Remote Access Solution for Industrial Devices with VPN
Mehmet Bezenk, Hayriye Korkmaz · 2024
In recent years, the need for remote device access and management, as well as data exchange from remote devices has increased significantly due to the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and the adoption of home- office model in the industry or remote jobs from overseas. This situation is reshaping the methods of access and control of the devices in industrial environments and highlighting the necessitating a secure and efficient management infrastructure. This study is focused on developing a system aiming to provide a secure and effective remote access to IoT devices connected via an Ethernet port. The primary functions of the proposed system are to offer a platform for uploading software to these devices (PLC, HMI, DCS, etc.), updating existing software, and serving as a data acquisition and monitoring dashboard. This functionality enables system administrators to easily update and maintain the software versions of devices, ensuring they remain continuously up-to-date and secure. At the core of the system is WireGuard, a modern VPN solution with high-security standards and a the low-cost, high- performance Orange Pi Zero development board. The installation of the WireGuard VPN server on the Orange Pi Zero ensures a high level of data security during remote access. For the configuration and management of the wireless network of the developed device, a dashboard on Node-RED is employed. This web-based dashboard provides users the ability to scan real-time WiFi networks at the location of the Orange Pi Zero, connect to the selected network, and configure the necessary settings. The mobile application is developed using the Flutter development environment, and network configuration is performed via the Node-RED User Interface on the mobile device. This study aims to provide a solution to IoT systems in terms of security and manageability, offering valuable insights into optimizing IoT infrastructures using open-source and low-cost technologies. The results serve as an important reference for the development and implementation of further similar systems and aim to contribute to research in this field.