Anyone using a VPN to...

[MasterLuJr]

Has/Is anyone using a VPN to access their home automation/security cameras? I was reading a interesting article that said instead of using port forwarding and a ddns to use a VPN. I've only used a VPN to go on the internet/mask your IP. So I don't really understand how to use a VPN as a remote connection to your homes router with a IPhone/IPad. Anyone doing this or have any ideas? I know you can put a vpn on your router to "hide" all your internet traffic but I'm talking about accessing a specific IP/ddns through a VPN connection. Hopefully this makes sense to a IT person on the site and doesn't come off as a rambling though lol Any information would be appreciated! I'm just looking for the most secure remote connection to my home automation & it seems like the VPN is the way to go versus port forwarding.

[-E-]

You should be accessing anything on your own network via a properly setup VPN only. Anything that broadcasts outbound is ripe for trouble.

[Soundserge]

Yes, I use a VPN to connect to my home network while on the road on occasion. Mine is set up on a Ubiqiti EdgeRouter. Wasn't exactly trivial to set up on the router side. I can access the VPN using built in VPN clients on iOS devices and MacOS and I do use dynamic dns to make that easier as well.

[mtroo]

Any thoughts on the best router at this point. Apple has all but withdrawn from the router business. I need to figure out how to configure a router for this.

[The Lost Bears]

I have a TP-Link router and it took me 5 minutes to set up NordVPN. It was pretty simple. There are step by step instructions on the NordVPN website to setup a bunch of different routers. I would imagine the instructions would work with any VPN service. NordVPN is a nice service but it seems really slow in speed tests.

[orosie]

Nord seems very slow to me. I was happier with IPVanish. May go back.

As far as routers/firewalls...I am a Ubiquiti guy, and have an EdgeRouterLite, as well as a USG and all Unifi switches and APs. I am an IT professional, so setting up more complex environments is rather trivial to me, and Ubiquiti can be a bit complex for the armchair tech guy, but they make great products that offer granular configuration at a great price point.

If you are worried about users hacking into your security cameras, a VPN would surely be your best bet....but I dont bother going to that extreme for external security cameras. They all use specific ports, on a secure VLAN that has no access to any other devices in my home. I dont use any indoor cameras, so I am not too paranoid about some hacker taking the time to get into one of my cameras to stare at my front/side/back yard.

[The Lost Bears]

Neither NordVPN or IPVanish get a good review from That One Privacy Site.

https://thatoneprivacysite.net/blog/

Here is a comparison chart of VPNs

https://thatoneprivacysite.net/vpn-comparison-chart/

AirVPN looks rather interesting and like it might be one of the faster VPNs. Has anyone tried it?

[Mike1998]

If you want to access something on your home network check out the Ubiquiti Edgerouter X. Easy to setup an OpenVPN server on it and either relay the traffic into your home network or use is as a relay when you are outside so it looks like you are originating from your home network:

https://medium.com/@nurblieh/openvpn...e-61b0c59b6587


The Edgerouter X costs like $50, the UI is quite nice also.

[The Lost Bears]

NordVPN is running a special, $3.29 a month for 2 years. If you are looking for a VPN to protect yourself on the internet this is not a bad deal.

[Cohibaman]

http://www.techhive.com/article/3158...ernet.amp.html