Mastering Remote Access To Raspberry Pi Behind Firewall On Windows 10 For Free

Ed Bradley

2 min read

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26-03-2025

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Accessing your Raspberry Pi remotely is incredibly useful, allowing you to control and monitor it from anywhere with an internet connection. However, if your Raspberry Pi is behind a firewall, like many home networks, setting up secure remote access requires a bit more finesse. This guide will walk you through the process of achieving this for free, using readily available tools on Windows 10.

Understanding the Challenges

The primary hurdle is navigating your home network's firewall and router's Network Address Translation (NAT). Your Raspberry Pi has a local IP address, inaccessible directly from the internet. To access it remotely, you need a way to forward specific port requests from your router to your Pi's internal IP address. We'll leverage SSH (Secure Shell) for secure remote access.

Setting up Port Forwarding on Your Router

This step varies depending on your router model. You'll need to access your router's configuration page (usually via a web browser by entering an IP address like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 into the address bar). Consult your router's manual for precise instructions.

Generally, you'll look for a section related to "Port Forwarding," "Virtual Servers," or "NAT Forwarding." You need to create a new rule with the following:

• Service: SSH
• Port: 22 (the default SSH port)
• IP Address: Your Raspberry Pi's local IP address (find this by using ipconfig on your Pi, or by viewing connected devices on your router's configuration page).

Important: Change the default SSH port (22) to a less common port number (e.g., 2222) for enhanced security. You'll need to adjust the port number in all subsequent steps accordingly.

Enabling SSH on Your Raspberry Pi

If you haven't already, enable SSH on your Raspberry Pi. You can typically do this through the Raspberry Pi Configuration tool (accessible via the desktop menu) or using the command line. If using the command line, execute the following command:

sudo raspi-config

Navigate to "Interfacing Options" and enable SSH.

Using SSH Client on Windows 10

Windows 10 comes with built-in SSH client capabilities. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and type:

ssh pi@[your_router's_public_ip_address]:[your_chosen_port]

Replace [your_router's_public_ip_address] with your router's public IP address (find this using a website like whatismyip.com). Replace [your_chosen_port] with the port you forwarded in your router (e.g., 2222). Replace pi with your Raspberry Pi's username if different. You'll be prompted for your Raspberry Pi's password.

Troubleshooting Tips

• Double-check your firewall: Ensure your Windows 10 firewall isn't blocking the SSH port you're using.
• Router Configuration: Confirm your port forwarding rules are correctly configured and saved.
• IP Address Accuracy: Verify you are using the correct public IP address of your router and the correct internal IP address of your Raspberry Pi.
• SSH Server Status: Ensure the SSH server is running correctly on your Raspberry Pi.

Successfully completing these steps will grant you secure remote access to your Raspberry Pi, even when it's behind a firewall. Remember to prioritize security best practices by regularly updating your Raspberry Pi's operating system and choosing a strong password.