BlueBOLT™ Networking and Security FAQ

Security

Is BlueBOLT secure?

Yes! All data between every BlueBOLT product has an encrypted connection to the cloud, and the user connects to the cloud via SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Extended Verification. Extended Verification is an additional layer of web traffic security, and is NOT used by everyone. The access point for your BlueBOLT devices, the website "mybluebolt.com" includes this additional layer of protection. Entrust.net or VeriSign.com are two major issuers of EV certificates.

Additional information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Validation_Certificate

How does my BlueBOLT device communicate and connect to the Internet?

All BlueBOLT-enabled devices connect directly to our servers via TCP and UDP on port 8989. They do not require a static IP address or port forwarding, the latter of which can be considered a security loophole. By default, a BlueBOLT-enabled device will use DHCP to obtain a local IP address, but can be configured with a static IP if desired. Additionally, there are no direct connections (peer-to-peer) online between a user and the device. Instead, the myBlueBOLT website acts as a mediator that allows the user to interact with the device.

Do I need to reconfigure my firewall to make BlueBOLT work on my home network?

In most instances no modifications need to be made to your firewall to allow BlueBOLT to communicate outbound or inbound. However, for services that block Internet access, or if your firewall blocks inbound and outbound services/ports you may need to make accommodations for new network hardware. In this case you will need to add a rule to allow outbound traffic on port 8989.

Networking

Is BlueBOLT compatible with wireless technologies or Wi-Fi adapters/dongles?

With the proliferation of networkable Audio/Video equipment, many products on the market can adapt any Ethernet connected device to your Wi-Fi connection of choice. Your BlueBOLT product would fall into this category, and you could certainly use a wireless Ethernet adapter or bridge to make a wireless connection to your network (the BlueBOLT card connects via Ethernet, not USB). At this time, Panamax and Furman do not certify or recommend any particular network adapters, so your mileage may vary.

Does my BlueBOLT device require a broadband connection, or how much data will BlueBOLT use on my network?

Your BlueBOLT device communicates several times a minute, out to the Internet, so a dialup or satellite connection would NOT be ideal or recommended. But the bandwidth used is minimal and at a low speed or bit-rate, so heavy network consumption should NOT be a concern.

Can I interface a control system to a BlueBOLT enabled device, without going out on the Internet?

Yes, all BlueBOLT enabled equipment provides a LAN interface for control systems. The older products which use a CV1 card to provide Ethernet, provide a telnet/TCP/IP protocol interface. The newer products provide an XML/UDP/IP protocol interface. The details for this, including the command sets, can be found in the user manual for each product.

What is telnet?

Telnet is a plain text, command line interface that operates over TCP/IP. A telnet client utility program on a computer can be used to interact with a telnet server, by typing commands and receiving replies. Computers which run Linux, UNIX, Mac OS X, will generally have such a program installed by default. Computers which run Microsoft Windows may already have such a utility program, but if not, one can easily be installed.

When using telnet, can I can send all the same commands, just like I did with RS232?

Generally yes. Each new product has its own unique features and will have a few unique commands to go with it. However, we do try to keep the commands as consistent as possible across products.

Where can I get a list of all the commands that BlueBOLT products support for telnet?

There are command variations between many of our products, so we publish the command sets in their respective product manuals.

Who determines when scheduled commands are sent? I don’t want you guys turning off my TV!

Only the person(s) with proper account access to a device can configure scheduled commands for your device. Panamax/Furman does not configure scheduled commands.

Can I configure scheduled commands using the telnet interface?

No. The telnet interface is for controlling the BlueBOLT CV1 card directly. Scheduled commands for all BlueBOLT devices which use a CV1 card, are stored on our servers and are configured via the www.mybluebolt.com web interface.

Is the telnet data secure?

That depends. The telnet protocol is not encrypted, so a device on your network might be able to view the traffic, depending on how your network is configured. However, the telnet data will not leave a properly configured LAN, which is secure.

Is the data being sent over the Internet, to and from the BlueBOLT servers, encrypted?

Yes. All of the communications between all the BlueBOLT enabled products and our servers is encrypted.

If there is control system connected via telnet to the BlueBOLT enabled device, can I telnet in to it also?

Yes. The BlueBOLT CV1 card supports two simultaneous telnet connections.

If I am connected through the telnet interface can I do ping, traceroute, etc. commands?

For network diagnostics, the BlueBOLT CV1 card supports ping and nslookup only.

Can I telnet into the device from the Internet?

That depends on how your router and firewall are configured. If you choose to allow this, it can be done through port forwarding in your firewall. Note that this can be a very bad security mistake! If you choose this approach, set the firewall so that it only allows this inbound forwarding from a specific IP address that you would be using (if the firewall supports this type of setting).

Can you tell me how to configure port forwarding on my router/firewall? I really want to be able to telnet into my BlueBOLT device from anywhere.

Unfortunately, no; there are too many different routers and firewalls for us to know them all. Please refer to your router/firewall manufactures’ documentation.

You mentioned router and firewall like they are two different things. I thought they were the same thing.

They are different, but some companies combine them into one device.

How should I configure the Auto-Reboot feature of a CV1 card?

The Auto-Reboot feature monitors the connection from the BlueBOLT CV1 card to our servers. If the connection is calculated to be down, then the BlueBOLT CV1 card can toggle user specified outlets off for a user specified amount of time. If you are unsure of what wait times to choose, we recommend the following method to calculate times:

Setup a computer on the network to do ping testing. Complete a successful ping to a server out on the Internet.
Unplug AC power from the modem and router.
Wait about 30 seconds to one minute.
Plug AC power back in to the modem and router.
Try the ping operation again, and time how long it takes for a successful ping to a server out on the Internet.
Add a few minutes to the time from step 5 and select that time from the drop down list for "How long should the device wait to reboot the selected outlets?"
Now choose which outlets you want to toggle off for Auto-Reboot.
Select the amount of time you want each of them to be off. This allows you to have them turn on in a sequence.

I moved my CV1 card from an M4315-PRO model, to a UPS model, and now it doesn't work!?

The CV1 card learns what product it is installed within. Once it learns this, it remembers. If a CV1 card is removed from one type of device and inserted into another type, it will not work properly until it has had its memory cleared. A call to customer service can guide you through the proper procedure to clear the memory in the CV1 card.

If you have any questions, please contact Panamax/Furman customer service at 1-800-472-5555 or custrelations@panamax.com.