Patent ID: 7729273

Claim:
An apparatus employed in a remote device for enabling a network device to remotely access the remote device over a network, the apparatus comprising: an input/output (I/O) port in communication with a router or gateway device that connects the remote device to the network, the remote device being in communication with the network device via the router or gateway device; and a processor in communication with the I/O port, the processor being configured to determine a frequency of sending keep-alive messages between the remote device and the network device, the determination comprising sending a plurality of Test Time Period Request Messages having a Test Time Period value from the remote device to the network device, wherein the Test Time Period value of each of the plurality of Test Time Period Request Messages is the same and the Test Time Period value indicates to the network device the amount of time that the network device is to wait before responding to the Test Time Period Request Message, and wherein the determination is based upon whether one or more Test Time Period Response Messages are received within the Test Time Period value by the remote device from the network device.