rjsurfer
North Carolina
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I have an MBR-1000 router at home which is connected to the net with a 4G/3G USB modem. Since Verizon has started to have issues with their 4G/3G network it has effected my network at home. Not a big deal when I'm home a simple reboot or config change and all is well.
It mostly effects my Slingbox, for some reason these net screw-ups causes to lose connection to the web, as I said a reboot or a simple config change and I can then access it remotely from anywhere.
My thought was to allow remote access to the MBR, but in the config screen it says not to because it can be a security issue. For the few weeks a year I travel I'm thinking it's not a big deal, there is nothing else connected to the home network other than the Slingbox.
Any more serious repercussions?
Ron W.
03 Dodge 2500 SRW,SB,EC
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rrwhistler
N.E. Kansas
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If your router is capable of a Secure connection(https://), then you could enable that and access it remotely using the SSL connection via web. The URL would look something like https://123.123.123.123(the numbers being the IP address to your router.) Some routers also require a port number to be assigned for remote access.
The thing I'd be concerned about, though, would be if it loses connection, will the IP address change, and/or, will you be able to access the router after the hiccup?
I used to use Linksys(now Cisco) routers on a cable connection, and if my cable connection would hiccup, sometimes the router would not make a connection, and the reboot onsite was the only way to repair the connection.
As far as I know, the https connection would be the only way to secure it, and with anything on the web, it's not perfect. On the routers I used, you had to input a password to access, and that was about the only protection you had from unauthorized access.
From what I read in your post, it doesn't seem like anything would be exposed except your Slingbox, and if that is correct, the repercussions would seem to be minimal.
Just be aware that nothing is perfect . . .
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ljr
Pennsylvania
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I have a router that doubles as a VPN endpoint. It authenticates with an asymmetric key so the bad guys can't get in, even with a lucky password guess. Its an obsolete Netgear model but I think there are current versions that do the same thing.
That is going to require a little tech savvy to setup so it may not be worth the hassle to you.
Larry
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rjsurfer
North Carolina
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rrwhistler.....You asked "The thing I'd be concerned about, though, would be if it loses connection, will the IP address change, and/or, will you be able to access the router after the hiccup?"
That's one problem with Verizon's version of 4G the net's address changes after each network connect/disconnect.
Ron W.
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ljr
Pennsylvania
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rjsurfer wrote:rrwhistler.....You asked "The thing I'd be concerned about, though, would be if it loses connection, will the IP address change, and/or, will you be able to access the router after the hiccup?"
That's one problem with Verizon's version of 4G the net's address changes after each network connect/disconnect.
Ron W.
You can solve that with Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS) on the home end. These folks have a free service but you have to renew periodically. For a fee you can avoid that.
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westernflyer
Washington State
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We had this problem two years ago and solved it by putting the DSL modem and router on a timer. Every morning at 3:00 it turns the power off and then on to reboot and no more problems.
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brobox
Sunny SW. Florida
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westernflyer wrote:We had this problem two years ago and solved it by putting the DSL modem and router on a timer. Every morning at 3:00 it turns the power off and then on to reboot and no more problems.
There is where the problem lies....if the router goes off anything connected to the router by wi-fi has to be reconfigured (reconnect) to work wireless again. That is why I haven't been to excited about connecting a slingbox to my Dish network...I live in the power outage capitol of the world and we travel for the 3 months at a time. Power is interrupted about once a week where I live, so the slingbox would probably not be working a week after we left, unless they reconfigure automatically. From what the OP said, it sounds like they do not once they loose the signal.
I am watching this post in hopes there is an answer as I would have the same problem as the OP's connecting a slingbox.
Chuck
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magicbus
LBI, NJ or Nantucket, MA
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Why not get a small UPS to run the router and Slingbox. They must draw so little that they could ride for an hour. Mine keeps a printer, two 26 inch monitors and a processor up over 15 minutes.
Dave
Our new RV... the adventure continues.
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rjsurfer
North Carolina
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ljr wrote:rjsurfer wrote:rrwhistler.....You asked "The thing I'd be concerned about, though, would be if it loses connection, will the IP address change, and/or, will you be able to access the router after the hiccup?"
That's one problem with Verizon's version of 4G the net's address changes after each network connect/disconnect.
Ron W.
You can solve that with Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS) on the home end. These folks have a free service but you have to renew periodically. For a fee you can avoid that.
That won't work because you cannot get a static "public" IP address from Verizon on their 4G network....
Ron W.
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mlslcan
Home
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You would have to use a Dynamic DNS system to be able to reliably connect to your router since the 3G modem uses dhcp to assign ip addresses. I believe that the mbr routers support that.
Now to your original question the security of remotely managing your router. If you assign a strong password and change the administrators name, and use only https for connections to the router admin page then you limit your risk. Leaving the original admin id and a soft password would allow someone to hack in using a dictionary attack or brute force attack. Not using https would allow someone to capture the userid and password.
I know of several people who have taken the preceding precautions and have not had an issue but that does not guarantee that you will have the same outcome.
Personally I have a VPN into one of the systems on my home network that I then can use to manage the router from remotely. It is a more secure set up but is also more complicated to set up.
Mike
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