Raspberry Pi Remote Access with sshforward
You set up a Raspberry Pi at home — maybe running Home Assistant, Pi-hole, or a small media server. It works great on your local network, but the moment you leave the house, you can't reach it. Your ISP probably uses CGNAT, your router doesn't support port forwarding, or you just don't want to open ports to the internet.
sshforward gives your Pi a permanent name and makes it reachable from anywhere, with no network configuration required.
How It Works
1. Create a Free Account
Sign up at sshforward.net and pick a handle (e.g. alice).
2. Install on Your Pi
SSH into your Pi and run:
sudo sshforward.net install
That's it. The installer registers your Pi, sets up a system service, and connects automatically. Your Pi gets a name based on its hostname — something like raspberrypi.alice. You can change it later in the dashboard.
3. Connect from Anywhere
From any computer with an internet connection:
sshforward.net connect raspberrypi.alice
You're in. No VPN, no port forwarding, no dynamic DNS.
Why This Works Well for Raspberry Pi
Survives reboots. sshforward runs as a systemd service. When your Pi restarts after a power outage or an update, it reconnects automatically. No cron jobs, no scripts.
Works behind CGNAT. Many home ISPs share a single public IP across multiple customers. Port forwarding simply isn't possible. sshforward tunnels outbound through HTTPS (port 443), so it works behind any NAT or firewall.
Minimal resource usage. The sshforward client is a small binary that uses very little CPU and memory — well suited for the Pi's limited resources.
Works on any Pi model. Any Raspberry Pi running a Linux distribution with SSH enabled works — Pi Zero, Pi 4, Pi 5, or anything in between.
Common Use Cases
- Home automation: Reach your Home Assistant or Node-RED instance from your phone while traveling.
- Pi-hole administration: Manage your DNS ad-blocker from outside your home network.
- Media servers: Access Plex, Jellyfin, or file shares running on a Pi.
- Development: Deploy code to a Pi running in a remote location.
- Monitoring: Check on sensors, cameras, or other hardware connected to your Pi.
Get Started
Install sshforward on your Raspberry Pi in under a minute and connect from anywhere.
Create a free account to get started.