Control Network Newsletter
Gigabit IP Routers Facilitate Secure Remote Access in Building Automation
Great River Automation LLC, based in New Brighton, MN, provides their customers with secure remote access by using Contemporary Controls' RemoteVPN subscription service in conjunction with our EIGR series Gigabit IP routers—EIGR-V for wired connections and EIGR-C for connecting via cellular networks.
"The EIGR-V routers are a cost-effective way to establish remote connectivity that is simple, secure, and versatile," said Dan Nordstrom, vice president of Great River Automation. "Many of our customers don't have established IT departments, and the EIGR routers work remarkably to bridge this gap. We also have customers that prefer to install an EIGR versus having the BAS sit on their IT infrastructure. On several occasions, we've saved customers the installation cost of getting an ISP run to the building by utilizing the EIGR-C cellular router."
Great River Automation tailors automated building solutions to meet customers' current and changing goals. They utilize open technologies to deliver flexible, intelligent automation solutions, such as HVAC control and systems optimization, BAS integration, IP security, and remote accessibility.
To facilitate development of these customized solutions, Green River Automation uses the EIGR-V internally as a startup tool to provide remote engineering design support and the ability to streamline checkout and verification. "Overall, the versatility, simplicity, and cost effectiveness of the EIGR-V routers decrease the complexity of establishing secure, remote connectivity to a customer's BAS which internally saves us time and effort on our projects," said Nordstrom.
Contemporary Controls' RemoteVPN subscription service provides secure communication and the convenience of remote access without having to maintain a VPN server. It utilizes OpenVPN, an open-source VPN protocol that features SSL/TLS security with encryption to ensure secure point-to-point and site-to-site connections.
Hosted on the Internet and maintained by Contemporary Controls, the RemoteVPN subscription service incorporates a cloud-based OpenVPN server, OpenVPN clients for workstations and mobile devices, and OpenVPN IP routers installed at the job site.
The use of RemoteVPN service along with the EIGR series Gigabit IP routers eliminates the need for a Static Public IP address and for setting up Multiple Port Forwarding entries. In addition, the Masquerade feature allows access to LAN side devices where it is not possible to change the Gateway IP address. (For detailed information, see IP Routers Features - Gateway Address and Masquerade.)
"The Masquerade functionality gives us a unique mechanism in certain situations to allow end users to connect directly to the BAS on their own network to avoid using the VPN, but allows us the ability to access the entire BAS remotely through the VPN," said Nordstrom.
The EIGR-V is a high-speed router that links two 10/100/1000 Mbps Internet Protocol (IPv4) networks and provides OpenVPN client/server functionality. It incorporates a four-port Ethernet switch for multiple LAN-side connections. As a VPN Server, one EIGR-V can support up to 15 router clients and 15 PC clients.
The EIGR-C3 is a high-speed router that links cellular to 10/100/1000 Mbps IPv4 networks. The EIGR-C incorporates a built-in cellular modem that works with Verizon. It provides OpenVPN client functionality that is compatible with Contemporary Controls' RemoteVPN.
For more information about our OpenVPN IP routers, visit IP Routers.
For more information about the RemoteVPN service, visit RemoteVPN.