After building an over-powered computer (pretty much any computer these days) for fun/charity (BOINC), I couldn't help but wonder what I could do with it.
How can an always-on home supercomputer/media server impact your everyday life?
-Stream music to your phone so you can have your entire library at your fingertips, regardless of where you are
-Serve media/files to any computer, anywhere in the world
-Close the loop on a smart-home setup
And a lot more.
This post will talk only about the technical side of how to get your home server computer talking to your other devices. Refer to my Smart Home On a Budget post for more cool stuff.
Fast-stuff:
Teamviewer
VNC
GMote
MultiRemote
AWinampRemote (AWRemote)
Windows Remote Desktop
Kylo Browser
With the above stuff, you can literally use your home computer from anywhere in the world over the internet. You can also stream your music to your phone, control your home music with your phone, and control your home computer with your phone.... you get the idea.
Harder stuff:
VPN for seamless file sharing / networking over the internet (Windows 7)
Step 1.
Create the incoming connection on the home computer:
Press Start, type in "Netw sha" and press enter
On the left, click "change adapter settings"
Press Alt, then F, then N
Check your user name and I suggest adding a new "someone" just for this purpose. Make up the User name, full name and password. Click next
Check the box that says "Through the internet"
Click next
Click Allow access (everything except TCP/IPv6 should be checked, unless you're reading this in the future when TCP/IPv4 has been abolished)
Before moving on, we need 3 pieces of data:
1. Your home server's IP (http://www.whatismyip.com/)
2. Your home server's default gateway (press start, type cmd, press enter, type "ipconfig" into black command prompt, look where it says default gateway (probably 192.168.1.1 or something) if there are multiple adapters you should look at the one that is Local Area Connection or Wireless (depending on your connection to the internet)
3. The IPv4 address displayed two lines above the default gateway
Write these three things down, we shall call them THING1 (IP), THING2 (default gateway) and THING3 (IPv4 address).
Step 2.
Create the connection on your laptop or other computer you want to use to connect to your home computer:
Press Start, type in "Netw sha" and press enter
Click "Set up a new connection or network"
Select "Connect to a workplace" and click Next
Select "Use my internet connection (VPN)"
For internet address, type in THING1
I used the computer name of my media/server computer for Destination name, but I don't think it matters
Check "Don't connect now..." and click next
Enter the User name and password you created in Step 1, then click create
Don't connect yet.
Step 3. Fix connection thingies (two parts)
A) Finish step 2 (on laptop) by going back to adapter settings, and right clicking the new VPN connection (named whatever you put in the Destination name box) and clicking Properties
Under Options, uncheck "Include Windows logon domain"
Under Security, choose the Point to Point... PPTP drop-down for Type of VPN
Under Networking, highlight Internet Protocol Version 4, and click Properties
Click Advanced
Uncheck "Use default gateway on remote network"
Click OK, OK, OK
B) Router config
Look up your router's manual (the flashing thing that has antennas / plugs into the modem) to find out where the config address is... it's probably the default gateway (THING2)
Open a web browser and enter this (e.g. "192.168.1.1") and use the logon the manual says (or whatever was set up when it was installed- ask that person). It's likely user: "admin" pass: "admin"
Find "Port forwarding" and open a TCP service for PPTP (probably is a drop-down) and it should be port 1723 to port 1723
The server IP address should be set to THING3 (probably something like 192.168.1.2)
Click save
You should be DONE! Just double click on the connection on your laptop computer and login with the username you created.
Now you can click "Computer," and click "map network drive" and type in "\\THING3\sharename" where "sharename" = the name you've set of whatever folder you want to share (for example if it's all of drive C, you would right click on C in My computer from the media/home server/computer, click properties, then sharing, then advanced sharing, then check share this folder, and choose your Share name! you may also have to disable password protection right below where you clicked "advanced sharing")
I would uncheck "reconnect at logon" and check "connect using different credentials" before clicking finish, if I were you.
