks they are in full control of.
