The VPN connection enables you to access your PLC, HMI, and other devices as if you are on-site. The VPN connection between your computer and the IXrouter can be seen as two seperate VPN connections:
- Computer to IXON Cloud
- IXrouter to IXON Cloud
The image below gives you a visual of the two separate connections.
The IXrouter's VPN connection (IXrouter to IXON Cloud) is, by default, always enabled. However, you can disable it for moments you don't need it and then enable it again for moments you do need it.
Closest IXON server
Disabling the VPN connection reduces the IXrouter's data consumption, which is mostly relevant for 3G/4G connections. By default the IXrouter consumes ~250 MB over a month to maintain a secure VPN and MQTT connection (details). When you turn off the VPN connection, the MQTT connection remains and the data consumption is reduced to ~20 MB.
You can toggle the VPN connection in two different ways:
Online, via the IXON Cloud
You can easily disable and enable an IXrouter's VPN connection via the IXON Cloud.
MQTT connection
If the IXrouter's VPN connection is disabled, its lightweight MQTT connection will remain active. This enables you to remotely turn off the VPN connection and turn it back on again.- Go to [Devices] in the main menu
, select the concerning device
, press [∙∙∙] in the VPN section
, and select [Edit VPN access]
.
- Toggle [Use VPN]and press [Confirm].
Offline, via digital input
It may be desirable for the end user to have local control over the VPN connection. This is possible with using the digital input (DI) on the IXrouter, which enables you to locally disable/enable the VPN connection with the use of a switch (giving a high/low signal to the DI).
Electrical details
The V- from the power supply is used as common ground.
| Type | Optocoupler |
|---|---|
| DI voltage range | 0-29 VDC |
| DI OFF state voltage range | 0-3 VDC |
| DI ON state voltage range | 7-29 VDC |
| DI ON state current range | 2-5 mA (typically) |
Configuration
The digital input is a configurable feature when you are creating a WAN configuration file, accessible via the [Tools] page. If you haven't created a WAN configuration file before, view our getting started guide and apply the intermediate steps explained below.
- Press [Show more]
in the top right of the WAN page, as is depicted below.
- At the "digital input" setting you have the option to disable the VPN connection when the digital input is either high or low.
- Press [Next], proceed through the steps and download the configuration file at the final step. Place the file in the root directory of the USB flash drive, not in a folder, and insert the USB flash drive in the IXrouter.
ACT LED status
The IXrouter's ACT LED should blink blue quickly shortly after inserting the USB flash drive, indicating that the IXrouter is (re)configuring itself.
If this hasn't happened after 1 minute, please check that the file is located in the root directory of the USB flash drive and that the file name is exactly "ixrouter.conf". Try a different USB flash drive if the problem persists.
View our LED Status article for details on the other ACT LED status messages.DI configured
The digital input on the IXrouter is now configured.