Connecting a cloud server to a management dashboard is usually straightforward: install the program on a reachable machine, configure an address and check the connection.

A home router adds another layer. It may have no public IPv4 address, with a modem and the ISP's network in front of it. Port forwarding, dynamic DNS or a jump host can turn the management entry point itself into another maintenance task.

In the Fleetd introduction , I mentioned that agents initiate their connections. This article explains the direction of that connection, how a new device is approved and what happens after an outage.

The discussion follows Fleetd v0.3.0. It connects your own servers and routers to a dashboard. It is not a general-purpose tunneling service and does not automatically expose the router's entire LAN.

Reverse the connection direction

Remote management often starts with the question: how does the dashboard find my home router?

Fleetd lets the router's agent find the server instead.…