Wouldn’t it be nice to check your tank levels while you’re away, just like you check the weather or the footy scores? The AquaVigil dashboard already runs beautifully on your home network — simple, direct, and fast. But to peek at it from the road or the office, there’s a little bit of network magic involved.

For now, AquaVigil is what’s called a local server. It runs right there in your own home or shed — your very own mini-cloud. That means you don’t need the internet at all to see your water data; everything stays private, fast, and offline-friendly. The trade-off is that, until I build the proper cloud system, you’ll need to make your router share a small doorway to the outside world.

This doorway is set up through something called port forwarding. In simple terms, you’re telling your home router, “If someone knocks on this specific door (port), send them through to the AquaVigil base station.” Once that’s done, you can type your public IP address (or, better yet, use a dynamic DNS service) into your phone’s browser and see your tank levels from anywhere — whether you’re at work, on holiday, or waiting for your beer at the pub.

There’s a bit of setup involved, but it’s the same sort of thing people do to view their home security cameras or NAS drives remotely. It’s not hard — just a few clicks in your router’s admin page. I’ll soon be adding a full step-by-step guide for anyone who wants to try it.

And yes, I know what you’re thinking: Wouldn’t it be easier if this just worked automatically? Absolutely. That’s why I’m working on a proper cloud interface that connects securely through the internet without needing to touch router settings at all. It’ll let you log in from anywhere, see your tanks in real time, and maybe even get alerts when levels drop.

But for now, AquaVigil runs lean and local — no data in someone else’s cloud, no monthly fees, no mystery servers overseas. Just your tanks, your data, and your network.

It’s a bit of DIY magic, sure, but that’s the spirit of AquaVigil — practical solutions built by people who don’t mind getting their hands dirty.