Experience hassle-free remote access with Big Network. Our solution requires only three steps to set up, making it accessible for anyone, anytime, anywhere. Say goodbye to complex configurations and hello to easy connectivity.
Actually, no, it’s not. Remote access comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Some people see remote access as just putting content into cloud storage (with local synchronization). Others, like prosumers, might equate remote access with configuring their home network firewall and router. And others, such as those working for corporate IT, know that remote access means VPN equipment and lots of network configuration. In other words, some remote access solutions support thousands of simultaneous connections while others are just for you. Laying that on top of the myriad of different network configurations people may have at home or at work ( different routers, different operating systems, and different requirements) and navigating the maze of remote access can be almost daunting. So unless you have a piece of hardware supported by a company, your options are limited beyond diving into the world of community technology support.
If you were to write a book about challenges setting up remote access, you might run out of paper and ink before documenting everything. But at the root are some very fundamental components from which most of the implementation and configuration challenges arise:
Dynamic IP AddressesCarrier Grade Network Address Translation Gateways (CGNAT)Port Forwarding and Network Address Translation (NAT)Client CompatibilityResidential and small business Internet connections often use dynamic IP addressing pools for WAN IPs, making it impossible to host services such as a VPN server by IP address. Workarounds exist, such as Dynamic DNS, but require the use of a third party DNS provider. These solutions, though, are targeted more at prosumers than the average person who just wants to access pictures while away from the home office.Some carriers (especially mobile LTE and satellite based providers) utilize CGNs to scale availability of IPv4 address space while the Internet transitions to IPv6. When CGN is in use on a carrier’s network, subscribers do not receive a publically routable WAN IP address, making it impossible to “phone home” to any service. That’s Latin for, “this makes absolutely no sense.”Given a singular WAN IP address, residential and small business networks use NAT to provide for multiple IP addresses on the local LAN. Basically, this translates the IP address provided by your ISP (that’s your WAN address) to your local IP address (the ubiquitous 192.168.1.xxx). This means complex port forwarding rules must be put in place to host a VPN service and although many routers offer a means to do so, misconfigured port forwarding can leave the home or office open to attack and/or compromise. Yeah, no one wants THOSE pictures stolen and spread around the internet.To connect to your VPN, you’ll need a client, a piece of software on your device. But, VPNs are notoriously picky about remote client compatibility. While you might find one solution for your Windows laptop, it is possible that VPN won’t work with your iOS mobile phone.
So you want remote access but you are afraid of the headaches. What if there was an “Easy Remote Access Button” for that? That’s Big Network: our Remote Access solution requires no complex configuration settings or specialized server and can be set up in just a few minutes. No Dynamic DNS, no Port Forwarding, automatic NAT traversal, and universal client support. Configure a Cloud Network, install our Apps, and login. Done.
Remote access solutions are a powerful tool which enables you, or your workers, to access files in your home office or network shares behind the corporate firewall. But configuring those solutions has traditionally been a nightmare. Whether that requires installing specialized hardware or dealing with a host of network and client configuration issues, having remote access doesn’t have to cause so many headaches. Big Network’s Remote Access solution is as easy as signing up for a new email account: just a few simple steps from setup to actually using it.
