sniperd
Well-Known Member
I got remote monitoring working with VPN! So now from anywhere I can use the Brewie app on my phone. This might get a little techie but I'll do my best. I've had problems in the past getting the app to work even when home, even when I knew the IP address of my Brewie it rarely would connect. First let's address that.
If the IP (Internet Protocol) Address of my Brewie was in the higher range (the last octet being above 100 for example) it did not work well. So if my Brewie had an IP of 192.168.0.240 it would not connect. I change my DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) settings on my router to always give my Brewie the address of 192.168.0.21 based upon the MAC address of the Brewie. Now it always finds and connects on the first try. If you don't have a problem connecting at home don't worry about any of that.
What is VPN? It stand for Virtual Private Network. The reason you can connect to your Brewie only at home is because your phone has to be on the same network (behind your firewall/router) as the Brewie. Otherwise anybody could connect to it. Using VPN on a remote device to 'VPN into' your home network puts your remote device (your phone in this case) on your home network even if you are on the other side of the world.
Now your router at home has to support VPN (Virtual Private Networking) and you would need to be able to login to your router to set that up. Everybody's router is different and if you got it from your Internet Provider you can ask them if it is supported. There are other ways to VPN into your home network and setup VPN servers but I just used my router.
When setting up your VPN it will probably ask for a username/password and a range of IPs. You'll have to make sure (I did in my case anyways) that the range of IPs has the first 3 sets of numbers (octets) are the same as your Brewie. So if your Brewie IP address is 192.168.0.21 then the range of IPs must be: 192.168.0.90 - 192.168.0.99 for example.
Now on your phone you'll have to setup a VPN client. I would just suggest Goggling that for either IPhone or Android. It is going to want to know the IP address of your VPN Server (your external IP address of your router). While you are home you can figure that out. Just go here: https://www.whatismyip.com/ and it is the IP4 (not the IP6) number. It will be like: 50.241.102.55 or something. Note that for most people this number can change! That is because it is a dynamic IP for most home Internets. There are ways to make sure it doesn't (static IP address which you might be able to ask your internet provider for), or you can use a Dynamic Name Service like this one: https://dyn.com/dynamic-dns/ Your router might also have one for free (my Asus router does) or just check before you leave the house.
Now you have your VPN server setup at home and your client on your phone. To test it you must not be on your home Wifi (got to get on the other side of your firewall), so you can just turn the wifi off on your phone. Activate your VPN client, hopefully it connects, and the open the Brewie app (don't forget to have your Brewie on!), and it should just work like magic.
Cheers!
Bonus tip: I hate that I can't set my screen timeout on my phone to more than 10 minutes when I'm brewing (I just want my phone propped up so I can glance at it). I found an app for Android called: "No Screen Off" and it does just that. Turn the app on and the screen never times out.
If the IP (Internet Protocol) Address of my Brewie was in the higher range (the last octet being above 100 for example) it did not work well. So if my Brewie had an IP of 192.168.0.240 it would not connect. I change my DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) settings on my router to always give my Brewie the address of 192.168.0.21 based upon the MAC address of the Brewie. Now it always finds and connects on the first try. If you don't have a problem connecting at home don't worry about any of that.
What is VPN? It stand for Virtual Private Network. The reason you can connect to your Brewie only at home is because your phone has to be on the same network (behind your firewall/router) as the Brewie. Otherwise anybody could connect to it. Using VPN on a remote device to 'VPN into' your home network puts your remote device (your phone in this case) on your home network even if you are on the other side of the world.
Now your router at home has to support VPN (Virtual Private Networking) and you would need to be able to login to your router to set that up. Everybody's router is different and if you got it from your Internet Provider you can ask them if it is supported. There are other ways to VPN into your home network and setup VPN servers but I just used my router.
When setting up your VPN it will probably ask for a username/password and a range of IPs. You'll have to make sure (I did in my case anyways) that the range of IPs has the first 3 sets of numbers (octets) are the same as your Brewie. So if your Brewie IP address is 192.168.0.21 then the range of IPs must be: 192.168.0.90 - 192.168.0.99 for example.
Now on your phone you'll have to setup a VPN client. I would just suggest Goggling that for either IPhone or Android. It is going to want to know the IP address of your VPN Server (your external IP address of your router). While you are home you can figure that out. Just go here: https://www.whatismyip.com/ and it is the IP4 (not the IP6) number. It will be like: 50.241.102.55 or something. Note that for most people this number can change! That is because it is a dynamic IP for most home Internets. There are ways to make sure it doesn't (static IP address which you might be able to ask your internet provider for), or you can use a Dynamic Name Service like this one: https://dyn.com/dynamic-dns/ Your router might also have one for free (my Asus router does) or just check before you leave the house.
Now you have your VPN server setup at home and your client on your phone. To test it you must not be on your home Wifi (got to get on the other side of your firewall), so you can just turn the wifi off on your phone. Activate your VPN client, hopefully it connects, and the open the Brewie app (don't forget to have your Brewie on!), and it should just work like magic.
Cheers!
Bonus tip: I hate that I can't set my screen timeout on my phone to more than 10 minutes when I'm brewing (I just want my phone propped up so I can glance at it). I found an app for Android called: "No Screen Off" and it does just that. Turn the app on and the screen never times out.
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