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Mehrts

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#303255 28-Jan-2023 10:59
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Morning GZ,

TL,DR;
Has anyone used ZeroTier for remote access to their entire home LAN via mobile device?

 



Full yarn:
I currently use Wireguard as a remote access VPN between my iPhone and home network so that I can access everything as if I was physically at home (security cameras, Pi-hole, Plex etc). This has worked great, and was super simple to set up via PiVPN running on a VM.

I've noticed that a lot of people have mentioned ZeroTier for easy access between devices over the internet. Yesterday I made an account and started dabbling with it.

For device to device connections where you can install the ZT software this is super easy, no problems at all and is a great tool for the toolbox.

However, to access devices that you can't install ZT on (such as an NVR), I've been struggling with the config to make the ZT "server" (Ubuntu VM) act as a link to my LAN. I've tried the bridging and routing methods. Bridging was a no-go, however routing gave me access to my default home LAN but not other VLANs (e.g. cameras. This wasn't a problem at all with WireGuard. The VLAN firewall rules have been defined as being accessable by devices on the default LAN, but not the other way round.

Before I go commiting a bunch of time and effort into ZT, I'm just wondering if anyone else has managed to achieve complete remote network access via ZeroTier between a mobile device (iOS/Android), and a "server" such as a Raspberry Pi or other Ubuntu machine. This is more for a learning opportunity, and I'm happy to stick with WG as it just works for whole network access.


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davidcole
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  #3028221 28-Jan-2023 11:58
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I had a quick play with tailscale and it seemed ok. But haven’t tried Zeroteor




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Mehrts

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  #3028226 28-Jan-2023 12:10
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davidcole: I had a quick play with tailscale and it seemed ok. But haven’t tried Zeroteor


Tailscale is next on my list of things to try out.


BlackHand
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  #3028299 28-Jan-2023 14:02
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Yes I use ZeroTier but it's setup on a Mikrotik device so it was relatively straight forward, it works great but the performance of my Wireguard VPN is much better.




Mehrts

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  #3028309 28-Jan-2023 14:38
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BlackHand:

 

Yes I use ZeroTier but it's setup on a Mikrotik device so it was relatively straight forward, it works great but the performance of my Wireguard VPN is much better.

 



Ok, thanks for the info. I don't think I'll pursue LAN/subnet access any further with ZeroTier, especially as I've already got a functioning setup working well with Wireguard.

ZT works brilliantly for device to device connectivity over the internet. Which is ultimately what it was designed for, hence the ease of use in that manner.


michaelmurfy
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  #3028352 28-Jan-2023 16:08
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There is also Cloudflare Zero Trust + Cloudflare Tunnels if you wish to have a secure method to access the above without a VPN. I personally use both and find them awesome + it is free.





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Mehrts

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  #3028514 28-Jan-2023 16:53
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Thanks for that info Mike.

 

I've just tried Tailscale and achieved entire access of multiple subnets (VLANs) from my iPhone within a few minutes of install. Much easier than ZT.

I know the ZT config issues are a "me" problem, but I just found the layout of info by ZT to be confusing. TS is three lines of extra config on the exit node/server, and a couple of checkboxes ticked. Done.


 
 
 

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davidcole
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  #3028546 28-Jan-2023 17:47
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michaelmurfy:

There is also Cloudflare Zero Trust + Cloudflare Tunnels if you wish to have a secure method to access the above without a VPN. I personally use both and find them awesome + it is free.



Not sure if cloudflare counts an a vpn. Ie for a camera/nvr cloudflare is essentially like port forwarding. Unless you push everything behind access.




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michaelmurfy
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  #3028549 28-Jan-2023 17:58
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@davidcole It is not a VPN but with Cloudflare Tunnels you're able to open up services using the "cloudflared" service without needing to port forward. This creates a tunnel directly to Cloudflare.

 

From there, you can use Zero-Trust Policies to secure apps behind Cloudflare. This means you can, for example, use Google Auth to allow access to your web application.

 

This doesn't work with services that are not web apps but it is a very nifty service to allow for access to applications that may only be internal only in a secure manner. I personally use it for Jellyfin for example.





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davidcole
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  #3028588 28-Jan-2023 20:41
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michaelmurfy:

@davidcole It is not a VPN but with Cloudflare Tunnels you're able to open up services using the "cloudflared" service without needing to port forward. This creates a tunnel directly to Cloudflare.


From there, you can use Zero-Trust Policies to secure apps behind Cloudflare. This means you can, for example, use Google Auth to allow access to your web application.


This doesn't work with services that are not web apps but it is a very nifty service to allow for access to applications that may only be internal only in a secure manner. I personally use it for Jellyfin for example.



Yes I use it with home assistant - which is got pretty good built in security. But I wouldn’t recommend it for a camera. And certainly not a camera where you connect via app/api - as you can’t limit connectivity. It’s is like port forwarding but without port forwarding.

Zerotoer and tailscale at least make a protected network like a vpn. Which is better for that scenario.

I haven’t tried jellyfin with cf - keep meaning to




Previously known as psycik

Home Assistant: Gigabyte AMD A8 Brix, Home Assistant with Aeotech ZWave Controller, Raspberry PI, Wemos D1 Mini, Zwave, Shelly Humidity and Temperature sensors
Media:Chromecast v2, ATV4 4k, ATV4, HDHomeRun Dual
Server
Host Plex Server 3x3TB, 4x4TB using MergerFS, Samsung 850 evo 512 GB SSD, Proxmox Server with 1xW10, 2xUbuntu 22.04 LTS, Backblaze Backups, usenetprime.com fastmail.com Sharesies Trakt.TV Sharesight 


ANglEAUT
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  #3029808 31-Jan-2023 00:49
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Thanks all for the shared info. Learning as we go along.

 

 





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MadEngineer
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  #3270859 12-Aug-2024 15:01
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Let me know if you need help at all. Bumping this thread as it’s the first to come up on a google for ZT geekzone

For what you’re trying to achieve if you still want it you’ll need ZT installed on a device that can route (NAT) data into your network

Are you using it on an android phone or apple? I’m not finding it to be particularly reliable on my iPhone but on android it’s infallible

On my iPhone it keeps dropping out and re-establishing a connection which can be problematic for devices that have repeat login protection.




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Mehrts

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  #3270877 12-Aug-2024 16:49
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@MadEngineer I haven't tried anything further from the previous posts. I still use Wireguard for my VPN needs as it's just so simple and works without any hiccups, excessive setup or resource usage.

I was using an iPhone for all testing.

I might revisit both ZeroTier and Tailscale at some stage to see how/if things have changed since last time.


networkn
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  #3270927 12-Aug-2024 22:45
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i've tried a few of these, Tailscale was probably the most painless to setup and get going.  I haven't tested performance particularly, but I could stream via plex from my home server from a hotel in Australia without any issues. Can't be too bad, given that Internet in Australia is essentially barbed wire and a VDSL connection, shared with every Australian consumer and business equally :) 

 

(Yes, I know it doesn't make sense, I'm getting my licks in as I am off to work in Australia for a week and a bit, and they will give me plenty back). 

 

Last time I didn't even manage to get off the plane before the first sheep joke came my way!


Shindig
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  #3270935 13-Aug-2024 07:52
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I have played with TailScale to access Docker services. The configuration to make whole subnets available was hassle... I was impatient! LOL. My Wireguard VPN running the Mikrotik 4011 works extremely well, albeit some teething issues to get it working. I was in the UK recently and could VPN back to NZ and access all my NZ services without any buffering. 

 

 

 

 





The little things make the biggest difference.


mdooher
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  #3279682 7-Sep-2024 14:37
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I recently changed my zero tier so I can access my whole network. But with I use a mikrotik router for my home network so adding my zero tier interface to the bridge is it is a pretty trivial job. so far it seems to work pretty well





Matthew


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