Controlling VM201 via internet with NAT portforwarding: nope

Hi there,

I managed to control my VM201 via the iPhone App.

Works great! (and fast!!)

Just entering it’s local IP plus username/password (I use port 1500)

Now I wanted to control it over the internet, via the same iPhone App.

In order to do that I just entered the Public IP of my internet connection, and I did a NAT port forwarding external port 1500 to the local IP adress (port 80) of the VM201.
Doesn’t work… unfortunately.

Off course, it works via a VPN connection (my iPhone connects via VPN to my home network, and the I just use the settings that I would use when I control the VM201 locally)

Is NAT portforwarding not possible via the iPhone App?

Portforwarding works perfectly if I use the Safari browser in my Iphone, just typing in my Public IP address plus the external port number (separated by a colon ‘:’, so 123.154.43.1:1500

and the login screen of the VM201 webserver shows up and asks for authentication.

I guess the problem is in the iPhone App.
Wuld be great to hear from you!!

Rgds

Robbert / PA3BKL

Don’t mix up the port for the web interface (HTTP) and the port for the iPhone app (custom protocol). You forwarded to port 80 (= web interface), but you want to connect with the iPhone app. Evidently it works in a web browser, since a web browser understands HTTP.

Conclusion, you will need two port forwarding rules.

App listens to port 9760.

[quote]1) Webserver in the VM201 listens to port 80[/quote]Correct, the web server listens on port 80

[quote]2) App listens to 9760[/quote]The app doesn’t listen to anything, the app is designed to connect to port 9760, a port that speaks the correct protocol.

[quote]But you say that the App uses a custom protocol, so what protocol is used in the App?[/quote]A protocol understood by the app and the VM201, that is all you need to know

[quote]
This is the first (NAT) rule I have setup in my router:
first rule:
Public IP: 123.122.33.44 (fake)
Public port: 9760
Private (local) IP of VM201: 192.168.9.10 (fake)
Private port: 80
[/quote]This is a correct rule if you want to use a web browser, eg. 192.168.0.10:9760/

[quote]App --> VM201 webserver
The above means that the iPhone App talks to 123.122.33.44:9760,
and the router redirects it to 192.168.9.10:80, so the server gets the packets from the App on the Internet.[/quote]None of this is correct. It means that incoming connections on port 9760 of your router are forwarded to port 80 of your VM201. The iPhone app can’t talk to a web server.

For the iPhone app you need to forward port 9760 to port 9760:
Public IP: 123.122.33.44 (fake)
Public port: 9760
Private (local) IP of VM201: 192.168.9.10 (fake)
Private port: 9760

[quote=“tulipman”][quote]1) Webserver in the VM201 listens to port 80[/quote]Correct, the web server listens on port 80

[quote]2) App listens to 9760[/quote]The app doesn’t listen to anything, the app is designed to connect to port 9760, a port that speaks the correct protocol.

[quote]But you say that the App uses a custom protocol, so what protocol is used in the App?[/quote]A protocol understood by the app and the VM201, that is all you need to know

[quote]
This is the first (NAT) rule I have setup in my router:
first rule:
Public IP: 123.122.33.44 (fake)
Public port: 9760
Private (local) IP of VM201: 192.168.9.10 (fake)
Private port: 80
[/quote]This is a correct rule if you want to use a web browser, eg. 192.168.0.10:9760/

[quote]App --> VM201 webserver
The above means that the iPhone App talks to 123.122.33.44:9760,
and the router redirects it to 192.168.9.10:80, so the server gets the packets from the App on the Internet.[/quote]None of this is correct. It means that incoming connections on port 9760 of your router are forwarded to port 80 of your VM201. The iPhone app can’t talk to a web server.

For the iPhone app you need to forward port 9760 to port 9760:
Public IP: 123.122.33.44 (fake)
Public port: 9760
Private (local) IP of VM201: 192.168.9.10 (fake)
Private port: 9760[/quote]

Thanks for the reply!!

The problem with connecting to the VM201 from the webbrowser in my iPhone (over internet) is that the screen is small.
In the App the burrons are bigger.

I wil just stick with VPN, that works great from my iPhone!!

Rgds

Robbert