master and slave controllers on different networks

[paul]

Hi Dan,

Is it possible to connect the master and slave controllers on different networks (i.e., with distinct public ip addresses)?

Here is what I have tried:

0. I installed mosquitto broker on my master controller.

1. I installed openvpn on the master controller so that I can access it from outside my home network via:
http://master01.ddns:xxxx, where xxxx denotes port forwarding which I configure on my router.

2. On the master controller, for mqtt_bases setting:
broker host: localhost
broker port: 1883
...

Then to verify that the master can control the slave when they are on the same network:

3. On the slave controller, for mqtt_base setting:
broker host: 192.168.0.167 # which is the local ip address of the master controller
broker port: 1883
...

I have verified the above setup works as expected.

4. Now I put the slave controller on a different network, and try to connect to the master via the master's public ip address:
broker host: master01.ddns:xxxx
broker port: 1883


Actually I have tried various things for #4 but none works so far:
4a. broker host: master01.ddns:xxxx
4b. broker host: master01.ddns:1883 # of course I set my router to port forward 1883 as well
4c. broker host: master01.ddns
4d. broker host: http://master01.ddns:xxxx
4e. broker host: http://master01.ddns:1883
4f. broker host: http://master01.ddns

So I am wondering if I am attempting to do something that is not possible.

If not possible, what about using an online mqtt broker instead of a private one?

I haven't looked at the plugin codes yet, but do you know offhand if I need to modify anything?

I am hoping if I use the same topic for both publication and subscription, as the plugins do in mqtt_base for master and slave respectively, then maybe the plugins will work without modifications.

--Paul

[dan]

Paul,

You may be better off setting up the remote systems as independent SIP installations and access them via VPN.
This will allow for more scheduling flexibility and better access to the remote systems run log. And of course this approach will eliminate the complications you describe. Another advantage of having multiple systems is reliability. If the master has a problem it will not affect the remote systems.

Dan