Network Settings

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Loxone supports various settings for external access (read more):

1. "No Remote Access": Not an option for us, as JHP needs to communicate with the Miniserver.

2. "Remote Access via Remote Connect": This is the standard and easiest option, requiring no additional network configurations. However, it is not the preferred option.

3. "Manual External Access": Requires additional settings on the router but is the most stable and preferred option.

The reason for this preference is the port sharing feature for Loxone's HTTP and HTTPS ports. When ports are shared, the router forwards the external port to the Loxone Miniserver's HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443) ports, allowing the Miniserver to be accessed from the internet.

The Remote Connect feature simplifies the Miniserver setup by eliminating the need for port forwarding on the local router. Consequently, the Miniserver is not directly accessible from the internet. To enable incoming external requests, the Miniserver must use long polling, periodically querying the Loxone cloud DNS service for incoming requests. The Loxone DNS service acts as a façade for clients, mapping standard HTTP(S) requests to the long polling queue of the given Miniserver. This method can result in longer wait times and potential timeouts.

Setting Up Manual External Access

By configuring port forwarding on the router, clients can directly access the Miniserver without any overhead. 

Depending on the Miniserver generation, the Loxone DNS service can provide either a physical IP address or a logical address (e.g., xxx.dyndns.loxonecloud.com) mapped to the physical IP. Thus, both methods allow direct requests to the Miniserver.

Here's an example of how to set up the router and the Loxone Miniserver:

Router Configuration for Port Forwarding:

Loxone Miniserver external access setting:

Naming Convention for the External Port Number

The external port number is structured to indicate the type of protocol (HTTP or HTTPS), the property's Tech-ID representing the flat, and the specific property within the flat. Here's the breakdown:

• 1st Digit: Indicates the protocol.

  • 8 for HTTP

  • 4 for HTTPS

• 2nd and 3rd Digits: Represent the 2-3 digits of the property's Tech-ID corresponding to the flat.

• 4th Digit: Represents the 3rd digit of the property's Tech-ID indicating a specific property within the flat, or 0 if one Miniserver is managing all properties within the flat.

Examples:

8090: HTTP port for all properties in the flat identified by the Tech-ID segment "09x."

4041: HTTPS port for the property identified by the Tech-ID segment "041."