How Do I Connect to a Remote Front Panel that is Hosted

Behind a Remote Router?

digital.ni.com /public.nsf /allkb/B1E9A3D78BAED949862573AD0065D4D2

Primary Sof t ware: LabVIEW Development Systems>>LabVIEW Professional

Development System
Primary Sof t ware Version: 8.5
Primary Sof t ware Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Sof t ware: N/A

Problem:
I have a computer hosting a Remote Front Panel that is connected to the internet
through a router and I want to connect to it from anywhere. How do I do this?

Solut ion:
Complete the following steps to set up a computer and router for this type of
connection. The steps are identical if the computer has a wireless connection to the
router.

1. From the menu bar select Tools » Opt ions...

In LabVIEW 8.5 and 8.6, select the Web Server: Conf igurat ion from the
Cat egory list. In LabVIEW 2009 and later, select Web Server from the
Cat egory list (Figure 1).
Select Enable Web Server or Enable Remot e Panel Server (LabVIEW
2010 and later) to enable the web server. In LabVIEW 8.5, deselect the Use
Def ault option.
Specify an unassigned port. A port number above 49000 such as 49123 will
work.

Figure 1

2. Set the computer’s IP address to an address in the router's domain (do not use
DHCP, which is a typical default). For example, if the router’s IP address is
192.168.1.1 then a good address would be 192.168.1.200.
 To configure this, go to Cont rol Panel » Net work and Sharing Cent er »
Change Adapt er Set t ings.

Right- click on your Local Area Connection and select Propert ies (Figure
2a)

Figure 2a

Select Int ernet Prot ocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Int ernet Prot ocol
(TCP/IP) and click Propert ies (Figure 2b)

Figure 2b

Enter an
appropriate
IP address
(First three
numbers
should
match the
router's
address) -
See Figure
2c.

Figure 2c

3. Set up the
router
configuration by
logging on to the
router. See your
router’s manual
for how to do
this.
 Select port
f orwarding
in the router
by range
section and
ensure the
beginning
and ending
port values surround the port selected above (beginning
and ending values could be 49123).
Application name is anything you like (only for your
reference).
Select the forwarding IP address to be the address of your
server computer (i.e. 192.168.1.200).
Save the settings for the router.

4. Set up your computer’s firewall to allow the computer to be a web server.

Ensure the firewall allows sharing

For better security, limit the firewall sharing to the remote computer(s) IP
address(es) in its trusted z one.

5. Get your web server’s IP address

From your server computer and using a web browser, browse

to "http://whatismyipaddress.com/". It will report your web server's current IP
address (this can change over time).

6. Get the DNS service for your web server.

Use a service such as the free service at "www.dyndns.com" to "catalog"

your web server's name.
Follow their instructions for signing up, selecting your DNS name (might be
something like "MyNIWebSite.dyndns.org"), and installing a client application
to track your web server's IP in case it changes (some service providers
keep your IP address fairly constant, some don't).

7. Make the Remote Front Panel Connection

Ensure that your web server computer has a LabVIEW VI (such as XXXX.vi)
running with the web server enabled (causes web server to start in the
background).
From a remote computer open a blank VI and from the menu bar select
Operat e » Connect .
Enter the IP address obtained above in "Get your web server’s IP address"
OR enter your DNS name (such as "MyNIWebSite.dyndns.org"), if you setup
your DNS service as described above.
Enter the VI's name (such as "XXXX.vi")
Enter the port (such as 49123)
Select the Connect button.

Not e: If you are trying to connect to the Remote Front Panel using a Web browser,
complete the same steps but use port 80.

Relat ed Links:
KnowledgeBase 2KLCTBO9: VI Dynamically Loaded from Remote Front Panel
Appears Only on the Server Computer

KnowledgeBase 2Q7GLTOK: Can I Access a Remote Front Panel Running on a

Windows Machine with Mac OS X?

KnowledgeBase 56GADAEK: How to Request Control of a Remote Front Panel with

a Left- Click Operation?

12/10/2007
09/10/2012
4G9BUHDO