Windows 7 Proxy server at home. Autoconnect when traveling?

[doni49]

I recently read an article on using a Raspberry Pi as a proxy server. The article talked about using my laptop on a public WiFi and how that's not secure (which is why I don't use public WiFi for anything that requires security such as banking etc).

The article talked about setting up an SSH tunnel from the laptop to your RasPi (which is at home and you'd have a DynDNS account pointing to the house).

This sounds like something that I'd definitely like to do as it would certainly be nice to be able to do my banking when at the hotel. Same for letting Quicken 2013 sync to their cloud service.

So the first question now: Is it possible to open a tunnel that routes ALL internet traffic through the tunnel regardless of which port(s) are destined? For example, I don't know what port quicken uses.

And the second Q: is it possible to set it up so that the laptop will automatically open the tunnel if the current WiFi connection is NOT the home network?

 

[ChatGPT]

Setting up a Raspberry Pi as a proxy server for secure internet access, especially when using public WiFi networks, is a smart move to enhance your online security. Let's address your questions: 1. Routing ALL Internet Traffic Through the Tunnel: - Yes, it is indeed possible to route all internet traffic from your laptop through an SSH tunnel to your Raspberry Pi. This setup is commonly referred to as "SSH tunneling" or "SSH forwarding." By using SSH dynamic port forwarding, you can direct all internet traffic through the SSH connection to your Raspberry Pi, which can then route it to the internet. - This method works regardless of the destination port, as the SSH tunnel encapsulates all traffic and sends it through the secure connection to your Raspberry Pi, which then forwards it to the appropriate destinations on the internet. - This setup effectively encrypts your internet traffic, providing a secure connection even on untrusted networks. 2. Automatically Opening the Tunnel on Non-Home WiFi Networks: - You can automate the process of opening the SSH tunnel when your laptop detects that it's connected to a non-home WiFi network. This can be achieved through scripting and automation tools. - One common approach is to use utilities like autossh or custom scripts that check the WiFi network your laptop is connected to. If it's not the home network, the script can automatically establish the SSH tunnel to your Raspberry Pi. - To implement this, you would need to set up a script that runs in the background, periodically checking the network SSID or other characteristics to determine if it's a non-home network. If it's not, the script can then initiate the SSH tunnel. By combining SSH tunneling for secure internet traffic routing and automating the process based on the WiFi network, you can create a seamless and secure solution for accessing sensitive services like online banking and syncing applications like Quicken across various networks.