Hello there,
Apologies if this has been posted before but I can’t find it. I want to access my start9 server remotely. I can’t seem to be able to do this. I know I can only do it with Tor and that Tor can be slow. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Love my start9 server
We have a very detailed guide that will help you set everything up for remote connections:
You can always contact us directly over on our Telegram Community where we have Service Techs who are on duty to help from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm Mountain Time.
Hello there,
Thanks for the response! This is the message I keep getting whenever I try to connect using Tor. I have no idea what it means. I’m a total noob
I should add that the server is running. I can access it on firefox.
Hi Lloyd - this is unlikely to be anything to do with your server, it’s more likely an issue with the Tor network itself, you just got unlucky your first time using it.
Make sure you are using your Server’s (or your individual service’s) .onion address and not the .local.
In the browser there’s am option for “New Identity”. Click that (or the “New Circuit” below it and it should work.
This is the Onion address for start9.com if you’d like to use that to test with: http://privacy34kn4ez3y3nijweec6w4g54i3g54sdv7r5mr6soma3w4begyd.onion/
I hear that a future version of StartOS will have the ability to have separate IP addresses that you can then port forward in your router. Or, as I would do, use Tailscale and route my subnet. I have found Tor is pretty much unusable. Super slow and if you need to run a VPN on your device, you probably wont be able to access tor anyway. Fingers crossed that this new version of StartOS comes out in the near future.
Yes, clearnet is coming in v0.3.6 and more so in v0.4.0.
“Separate IPs”, no, but separate ports yes. Each service will have its own port on the server’s IP, which can then be port-forwarded to from a router that is running a VPN server. This will let you replicate the features provided by Tailscale.
Beyond that in v0.4.0 they’ll be more clearnet features and an interface for you to manage all the clearnet features.
Any idea on when this version will come out?
Shortly after it’s finished. 
Thats similar to what we tell our customers 
I am looking forward to it. I am using my Start9 that I purchased from you guys internally. but externally, Tor just isnt feasible due to speed and that I have to drop out of Mullvad VPN when remote. I look forward to seeing when this comes out.
It’s hit and miss. 90% of my Tor use is at completely acceptable speeds. If I get a circuit I like, I try by best to keep it. If not, I wipe it and try again until I get one that works, but I don’t usually have to. Slow, yes, but if it’s completely unusable, that’s not very common for most people.
Either way, VPN access to your server will fix speed while retaining most privacy.
Yes. I did manage to get onto my server via Tor, but it was very slow. I’ve used Tor before but it was never that slow. Looking forward to the update. Thanks everyone who helped me with this problem.
I’m having a similar problem as Lloyd. I can not connect to my Start9 remotely. I’m also a newbie. Tor runs fine and I’m able to connect to the onion address for start9.com as you suggested for a test. But the message I get when I try to connect to my Start9 is the standard message- “Unable to Connect. The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy.” But I am able to connect with my Sparrow wallet so I don’t think the server is too busy. Do you have any other suggestions?
Are you using Tor Browser? Or have you installed Tor system-wide? Is your Sparrow using the LAN .local or is it connected to the Electrs .onion?
Thank you for responding. Yes, I am using the Tor browser to try to connect to the server. I don’t know what you mean by installing Tor system-wide. Sparrow is using the onion address.
Tor Browser is a “just works” solution.
I’d start by installing Tor Browser on Android or Onion Browser on iPhone and testing whether your server is accessible that way. If accessible, something specific to your computer is the cause, if not, it might be worth restarting the server (System → Restart Server)
Ok, I’ll try that. Thanks for your help.
I have tried Onion Browser on iPhone but the Onion Service asks for an Authentication Key. Is this the password for the server or is this something else? Also, do I need to add the port number to the address like is done in Sparrow wallet?
I’m not sure what you’ve downloaded that asks for an “authentication key”.
This is what you need…
Yes, this is what I downloaded, the Onion Browser. After installing and running it, it prompted me to install Orbot. And I think it is Orbot that is prompting me for an authentication key. Do I need to have Orbot to use Onion Browser? It seemed to imply that I did need it.
