I’m going to be away from home for a few weeks and would like to access my computer (LMDE) while I’m away. Remote desktop connection would be ideal, just file transfer would be acceptable.
Is a VPN necessary, or can port forwarding be good enough for a one time use?
What software/networking recommendations do you have?


This is why I ask humans instead of AI. I didn’t consider router level options.
I’ve already got dynamic DNS set up, and I’ve been meaning to set up a way to access my NAS from out of the house. This might be the final push I need.
One obstacle you might encounter is carrier-grade NAT or CGNAT. Some ISPs put residential subscribers behind an additional layer of IPv4 NAT, which makes your public address inaccessible from the internet. In that case, you’ll either need Tailscale or a similar service, or a VPS to act as a relay.
Then there’s Vodafone who have unilaterally removed both the port-forward feature and bridge mode from their residential cable modems, and I hate them, and wish them a hammer to balls.
They removed BOTH? what in the… portforwarding is a pretty basic feature to have, and i would switch ISP if they took away Bridge Mode from me.
They removed almost every basic networking feature with a firmware update. Even in “expert mode”, all I can do is set up the wifi and pick a single /24 network from 192.168.0.0/16. I can’t even pick a goddamn DNS server. Unfortunately the other ISPs that serve my area are at least twice as expensive.