Dirk...
You may be correct, I have no idea, but where did you get this info???
I get the feeling when using my phone to talk with my ScreenLogic remotely, that the phone is talking directly to the protocol adapter, just the same as my computer can talk directly to your computer, if allowed. Not saying you are wrong, just that I don't get that impression when using ScreenLogic.
Thanks,
Jim R.
Deduction. It's similar to other systems I have running on my LAN and WAN. Most folks' modem/router setups communicate with their ISP (Internet Service Provider) via a dynamic IP address. Typically you have to pay more for a static (permanent) IP address. You can check your external IP address in various ways with software on your computer, and if you did, over time you'd notice that your IP address will change every once is a while for some reason (power failure, new modem, whatever). So how does your mobile app know what IP address to connect to? You didn't have to configure that in your app, remember? It just started working, after you gave your app your six-digit adapter code. So for that to be possible, some "third party" needs to be involved. Your ScreenLogic adapter can determine what your external IP address is, and then it puts it somewhere that your mobile app can find it, to use it. Somewhere where your mobile app knows to look (and, remember, it doesn't know your IP address). So I assume that is somewhere at Pentair. Same for when you call in to Pentair for tech support, and they can dial in to your ScreenLogic, they ask you for your code, not your IP address. How can they see your ScreenLogic interface remotely without your IP address? They can't. How do they get it?
So what I believe is happening, is that the Adaptor reports your IP address to Pentair servers on some regular basis (I can only guess at the frequency) and Pentair stores that IP address in a database along side your Adaptor's code. So the mobile app (or Pentair support's software) pings Pentair servers, with the Adaptor code, which then looks up your current IP address and returns it to the app. Then the app can make the connection. And that connection might very well be directly with your router after that, which would explain why it "feels" like it's talking directly to the adapter. That part I don't know, whether the connection is direct after that, or if everything is going through Pentair servers.
I don't actually know all the details, I just know it has to be done in that or some similar fashion. And your router has to allow the adapter to "talk" to Pentair, which a firewall would prevent if configured to do so. It's pretty scary for us non-techies, because this sort of two-way communication happens all the time without us even aware of it (every time you use a browser, for example)!
By the way, I got my hands on the same software your installer has. I think I just downloaded it from Pentair's site. It allows pool maintenance companies to remotely access all of their customers' equipment (those that have ScreenLogic) in one place. So they, too, just need your adapter code to "see" what you see in ScreenLogic, which they get (with or without you knowing about this), from the back of your adapter when they install it. I got clued in to this when my installer left my ScreenLogic password blank. I asked him about that and he basically said that they like to keep an eye on customer pools via ScreenLogic, but don't like to hassle keeping track of everyone's password!! I guess they figure not too many hackers are going after pool owners with ScreenLogic. Point being, if your installer was like mine, your ScreenLogic might be configured without a password.
I can't now remember if Pentair asked for my password when they wanted to dial in to my ScreenLogic. If they didn't, that means their "master software" might have a backdoor into the adapter, bypassing the password, so that they, too, don't have to mess with customer passwords. And for all I know, because this can all be hacked, and your adapter is connected directly to your router, maybe that means they could get at your other computer data, too? Paranoid, but possible no doubt. Make sure your ScreenLogic has a password...