Remote Maintenance

The Remote Maintenance feature allows System Integrators to establish a tunnel to a Thinknx server over the Internet, enabling configuration and maintenance without being physically present on site.

Through the remote connection, it is possible to:

• Access the Thinknx server web interface.
• Establish a connection to the server's KNX IP interface.
• Use ETS to program and manage the installation's KNX devices remotely.

The connection is managed directly through Thinknx Configurator.

Before using Remote Maintenance, make sure that the following requirements are met:

• The Thinknx server must be updated to a compatible firmware version.
• Thinknx Configurator must be updated to the required version.
• The server must have a working Internet connection.
• A System Integrator account on the Thinknx Portal is required.
• The server must be associated with the System Integrator account used for the remote connection.
• The user must be logged in to Thinknx Configurator with the same System Integrator account used on the portal.
• The Remote Maintenance service must be reachable according to the network diagnostics.

To use ETS, the server's KNX IP interface must also be enabled.

Before enabling the service, run a connectivity check on the server.

Access the Thinknx server web interface and navigate to:

Server → Network & KNX

Scroll down to Network diagnostics and click Check status.

The page for checking network connections and services will open.

Click Check network to start the tests.

The diagnostics check the following services:

• Ethernet connection: checks external network resolution, which is essential for cloud services.
• Thinknx Cloud: checks connectivity to Thinknx Cloud services.
• Remote client connection: checks whether the server can be reached from the Internet on the client port.
• Remote assistance: checks the availability of the service used by Thinknx technical support.
• Remote maintenance: checks the connectivity required for the Remote Maintenance service.
• External DNS resolution: checks whether the MyThinknx ID points to the server's current public IP address.

At the end of the check, each service is identified by a colored indicator showing its status.

• Green – OK: the service is reachable and working correctly.
• Yellow – Warning: some connectivity issues have been detected. The diagnostics identify the ports or services that cannot be reached. These issues do not necessarily affect all server functions.
• Red – Error: the required connectivity is unavailable, and the affected functions cannot be used.

To use Remote Maintenance to program the installation through ETS, the server's KNX IP interface must be enabled.

Access the server web interface and navigate to:

Server → Network & KNX

Locate the KNX IP interface section and make sure it is enabled.

For more information about configuring and using the KNXnet/IP interface, see the dedicated guide:

KNXnet/IP Interface Configuration

The feature must be enabled directly from the server web interface.

Navigate to:

Server → ThinknxCloud

Scroll down to Remote maintenance.

When the service is disabled, the page allows you to select the connection mode.

Select Direct and click Enable.

Once the operation is complete, check that the status shows:

Enabled (Direct)

The Refresh status button updates the information displayed.

To make the service unavailable on the server, click Disable.

After enabling the feature on the server, open Thinknx Configurator.

Before proceeding, make sure you are logged in to Configurator using your System Integrator account on the Thinknx Portal.

This must be the same account with which the server you want to access is associated.

Select Remote assistance from the toolbar.

The remote connection management window will open.

The window includes:

• Status: current connection status.
• Server: list of available servers associated with the System Integrator account.
• Connect: starts a connection to the selected server.
• Disconnect: terminates the active connection.
• Favorites: allows frequently used servers to be saved.
• System Log: displays information about connection operations and status.

Select the desired server from the list and click Connect.

Wait for the connection to be established.

Once connected, the status changes to CONNECTED, and Configurator displays the IP addresses assigned to the remote tunnel.

You can also save the server to your favorites and assign it a custom name, making it easier to identify for future connections.

Once the connection has been established, Configurator displays two IP addresses:

• IP REMOTE SERVER: the IP address assigned to the Thinknx server within the tunnel.
• IP COMPUTER: the IP address assigned to the local computer within the tunnel.

In the example shown in the image:

Use IP REMOTE SERVER to access the server web interface and configure the KNX IP connection in ETS.

IP COMPUTER identifies the local computer within the remote connection.

With the remote tunnel active, you can access the Thinknx server web interface using a standard web browser.

Open the browser and enter the IP address shown in the IP REMOTE SERVER field.

Using the values from the previous example, the server address is:

172.24.0.2

The browser will access the server web interface through the remote tunnel.

Log in using the server's usual credentials.

Once the connection has been established, Configurator keeps the remote tunnel active through an automatic renewal mechanism.

As long as the Remote assistance window remains open, the connection is automatically renewed every 20 minutes, allowing maintenance operations to continue without interruption.

If the window is closed, automatic renewal stops and the remote connection is automatically terminated when the 20-minute period expires.

After establishing the connection from Thinknx Configurator, you can use the remote tunnel to access the server's KNX IP interface.

Open ETS and load the installation's KNX project.

With the remote connection active, ETS should automatically detect the KNX interface available through the tunnel.

Select the interface to use it as the programming connection.

If the interface is not detected automatically, you can configure the connection manually.

Open the ETS connection management section:

Manage Configured Connections

Follow these steps:

1. Click Add to create a new connection.
2. Select IP Tunneling as the connection type.
3. Assign an identifying name to the connection.
4. In the Server field, enter the IP REMOTE SERVER address displayed by Thinknx Configurator.
5. Set the KNX IP port to 3671.
6. Confirm the configuration.

Using the IP address from the previous example, the settings are:

Select the new interface as the project's active connection.

You can now use ETS to perform KNX programming operations through the remote tunnel.

When maintenance operations are complete, return to the Remote assistance window in Thinknx Configurator.

Click Disconnect to terminate the connection immediately.

Alternatively, if you close the Remote assistance window, the tunnel remains temporarily active until the renewal period expires.

Without the window open, the connection will automatically terminate when the 20-minute period expires.

If the service no longer needs to remain available on the server, you can also disable it from the web interface:

Server → ThinknxCloud → Remote maintenance → Disable

• Make sure you are logged in to Configurator with your Thinknx Portal System Integrator account.
• Make sure the server is associated with the same account used in Configurator.
• Check that Remote Maintenance is enabled.
• Check the server's Internet connection.
• Run the network diagnostics again.

• Check that the Remote Maintenance service is reachable according to the diagnostics.
• Check the connection status on the server web page.
• Check the System Log in Configurator's Remote assistance window.

• Make sure the remote tunnel is active.
• Make sure you are using IP REMOTE SERVER, not IP COMPUTER.
• Check that the IP address matches the one assigned to the current session.
• Check whether the connection has expired after closing the Remote assistance window.

• Make sure the remote tunnel is active.
• Check that the server's KNX IP interface is enabled.
• Make sure a KNXnet/IP Secure connection has not been configured.
• Manually configure an IP Tunneling connection using the IP REMOTE SERVER address provided by Configurator.
• Check that port 3671 is configured.

The IP address assigned to the tunnel may change with each new connection.

Check the IP REMOTE SERVER address currently displayed in Configurator and, if necessary, update the Server field of the configured ETS connection.

• Check whether the Remote assistance window in Configurator was kept open.
• The tunnel is automatically renewed every 20 minutes only while the Remote assistance window is open.
• If the window is closed, the connection automatically terminates when the 20-minute period expires.
• If the connection is lost, reopen Remote assistance and establish a new connection.
• Check the IP REMOTE SERVER address assigned to the new session and update the ETS configuration if necessary.