I'm new to Arduino so please bear with me if my question is too simple or broad (I did try and research it) or guide me if it belongs elsewhere (networking forum?)
I would like to be able to control my Arduino remotely. By remotely, I mean I would like to be able to access it over the internet. I've done some research and know about the Arduino Ethernet Sheild (see: How can I connect to an Arduino using WiFi?)
But I'm a newbie and it's not clear to me how I'm going to make my device "discoverable" from outside my local network. I gather it involves "opening a port on my router" Can someone expand on this or provide an example/tutorial? If I can do this, it would also be nice if there was some security so that not just anyone could control my robotic killer dog or whatever :). I would think these are both common desires, and there is probably tons of material (maybe even tutorials) but perhaps because I'm new to Arduino, I'm having a hard time finding material.
I thought a nice first step would be to have my Arduino Uno board connected to a single LED. If I could then have a simple webservice on it, I could connect via my phone from work with a http post request. Of course, I'd need someone at home to verify the led went on/off (or set up a camera for remote access).
Let me know if I can provide more detail or clarifications. And Thank you!
Dave