Talk2M Makes VPN Remote Access Easy
Across the LAN
The remote access solution for machines in a process: packaging, food & beverage, ...
- The eWON router is connected to the Talk2M server
- The engineer uses the eCatcher client remotely to log in to his Talk2M account, and selects the machine he wants to connect to
- A fully secure VPN tunnel is now set up between the engineer and the machine. The engineer can get live with any devices connected to the eWON router’s LAN ports
On a cellular network
The remote access solution for isolated machines: biogas, photovoltaics, wind turbines and related cleantech markets.
- The engineer uses the eCatcher client remotely to log in to his Talk2M account, and selects the machine he wants to connect to
- An activation SMS is sent to the eWON router which connects to the Talk2M server
- A fully secure VPN tunnel is now set up between the engineer and the machine. The engineer can get live with any devices connected to the eWON router’s LAN ports
Advantages
Firewall-friendly
- Outbound connections only
- Standard ports: 443 (HTTPS), 1194 (UDP)
- Compatible with customer LAN's Proxy
Easy setup
- Configuration wizards
- Full access behind the eWON (Ethernet, serial or MPI/Profibus)
- Same IP address for all remote machines
Customer keeps control
- VPN access can be controlled with external key switch
- Connection report
What is Talk2M ?
Talk2M (stands for Talk to Machines) is an Internet Service designed to address the growing need for broadband and wireless access to perform remote maintenance & access distant equipments. The key added-value of Talk2M is the full integration of IT security standards by allowing an Internet communication tunnel between the user and the remote machine without any IT network security change on both sides! This major breakthrough allows easy deployment while hiding the complexity of the IT network infrastructure.Designed with affordability in mind, Talk2M’s User Interface is the engineer's address book and single click access to your machines!
How does Talk2M work?
Talk2M comprises connectivity services based on a hosted web application designed to connect users to their machines via the Internet. This hosted application acts as a broker and relays the communications originated by the users to their machines. It is intended to be used in the industrial automation sector.
Talk2M uses virtual private networks (VPNs) and tunneling. Talk2M accepts connections from users as well as from their machines, so both parties can exchange data using tunneling technology.
Talk2M tunnels are initiated by eWON industrial routers and use only outgoing connections. No incoming connections are made (in other words, the Talk2M server does not initiate tunnels), so no ports need to be enabled in your corporate firewall for incoming connections. In addition, Talk2M is designed to be minimally intrusive. This means that it tries to use outgoing ports that are already enabled, which are usually the HTTP port (80) and the related secure HTTPS port (443).
The information exchanged during the communication is encrypted (SSL - 2048-bit keys) and only authenticated users can connect to the eWON.
Talk2M tunnels are initiated by eWON industrial routers and use only outgoing connections. No incoming connections are made (in other words, the Talk2M server does not initiate tunnels), so no ports need to be enabled in your corporate firewall for incoming connections. In addition, Talk2M is designed to be minimally intrusive. This means that it tries to use outgoing ports that are already enabled, which are usually the HTTP port (80) and the related secure HTTPS port (443).
The information exchanged during the communication is encrypted (SSL - 2048-bit keys) and only authenticated users can connect to the eWON.
The Talk2M service is hosted on the Internet
Each eWON industrial router connected to your machine connects exclusively to the Talk2M server. An authentication mechanism ensures that each eWON industrial router talks to the Talk2M server that has the same key. A similar mechanism ensures that each user can only communicate with a specific eWON industrial router. All data exchanged via the Talk2M server and the Internet is encrypted, so the data remains secure.
If I decide to use Talk2M, what ports do I need to open if all my firewall outgoing ports are closed?
Talk2M is designed to be minimally intrusive. It is based on the Open SSL/Open VPN protocol, so its base port is UDP 1194. However, the eCatcher PC client and the eWON industrial router check to see whether the UDP 1194 port is open in outgoing mode before they connect to the Talk2M server. It is usually closed, so Talk2M technology is designed to use the HTTPS port (TCP 443) as an alternative, since it is considered to be more widely used than the Open VPN port. This means that if no outgoing communication ports are open on your company firewall, you need to open at least the HTTPS port (TCP 443) in outgoing mode.
