Control Network Newsletter
How to Create and Use Self-Signed SSL Certificates for Specific Browsers
Contemporary Controls offers BACnet routers and gateways that incorporate HTTPS to provide secure Internet communication and protect the integrity of client data. Their resident HTTPS web servers allow for commissioning, status reporting, and troubleshooting using any standard web browser.
A new video series demonstrates how to generate and use self-signed SSL certificates in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox. These three videos are provided as a supplement to the Application Note-How to Create and Use Self-Signed SSL Certificates.
Certificates are typically issued and managed by a trusted third-party company, called a Certificate Authority (CA). Installing an SSL certificate from a well-known, widely trusted CA—such as DigiCert, Comodo, GoDaddy, or Let's Encrypt—ensures that your website can be accessed securely and seamlessly over the public Internet.
Trusted CAs issue certificates only to websites with a public IP address. They do not provide certificates for devices on internal networks that use private IP addresses. Since most customers use our devices on internal networks, they can generate their own self-signed certificates to ensure their browsers trust the devices.
Self-signed certificates are created, issued, and signed by the same organization or developer that owns the website or software. They don't come from a trusted third-party authority.
Self-signed certificates are fast, free, and easy to issue. They are appropriate for development/testing environments, internal network websites, and providing secure webpages for devices.
Each video in the series explains how to:
- Install OpenSSL for Windows using WinGet
- Create a self-signed certificate for a device IP
- Upload the self-signed certificate to a device
- Install the certificate to a trust root CA folder
The videos then provide browser-specific instructions for downloading the certificate to a local computer. Select the browser-specific video below to learn more: