Use VPN instead of "myHS"???

[diitto]

[randy]

On your phone go to Settings > HS3Touch and you can set up 4 servers, MyHs and preferred connection method.

[diitto]

But do I have to first setup a "myHS" account?? When I've opened the app itself (I know you're pointing me to the app's settings instead) it always puts up a registration window that I believe is about to sign my up for a "myHS" account which I'm trying to avoid.

I've actually deleted the app for now while I went away to learn though I can put it back.

So can I skip signing up for "myHS" and yet still use the app but just connect using one of those other connection possibilities???

thanks..

[cwfluke]

You do not have to setup myHS for HSTouch to work.

[randy]

But do I have to first setup a "myHS" account?? When I've opened the app itself (I know you're pointing me to the app's settings instead) it always puts up a registration window that I believe is about to sign my up for a "myHS" account which I'm trying to avoid.

I've actually deleted the app for now while I went away to learn though I can put it back.

So can I skip signing up for "myHS" and yet still use the app but just connect using one of those other connection possibilities???

thanks..

Yes, you can choose a connection mode of Server 1 for example then set it up for your VPN. You can also have it ask you each time, then you just need to close the application and reopen it to choose another server or even MyHS when it starts up. If you notice my screenshot has HS3Touch to connect by Server 1 each time.

[lveatch]

But do I have to first setup a "myHS" account?? When I've opened the app itself (I know you're pointing me to the app's settings instead) it always puts up a registration window that I believe is about to sign my up for a "myHS" account which I'm trying to avoid.

I've actually deleted the app for now while I went away to learn though I can put it back.

So can I skip signing up for "myHS" and yet still use the app but just connect using one of those other connection possibilities???

thanks..

Typically after a successful VPN connection to your home network, your phone will be on your private home network. Therefore, you connect to your HS system using the same name/ip as if you are physically at home - irregardless of HSTouch or web browser.

[diitto]

OK, getting a little closer I think. I reloaded HS3Touch on to my iOS device. I went into settings and followed your lead, well without any other server yet actually set up. But I moved the check from HS3Touch and moved it to Server 1.

I then went back to the app, opened it again, but it still showed a login for "myHS". But I figured I might need to quit the app and even restart the iOS device... So I did so.

And yes, now I am no longer being asked to either log on to or Register with "myHS". So far so good...

But since I still don't have not configured anything beyond what is already there for Server 1

Label: Demo Server
Address: demo.homeseer.com
Username: default
Password: *****
Port: 10200

And the app put up the following message.

You are connecting to a demo server, use 1 2 3 4 for passcodes.

Now, I'm also ignorant of how to set up a VPN but I am about to learn. Any advice there???

The iOS device (iPhone 6S) has a vpn client but I've never tried to set it up before. Good place to start or no???

I'm actually reasonably savvy on some tech stuff but NOT on networking... Waltzed around the edges for a long time but now trying to learn... Any advice would be much appreciated...

My goal is just to be able to access my home troller zee S2 from a reasonably secure single mobile device

Any help would be much appreciated... thanks... bob...

[DMT]

The VPN thing is not so easy. You need to run a VPN server locally. I am using pfSense as my firewall/router. With pfSense you can choose either IPsec or OpenVPN. Both of these solutions provide secure remote access to your local network from anywhere.

I use IPsec and iOS devices have a built-in Cisco IPsec client that connects well to pfSense. On the OpenVPN side there is an iOS app. Your VPN at home is always listening for a connection request so in the case of IPsec before you launch the HS3 app you switch on the VPN on your iPhone for example and then launch the HS3 app and are connected securely to your HomeSeer server just like you would be direct connected locally.

I am over simplifying this whole VPN thing because in reality it requires an new firewall/router device. pfSense is very good and free but like HomeSeer there is a learning curve.

If all you want to do is connect your Zee you might be better off just using the MyHomeSeer service offered. Simple and does not require any port forwarding (holes) in your router/firewall.

For reference I have included some screenshots of IPsec VPN on the iPhone.

Regards,
__________

[diitto]

[cheeryfool]

As others have suggested, I would highly recommend starting with myhs. It provides a secure route from the HS Touch client or a web-browser to HS3 from remote locations. Once you have signed up via myhs.homeseer.com, HS3 maintains an outbound connection to HomeSeer servers. When you need to connect, you use an SSL secured login via HomeSeer's servers, which then connects back to your house over the existing outbound connection.

This would allow you to get a good feel for HS3 without the huge learning curve of setting up a VPN first.

[Pete]

Here I have utilized PFSense for a couple of years now (well maybe more). Here is a little blurb about setting up VPN.

+ relating to a learning curve especially if you have only used a VPN client but not ever configured VPN.

PFSense VPN Capability IPSec

Personally and over the years I have not really needed or wanted to remote control of my automation as it works today. There is less automation hand holding than say 10 years ago. I know that my front coach lights are on and that my HVAC is working. 10 years ago I checked and it worked 100% of the time.

I do use it though to manage or play with all of my stuff here at home because it gives me the warm and fuzzy of using one tunnel, one configuration on my firewall for all of my stuff at home.

I was on a business trip and had nothing to do at night 4k plus miles away from home so I played. Note this a bit more than remote controlling my automation these days.

The above noted read about using it and try it and try myhomeseer dot com.

If the priority is just remote control of your automation; then VPN might be taking it a bit over the top.

BUT if it makes you feel better about remote controlling your automation then use it.

[Steve Q]

Use VPN instead of "myHS"???

I was using my iOS iTouch to control HS2 with some custom web pages I built back in 2012. But I stopped using them when I started working with HS3. I am currently using myHS and the default HSTouch webpage with HS3.

Over the past few days I have been trying to revive my old web pages and use them with HS3. This is not an easy process and the interaction between myhomeseer, HSTouch designer, and HSTouch is a mystery to me. Which user name and password to use? What Port # to use?

I finally got a page working on my iTouch. But when I tried a page on the iPad, I can't get anything working!

Is there any documentation on this? A step by step guide would be great.








Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Pete]

MyHomeseer dot com is on the internet accessible via a dynamic IP address.

It is a long(er) round trip for HSDesigner versus programming the client directly.

A VPN tunnel wouldn't help with this.

[diitto]

Again, I'm just trying to find balance (and balance is sometimes very hard to achieve) between operability and convenience on one side and security from being hacked on the other. And I don't know a lot about the security side so I'm reading and trying to learn from others. I would point folks to another post at

http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=177585

The above post by an author named "madas" is simply called "Security" and is in the

myHomeSeer Remote Access Service

area.

In his post, he makes what appear to be some reasonable points, as some seemingly reasonable questions and at first, no one answers at all. A bad sign. When he posts again, he then gets a couple of answers, one suggesting he

"Use VPN and without myHS at all if you want the highest security."

and a second that tells him to enter a ticket into bugzilla if he wants to get the developer's attention.

It's questions like that the get MY attention and make me wonder if I'm willing to use "myHS". If a guy is far, far more likely to kick in a window to get in my house as compared to how much work it would take him to hack into my system through "myHS", then sure, use it. If, on the other hand, using that system with some of the possible vulnerabilites mentioned in the above post gives me a reasonable liklihood of finding my home network compromised, then maybe I would be better served to try to learn the VPN approach...

If one sets up and uses "myHS" how could one shut it off, I mean really shut it off, if you later decided that was not the way to go??? And any comments on the above linked thread about "security" of "myHS"???

thanks... bob

[kriz83]

I have not exposed my homeseer box via MyHS or by opening a port on my router.

I'm using a VPN (OpenVPN), which is installed on my router. Alternatively you could install it on your HS box (not possible on a Zee ...) or on a Raspberry PI.

Mind though, that is a bit cumbersome for the significant other. Start VPN first, than open app ... My wife and I both use android phones with Tasker, and whenever HSTouch is started when we are not connected to the Wifi, it automatically makes a VPN connection first.