BridgeVPN Single-Site Secure Remote Access

Product Overview

• Wired or wireless operation over the Internet
• Secure encrypted communication tunnel
• Free download of OpenVPN client software
• Support for Linux and Windows OpenVPN clients
• Stateful Firewall and Allowlist
• Passage of multicast and broadcast messages eliminates requirement for BBMD
• Internet communication to a client at a remote site or any convenient site with Internet connectivity
• Support for up to 10 PC clients
• Independent client communication with one or more router
• Flexible man-machine and machine-machine applications
• Quick realization of a remote access project
• Individual access to multiple, remote sites

Product Details

Utilizing the Internet for remote commissioning provides convenience while saving time and money. Contemporary Controls' EIGR-VB Gigabit IP router and EIGR-C Gigabit Cellular IP router can be configured as a wired and wireless bridge VPN server for single-site, remote access solutions. With this configuration, users set up and maintain their own secure remote access without subscription fees and without the need for a cloud-based VPN server. The router, set to OpenVPN server mode and assigned a Static Public IP address, resides at the remote site and uses the Internet for communicating to OpenVPN clients.

A simple VPN can exist between two end points, called a VPN tunnel, between a client and a server. One end point (client) is you at your office, and the other (server) is at the remote job site. Communication is encrypted, and only authorized devices can communicate over the VPN.

Operating in OpenVPN server mode, the EIGR-VB and EIGR-C support bridge mode where up to 10 VPN clients (Windows/Linux PCs) are bridged to the router's LAN side and assigned an IP address from the LAN subnet. This provides the same application experience as if the client devices were part of the router's LAN and allows passage of multicast and broadcast messages through the VPN tunnel without the need for a BACnet/IP Broadcast Management Device (BBMD).

Although the EIGR-VB and EIGR-C have many of the same features found in high-end routers, they are simpler to install and commission. A resident DHCP server on the LAN-side will provide IP addresses to LAN-side clients, while a DHCP client on the WAN-side will accept IP address assignments from the attached network. Static addressing is accommodated as well. Configuration is via a web browser using authentication.

Any Windows or Linux PC can run the open-source OpenVPN client software. Though OpenVPN client software is available from the Google Store for Android devices and App Store for iOS, it doesn't support TAP adapter required for bridge mode. For PCs, OpenVPN Version 2.x is required which corresponds to OpenVPN GUI on Windows. OpenVPN Connect (version 3.x) is not supported with BridgeVPN as it doesn't support the TAP adapter.

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