Question General question about VPN (don't laugh)...

[ads1230]

(Don't laugh. I'm really dense when it comes to this stuff. This is a serious question.)

I had been getting unauthorized logon attempts to my NAS. I read that a NAS shouldn't be open to the internet so I set up a VPN on my Asus router using OpenVPN.

My understanding is that a VPN is like a tunnel so that any device on my network is protected from bad people accessing my data. For example, if I use my laptop with public WiFi, I can access my home network or browse the internet without danger of someone sniffing my data.

But the image of a 'tunnel' implies that there are two ends. One end is my home network where my NAS resides. In this case, what is the other end?

 

[bill001g]

You run software on your remote device. The tunnel is built between that software and the open vpn software on the router.

It can be a pain to get setup the first time but once you have it pretty much it will function as though you were at your house....of course it will be slower in many cases because of the overhead.

 

[rgd1101]

should be behind a firewall

 

[USAFRet]

(Don't laugh. I'm really dense when it comes to this stuff. This is a serious question.)

I had been getting unauthorized logon attempts to my NAS. I read that a NAS shouldn't be open to the internet so I set up a VPN on my Asus router using OpenVPN.

My understanding is that a VPN is like a tunnel so that any device on my network is protected from bad people accessing my data. For example, if I use my laptop with public WiFi, I can access my home network or browse the internet without danger of someone sniffing my data.

But the image of a 'tunnel' implies that there are two ends. One end is my home network where my NAS resides. In this case, what is the other end?

If you can access it via a public WiFi, then it is "open" to the outside world.
And as such, it WILL get log in attempts.
VPN or no VPN.

Hopefully, you have a strong password, and have completely disabled the manufacturer default login.

 

[ads1230]

You run software on your remote device. The tunnel is built between that software and the open vpn software on the router.

Yes, that much I understand. My question may not have been clear and I will rephrase it:

In the case where I am home and don't have a need to remotely log in to my network or where I don't need to access any other location, how does the VPN benefit the NAS?

 

[USAFRet]

In the case where I am home and don't have a need to remotely log in to my network or where I don't need to access any other location, how does the VPN benefit the NAS?

It doesn't.
You are already on the same LAN.