Accessing DigiPi while away

[Allan may]

Greetings all,

I love DigiPi and have been having a lot of fun with it. My question is,  if I want to access say my DigiPi that is hooked up to my IC-7300 for remote operation on another network, how do I do this?  I have the external  IP address and all port are open on the router. My local IP is 192.168.0.xxx and the external address is 209.42 130.xxx. Is there a way to access this when I’m not at home? Thanks for everyone’s help. 73’s,

Allan May, WD4ITE

[Craig]

Hey Allan, first, digipi has zero network security, so I can't recommend putting
it on the internet without some sort of DMZ or jumpstation/firewall/vpn.

Secondly, digipi will want to be hit on ports  80, 5901, 8055, 8000, 8001, 7681, 7682

cool,
-craig
KM6LYW

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[Doug Reed, N0NAS.]

Hi Allan.

Along with Craig's comments, consider installing Tailscale as a way to get around the router problem. A Tailscale account creates a virtual private network that can connect together computers anywhere on the Internet without need for open ports on the routers in between. It even allows connections via hotspots that otherwise don't allow incoming connections. I don't know how it works but can accept the "magic" and use it... Each computer on your personal network is assigned a permanent fixed IP address that can only be accessed from inside the network. You can also invite other Tailscale users to access specific devices on your network. I believe they added ways to invite other individuals last month. If you use the DigiPi hotspot, I'd suggest configuring it to use the Tailscale internal IP address so the computer you use for DigiPi access doesn't need changes for hotspot vs Internet use.....

Tailscale is just one of several similar programs but since it is free for up to 100 devices, it will do all I need. There are numerous YouTube videos you can watch for more info. I'd still recommend that you turn on a firewall in DigiPi and then open needed ports in that firewall. I'm too distrustful not to have some internal security beyond the Tailscale external network security.

73, Doug Reed, N0NAS.

[MI7DJT]

I highly recommend tailscale for this also.  I use it on all my machines I want access to remotely.  It's free and very, very good.

Eamon - MI7DJT

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[Fred Hillhouse Jr]

I use Splashtop. I believe it may work with a RP5. I go through a Windows box  (a Linux would work) since Splashtop works with x86 PCs.

Best regards,
Fred

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[MI7DJT]

Raspberry Pi are arm chips.. not x86.

[Fred Hillhouse Jr]

Yes they are. I connect to my Windows PC and SSH into my RPis.

[Doug Reed, N0NAS.]

It looks like SplashTop is a remote desktop control application similar to TeamViewer. but perhaps for-pay only? I've used TeamViewer for accessing a small group of about 10 remote computers under their "free non-commercial" license and it works fairly well. My primary complaint is that it uses a TeamViewer corporate server to bounce data between computers. That increases the end-to-end connection time which doesn't hurt most desktop uses but isn't ideal when trying to select stations for FT8. Tailscale is a private VPN that directly connects your computers at the network level via "NAT traversal". The connections are direct peer-to-peer for fastest speed. Accessing DigiPi would be the same as if you are on your home network. 

All three of these options can eliminate the need for port forwarding which was the original question. I'd say the difference is in the scope of what you can do using Tailscale vs SplashTop or TeamViewer. If all you want is to control one desktop at a time, then SplashTop or TeamViewer are adequate and both eliminate port forwarding. I've been considering upgrading my TeamViewer computers to TailScale so I can do data collection and system monitoring with Nagios without having to open ports on multiple sites. But neither TeamViewer or SplashTop can be used without an active Internet connection. That means the way you connect to DigiPi will change when you are on your home network or using the DigiPi hotspot. When running Tailscale I expect you should be able to use the same VNC program all the time. I'm not sure it makes sense to run TailScale when you on your home network, but if TailScale is creating a direct peer-to-peer connection over your home network, you may not see any speed difference. Since I haven't tried it, I can't say for sure.... 

Bottom line is that any of these options would be an answer to Allan's port forarding question. He will probably find the big difference is in how much time it takes to configure the different systems. TeamViewer might be the easiest if he wants to let other people access his station.

73, Doug Reed, N0NAS.   

[Fred Hillhouse Jr]

I use to use TeamViewer but they decided I was a business and cut me off. I switched to Splashtop which was free for personal use. I eventually upgrade to the cheapest business model since I have been helping family members. I have not heard about TailScale until this thread.

At the time when I began using these tools, there was no option to run a client on a Raspberry Pi. That may have changed now.

Best regards,
Fred N7FMH

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[Allan may]

Good morning all,

Thank you all so much for your replies. I was thinking about all the options thus far. I think I read somewhere that if you take the DigiPi with you, and it disconnects from your home internet, it will go back to being its own “hotspot”. Can someone correct me on this. Thanks again for everyone’s input,

Allan May,

 Amateur Radio Emergency Coordinator, Charles City ,VA
WD4ITE

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[Fred Hillhouse Jr]

Yes it will do that. Personally I don't find it useful and I use my phone hotspotn however that is because I also use my hotspot/phone for other purposes.

It does seem DigiPi will switch between available networks and if none are found it will turn on its hotspot. I don't believe it will turn off its hotspot if a network becomes available.

Best regards,
Fred N7FMH

[Doug Reed, N0NAS.]

Hi Fred & Allan. 

The Teamviewer personal use policy is one reason I'm moving away from it. I didn't dig enough to find the SplashTop free for personal use policy. And I totally forgot to check if TeamViewer or SplashTop had RasPi clients.

Yes Allan, that is exactly what the DigiPi hotspot is. Just like a phone or laptop, DigiPi will auto-connect to any access point that you pre-configure into DigiPi with a SSID and password. When you are away from that access point, DigiPi will not be able to connect and will reconfigure itself to be its own hotspot so your laptop or other device can still connect to it. This way you always have a wireless connection, at home or in the field.

73, Doug Reed, N0NAS.

[Bob Fairbairn]

Did anyone test Tailscale yet?  I am very interested in trying it.  I have my digipi on a Pi5 hooked to my base station and I am planning a trip this weekend.  

crazy person here

73 KE9A

[MI7DJT]

Hi Bob,

Yeah I use Tailscale on all my Raspberry Pi installs, including DigiPi.  It's a simple one line install and has been very reliable.

Good luck,

Eamon - MI7DJT

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