Connections from outside the University

The use of some of the University’s online services is limited to the university network for licence-related reasons. These services include the databases and electronic journals offered by the library. To use these services on a computer outside the university network, you are required to establish a secure connection between your home computer and the university server.

The most common technology for establishing such a connection is VPN (Wikipedia). To use a VPN connection, you need a valid university username. 

Some of the University's online services, such as Flamma, can be accessed from any network, including without a VPN connection.

This guide includes the most important instructions related to remote access to university services. You can find more help from this instructions site by using, for example, the search. 

If you cannot solve the problem with the instructions, don’t hesitate to contact the IT Helpdesk.

Do you want to connect your group or home directory from outside the University? Read the instructions behind this link.

Do you want to use the library’s electronic resources remotely? You can find instructions for using electronic resources on the library’s website.

EduVPN is a modern and secure VPN connection. It replaces the OpenVPN application, and we recommend switching to eduVPN immediately, as OpenVPN will be discontinued in autumn 2025.

See instructions for using EduVPN

• EduVPN is automatically installed on university Windows, Mac, and Cubbli computers, as well as iOS devices.
• For home computers, you can download eduVPN by following the instructions on the eduVPN page.
• For mobile devices, download it via the device’s app store (Apple Store / Play Store).

When using VPN software, traffic from your computer to the VPN server inside the university firewall is encrypted, and computers using the VPN connection are assigned a university network address. The latter makes it possible to use several services restricted to university computers.

Troubleshooting

In case of problems, we recommend that you uninstall OpenVPN and install EduVPN.

Many of the University’s internal services can be used over a virtual desktop. 

• You will find further information about virtual desktops in these  instructions.
• It is not necessary to install a separate virtual desktop for occasional use since you can also use the browser version of the virtual desktop at https://vdi.helsinki.fi.
• The required client software comes pre-installed on university computers. If required, you can also install it on your home computer.
• The connection to the virtual desktop is secured automatically. You do not need to use a VPN connection in addition.