The WAN (corporate network) and LAN (machine network) side of the StrideLinx router are separated by the internal firewall. However, you can allow local WAN to LAN traffic by adding a port forwarding. This way you can access the machine, from inside the local corporate network, without having to establish a VPN connection first.
How it works: when you are inside the local corporate network, you access the StrideLinx router's WAN IP address at a specific network port (e.g. 5900 for VNC traffic). The StrideLinx router's port forwarding will then forward the network traffic to a target IP address and network port, resulting in a connection with the target device (PLC, HMI, or other).
Important: before you continue
- It is recommended to set a static WAN IP address for your StrideLinx router to maintain long-term accessibility.
- Port forwarding has no effect on the VPN connection.
The next steps show you how to add port forwarding.
- Open the StrideLinx Cloud Fleet Manager, which is accessible via the Apps menu
in the top right corner if you are currently in a different StrideLinx Cloud app. - Go to Devices
in the left menu and select the concerning device. - Go to Network
in the left menu and select the [Firewall] subcategory. - Go to the WAN
LAN section and select [Add port forwarding]. - Enter the requested information (details below) and click on [Add].
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| External port | All incoming network traffic at this port (at StrideLinx router's WAN) will be forwarded. The port number is application dependent. For example, VNC applications use port 5900 by default. Search online or contact the manufacturer for the correct port number. |
| Target IP address | The IP address to which the traffic needs to be forwarded. |
| Target port | The port number to which the traffic needs to be forwarded. Often the same as the "External port". |
You have now made the changes in the StrideLinx Cloud, but these are not yet active in your device. You will need to push your changes to your device for them to take effect.
- Open [Config control] in the top right corner, verify the changes you've made, and click on [Push changes].
Tip: Multiple VNC servers
If you're adding port forwarding for more than one VNC server, simply up the external port by 1 for each consecutive port forwarding (5900, 5901, 5902, etc.). Keep the target port at 5900.