annyong

Q: Access Mac Mini Remotely

I have tried Back to My Mac and have not been able to access my Mac Mini at home ever. Any solutions or work arounds? Below is my setup:

 

ISP: Time Warner

Modem: Arris Surfboard

Router: Newest Airport Extreme

Mac Mini with Remote Management and Login and File Sharing ON

Macbook Pro trying to remote access to the Mac Mini.

 

 

This works fine on the same network as I can file share and control the screen. I just cannot get it to work from another network.

 

I am open to any and all suggestions! Thanks!

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.5)

Posted on May 24, 2016 11:18 AM

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Q: Access Mac Mini Remotely

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  • by BobTheFisherman,

    BobTheFisherman BobTheFisherman May 24, 2016 12:06 PM in response to annyong
    Level 6 (15,269 points)
    May 24, 2016 12:06 PM in response to annyong

    How are you trying to connect from the remote computer? Your private local network ip address is not routable from an external network.

  • by annyong,

    annyong annyong May 24, 2016 1:58 PM in response to BobTheFisherman
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    May 24, 2016 1:58 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

    By connecting through the shared section in Finder by clicking on the name of the Mac Mini and selecting Screen Sharing or Connect As...so is there no way to do it other than a VNC or Remote Desktop app? What is the point of Back to my Mac then?

  • by Network 23,

    Network 23 Network 23 May 24, 2016 2:17 PM in response to annyong
    Level 6 (12,043 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 24, 2016 2:17 PM in response to annyong

    I have been able to do this successfully, using Back to My Mac to sign into my home Mac from a remote location on my MacBook Pro.

     

    You say you try connecting to the Shared section in the Finder sidebar, which means you are successfully seeing the name of your Mac when you're away from home. But what happens after you select the name of the Mac? Does nothing come up?

     

    You might want to review the Apple tech notes on this, especially the second one, and make sure you've done everything it says:

    Set up and use Back to My Mac - Apple Support

    Get help using Back to My Mac - Apple Support

     

    The main point is that both Macs have to be logged into the same iCloud account, that is how it can get past the router firewalls. But some router configurations can still prevent connection or slow it way down, like not having UPnP or NAT-PMP enabled. I don't know if your type of modem also might have its own firewall blocking ports, my modem is a different model.

  • by Duane,

    Duane Duane May 24, 2016 3:16 PM in response to annyong
    Level 10 (124,018 points)
    May 24, 2016 3:16 PM in response to annyong

    Which exact model of Arris Surfboard do you have? Is it only a modem or is it also acting as a router?

  • by annyong,

    annyong annyong May 24, 2016 3:21 PM in response to Duane
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    May 24, 2016 3:21 PM in response to Duane

    SB6183, modem hooked up to Airport Extreme router