How to access your work network remotely from coffee shops’ wireless networks.
If you have a laptop you probably think that you should be able to access your home and work networks. The truth is that you can and that it’s done quite commonly done from everywhere that has wireless networking. 802.11 G wireless is something that is widely available. It is provided by many restaurants, most office buildings, most hotels, and at your home if you choose to buy an inexpensive 802.11 g router. Even in buildings that don’t have WiFi communications installed one can frequently get a signal from a wireless gateway in a nearby building. If you are traveling or have a reason to work from outside the office it is very convenient.
Once you have a wireless connection you have a connection to the internet. You then need to make a remote connection to your employer’s network. Due to security considerations many of the services available from work cannot be made available to anybody on the internet, even with password authentication. Therefore remote mobile users need to create a VPN connection. With most private networks, VPN is usually already available and a simple call to the company’s helpdesk or IT staff can get you going.
The Cisco brand VPN client is free but requires (free) registration from Cisco.com. However if the business’s side of the VPN is not in place the business will need to buy a VPN concentrator. If you are only expecting a small number of users (under 50 at the same time) then the cheapest concentrator should be sufficient. If your employer needs a business case to justify the cost point out that it encourages staff to work when they are not at work or on the clock. Even just checking their mail from home frees up time at work, and 5 hours of utilization a week over the lifetime of the equipment will easily pay for it in additional hours from salaried staff. A VPN concentrator can also be used to remotely access the network, even if it’s not through a wireless gateway.
5 hours a week * 50 working weeks a year * 4 years * $15 per hour
= $15,000.
There are other options as well. However none of the other options give access to the entire internal network, just part of it. For example one can setup an SSH tunnel fairly easily, but it only connects to one thing only and it opens it up to everybody who can figure out what it is for. This creates serious security risks and is more useful to bypass security than for legitimate remote access. One can also use Microsoft’s remote desktops to use a server, but this requires that whatever software you’re using to be installed on that server in addition. In addition some configuration to allow a remote connection be made to the server from the internet is needed. This is equivalent to using the server in place of your laptop via the laptop screen & keyboard and a 802.11 G WiFi gateway rather than using the laptop. However if you’re an IT administrator, or it’s your home PC you want solo remote access to, this would be a reasonable method of access.
Remote networks can be accessed via any wireless gateway and is is fairly simple if the business has a VPN concentrator. Any business with any employees interested in remote access should be able to easily make up the financial cost of buying the networking equipment needed. Any network technician should be able to configure, install, and support it. If you’re using a laptop you should be able to connect to your network remotely effortlessly via each and every wireless hotspot gateway you find.
Check the availability of VPN concentrators here.
The next article is: How wireless network antennas are described.
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I\’m supporting this idea all the way! I can not imagine who would disagree with it. On the whole - make posts like this more often….