NeoRouter for Android

1. Overview

NeoRouter for Android enables users to remotely access and manage Windows, Mac and Linux computers right from your Android devices. NeoRouter is a cross-platform zero-configuration VPN solution that securely connects your computers and devices at any locations into a virtual LAN and provides a networking platform for various applications like remote desktop, VNC, SSH, etc. On devices with Android 4.x and above, NeoRouter for Android operates in VPN mode. User can seamlessly access remote computers by their virtual IP addresses using any app. On devices with Android 3.x and below, NeoRouter for Android operates in Tunnel mode. User needs to configure dynamic or static port forward tunnels. It only works with apps that use outgoing TCP connections.

2. VPN mode for Android 4.x and above

This guide assumes that user had previously setup a NeoRouter Domain and added remote computers. Please read User's Manual for complete setup instructions. Launch NeoRouter for Android and Sign In. The sign-in experience on Android is similar to that on Windows and Mac. When you see the VPN connection warning dialog, please check "I trust this application" and then click Ok.

Once you have signed in, you will see the list of remote computers in your network. If online, a computer is shown in bold with a color icon. It is also assigned a virtual IP address as shown inside the parenthesis. You can long-click on an online computer to copy its virtual IP Address. You can also long-click an offline computer to wake-on-LAN.

Launch ConnectBot, enter "user@{virtual ip address}", and you will connect to the remote computer via SSH.

To exit NeoRouter VPN, you can click Menu - Exit. Alternatively you can open the key icon in the notification area and then click the disconnect button in the VPN status dialog.

3. Tunnel Mode for Android 3.x and below

3.1 Quick start using dynamic port forward

Using ConnectBot as example, I will show you how to setup NeoRouter for Android within minutes. This guide assumes that user had previously setup a NeoRouter Domain and added remote computers. Please read our User's Manual for complete setup instructions. Download and install NeoRouter from Android market. Launch NeoRouter for Android and Sign In. The sign-in experience on Android is similar to that on Windows and Mac. Once you have signed in, you will see the list of remote computers in your network. If online, a computer is shown in bold with a color icon. It is also assigned a virtual IP address as shown inside the parenthesis.

Long-click on an online computer and you will see the launch pad dialog with a list of applications/ports. Choose SSH (22) from the list and NeoRouter will setup port forward from localhost:32973 to the SSH port of the remote computer.

Launch ConnectBot, enter "user@localhost:32973", and you will connect to the remote computer via SSH. Tip: if you need multiple SSH connections concurrently, you can add multiple entries to localhost:32973 in ConnectBot by changing the Nick Name property. See ConnectBot's FAQ for more information.

If you need to connect to a different computer or to use a different application, you can simply repeat the above steps to setup a different Dynamic Port Forward in NeoRouter. Then new connections to localhost:32973 will be forwarded to this new remote address. The change does not interrupt existing connections.

3.2 Configure Dynamic Port Forward

Port Forward in NeoRouter shares the same basic concept as port tunneling using SSH. The NeoRouter Android application will listen at ports on localhost and forward connections to these ports to the remote computer over the virtual private network. NeoRouter supports both Static Port Forward and Dynamic Port Forward. Static Port Forward With Static Port Forward, user assigns a local port for every remote [server:port]. For example, if a user needs access to two remote computers for SSH and VNC, he/she will need to create four static port forward mappings as shown in the screenshot below. NeoRouter will listen at all these local ports and forward the incoming connections according to the mappings. To edit static port forward, user needs to sign in, then click "menu" - "Settings" - "Configure Static Port Forward".

Dynamic Port Forward With Dynamic Port Forward, NeoRouter always listens at port 32973 of localhost, and user can specify remote computer and port dynamically by long-click a computer then choose a port. After setting remote computer and port, new connections to localhost:32973 will be forwarded to this remote address. User can change the remote address at any time without interrupting existing connections. By default, NeoRouter supports three remote ports: SSH (22), VNC (5900) and RDP (3389). To change the default settings, user can sign in, click "menu" - "Settings" - "Configure Dynamic Port Forward". Note that "$NRIPAddress" will be replaced with the IP address of the remote computer.

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