C-more Remote Access with
Apple iPad or iPhone Tutorial
Introduction:
This script will walk you through the basic process of setting up the remote access with an Apple iPad with the Remote Access Application. The Remote Access Application must be purchased from the Apple iStore for a cost of $4.99. The Remote Access feature however is included in the C-more Programming Software at no extra cost and requires no special PLC programming. You will also need version 2.73 or higher of the C-More Software for the remote access to function. Included in the .zip file are the files for the completed C-more project and completed Productivity 3000 program.
**Attention: Before you begin any of the following tutorials, please follow these directions to configure your computer’s Ethernet port.
Ethernet Configuration:
Go to: Start –> Settings –> Network Connections or Start –> Control Panel –> Network Connections:
Double click on Local Area Connection
Click Properties
Scroll down until you see “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” then double-click on it
Click – use the following IP address
Click on “Use the following IP address” and enter these settings:
IP address: 192.168.1.100
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Table of Contents:
Remote Access ... 4 Firewall/Router Setup ... 7 Apple iPad/iPhone Setup ... 11
Remote Access:
The C-more Remote Access feature can be used on any C-more HMI with an Ethernet port. It allows users to monitor and control a C-more panel from a PC located anywhere in the world as long as the panel is connected to the internet. The connection, across the internet or a local network, is established via a web browser such as Internet Explorer. These procedures can be applied to any project you wish to view/control remotely. For demonstration purposes we will use the projects provided with this script.
Please start by loading the project titled “Tank Pump Application.adpro” onto the PAC and opening its respective C-more project “Tank Pump Application (basic).eap” in the C-more Programming Software.
Check the IP address of your C-more panel:
Please make sure you see Ethernet Configuration on the first page of this script Go to Setup – Touch Panel Network
Click the “Ethernet Port” tab
Configure your Ethernet settings as shown below:
Open the tab titled “Web Server Function”
Check the box labeled “Web Server Function”
Here you can choose to set a username and password that will control any remote access to the HMI. This is the highest level of access security level in the Remote Access features.
Check the box labeled “Remote Access Server Function”
Note: If you have a direct connection through a hub or switch then there are no changes necessary for the “IP Address” section. If you have a Firewall/Router
between them you must enter the public IP address in the box. This is the static IP of the Firewall/Router supplied by your internet provider.
In the “Log on Information” section you can set up each of the three available Remote Access user accounts.
First choose your permission level:
View only: gives the remote user the ability to only view the screen active on the panel. Most restrictive
View and Screen Change: gives the remote user the ability to view the active screen and change to different screens. Mild restrictiveness
Full Control: gives the remote user the ability to view and control all screen based objects as if at the local site. Least restrictive
Choose an account name and password for each account you wish to use. The “User Restrictions” category denotes how many separate computers can be connected to each account at the same time. For our purposes, only one is necessary. Note: Each Remote Access Account can support a maximum of 5
simultaneous remote user connections at a time. This allows for a maximum of 15 remote users at one time if all three accounts allow 5 connections.
The disable tag can be used to disable access to the specific account. It is Off by default but if switched to on, a remote user cannot log onto that account. The notification tag is Off by default but turns On when that user account is connected. This can be used to notify a panel operator that a remote user is currently logged on.
That’s it! Save your C-more project as “Tank Pump Application (remote access).eap” and transfer it to your panel.
To use remote access open our internet browser. Type in the IP of your HMI and press enter. Click on “Remote Access” then click on the type of connection you are using. You will be given a window asking if you wish to save, run, or cancel a download which contains the information your computer needs for the remote connection. Open the file and log in using the information corresponding to the account you wish to use.
Firewall Router Setup
:
If you have a Firewall/Router configuration you will need to configure your router to “Port Forward” communication to the C-More panel. This section details the settings that need to be made in your router.
In order to access C-more inside of a firewall/router remotely either a VPN connection must be used or port forwarding must be setup in the router to allow the C-more Web Server and Remote Access application to get through.
When a TCP/IP message is sent to a router, it reads both the destination IP address (public IP address) in the message and the destination port number. If the destination IP address is the correct address for the router, the router then looks at the port number to determine whether it should allow this message and where to ‘route’ this message to. This is done by configuring a “Port Forwarding” table within the router configuration.
The router will change the destination IP address of the message to the local IP address specified by the “Port Forwarding” table.
In order to access the Remote Access application in C-more, you have to connect to the Web server first, so two port numbers will need to be specified in the Port Forwarding table for each C-more panel that needs to be accessed.
The first port number is the web server port number. By default, this number is 80. When using a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, port 80 is implied without having to type this in manually. If a number other than port 80 is needed, this can be
accomplished by simply adding :<port num> after the IP address. An example URL for
the image shown below would be: http://10.16.23.146:80
The second port number required is the Remote Access port number. The default for this application is 11102.
Once the user has chosen to run the Remote Access application from the C-more web server, the application will then communicate to the router with the specified Remote Access port number.
So to accomplish the setup as shown above, the C-more Programming Software Touch
Panel Network Web Server tab and Remote Access tab would be setup as shown below:
In order to access an additional C-more panel on the same router using the same public IP address, use a different Web Server port number and Remote Access port number for each panel.
The C-more Programming Software Touch Panel Network Web Server tab and Remote Access tab would be configured as shown below for the second C-more panel:
Apple iPad/iPhone Setup
:
Start by downloading the C-More Remote Access Application from the App Store on your iPhone or iPad. Use “C-More” or “AutomationDirect” in the search of the App Store to find the application. The cost is only $4.99 which is a price to keep people, who cannot make use of this software, from downloading it.
Once the application is installed verify that your Apple device is communicating with your network. If you have a local network verify that you are communicating with your local wireless access point. If you are going through a firewall/router verify that you have Internet access.
Once you start the C-More Remote Access Application here are a few steps to get you communicating quickly:
Click the “Connection” button in the upper left corner.
Click “Input IP Address” and enter the IP address of your C-More Panel
You will now be prompted to enter Username and Password if you configured a Username and Password. Enter the Username and Password and click “OK”. Now you should be linked with you C-More panel. You will see an “Unlock” button on the screen. This button was used to prevent unintentional key presses. Double click the “Unlock” button to gain full control of C-More panel.
For more detailed information please reference this document on the ADC
