TCP Connection problem (vb .net)

Question

I created a vb .net app and basically it connects to the server (my brother's computer at his house) and sends messages. The problem I'm having is, we both have routers. The only way I'v gotten all of this to work, is by both of us connecting ppeo broadband and then our ips work, otherwise the "real ip" is used for all the pcs in my house. How can I connect tcp to him wothout him having to connect broadband. Because to connect broadband he needs to be connected to an ethernet port, so then he cannot be wireless.

Thanks

Answer 1

I don't know what you mean by "connect broadband", but if the computers are not on the same local network, and you have a NAT router in between, you will either have to connect them via a VPN (like Hamachi for example) or configure port forwarding on both sides on the routers.

See: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/526375/how-do-you-get-java-sockets-working-with-public-ips

Answer 2

Some routers also have "Dynamic Port Forwarding", where if you are using, say port 8084 for your traffic, both your and your brother set your routers to dynamic port forward port 8084.

The router then listens for client computers connecting across port 8084, and when it sees that traffic, it will route traffic across that port to the client computer that first requested it.

Another popular "NAT-traversal" technology is UPnP. See this SO question and associated article for more information on how to use .NET to control UPnP. Again, router hardware must support it and be configured to use UPnP.

Edit: Untested, but you could try also to use and IPv6 tunneling software such as the one from go6 to create a public IP. This is like VPN, but one-sided, and less private.

Answer 3

Rather than router configuration, you could use a VPN. Hamachi is free and easy.