Secure connectivity with Telnyx IoT VPN

Connected devices power industries from logistics to healthcare, but every new endpoint is a potential target for cyber threats. Traditional network security struggles to keep up with the scale and complexity of IoT deployments, leaving gaps that bad actors exploit. A dedicated VPN for IoT devices ensures secure, encrypted communication while keeping networks resilient against intrusion.

Telnyx IoT VPN solutions offer a private, scalable approach to IoT security, reducing reliance on public internet pathways and minimizing exposure to cyber risks. In this post, we’ll explore how Telnyx helps businesses safeguard IoT infrastructure with flexible, high-performance VPN connectivity.

What does traditional IoT security look like? And why isn’t it enough?

The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses a wide range of applications, from industrial automation to connected healthcare devices. As these devices integrate into essential infrastructure, the need to protect them from vulnerabilities grows. Traditional IoT connections often involve assigning public IP addresses to devices or routing them over the open internet using NAT, which increases the attack surface.

Traditional methods leave devices vulnerable to threats and complicate network management with numerous firewall rules and encryption challenges. Telnyx IoT VPN offers a secure solution that keeps device traffic off the public internet. Instead, it routes traffic through a private, end-to-end encrypted environment.

Why an IoT VPN matters

Ensuring secure and private IoT connectivity is crucial as the risk of public exposure increases. In many traditional setups, IoT devices are assigned publicly routable IP addresses or rely on port forwarding/NAT traversal to communicate back to a cloud service, thus exposing them at least partially to the public internet. This can increase the attack surface of an IoT deployment and create security and compliance challenges if not properly secured.

An IoT VPN solves these security and scalability challenges by encapsulating and encrypting traffic across the Telnyx network using private IP addresses (non-publicly routable). It provides end-to-end security through Wireguard tunnels that directly connect IoT devices to a secure private cloud environment and enables centralized management of device connectivity, data usage, and security configurations.

The risk of public exposure

Public exposure of IoT devices can lead to security vulnerabilities, complex firewall rules, and limited privacy. Public IPs or open ports behind NAT can be scanned, attacked, or exploited by malicious actors. Securing data flows often requires complicated firewall and port-forwarding configurations. Intercepting traffic is easier on the open internet, especially if data is not encrypted end-to-end.

Telnyx IoT VPN assigns private IP addresses within a Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) instance, reducing exposure. Without a public IP, a device is effectively invisible to external networks, minimizing the attack surface.

APNs, private APNs, and simplifying connectivity

In cellular networks, an APN (Access Point Name) determines how a device connects to the carrier’s core network. Some IoT solutions require configuring a private APN to segregate traffic or apply security policies. Although private APNs improve security over default internet APNs, they still involve complexities like dynamic IP allocation and separate VPN configurations.

Telnyx simplifies this by using its own APN setup to seamlessly route data from IoT devices to your private VRF, without additional overhead or private APN complexities. This simplicity is valuable for large-scale IoT deployments, where manual configuration or additional hardware can become cumbersome.

Maintaining privacy and compliance

Beyond direct threats, regulatory focus on data sovereignty, GDPR compliance, and HIPAA guidelines for healthcare data is increasing. Many industries require robust, private network designs to keep data off the public internet. Telnyx IoT VPN provides control over traffic paths, access policies, and encryption endpoints to address these compliance challenges.

Telnyx IoT VPN’s building blocks

Telnyx IoT VPN comprises two key technologies: the Private Wireless Gateway (PWG) and the Cloud VPN (WireGuard). Understanding these components individually and together helps to understand why Telnyx IoT VPN is a comprehensive solution for IoT security and privacy.

Private Wireless Gateway (PWG)

The Telnyx Private Wireless Gateway is a “router-level” gateway for IoT devices. When a device with a Telnyx SIM connects, it routes through the Telnyx mobile core to the PWG defined for your account.

Telnyx uses a technique called Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) in this process. This technique allows multiple routing tables on the same network device. For each Telnyx customer, the PWG uses a dedicated VRF, isolating that customer’s IoT traffic from other traffic on the Telnyx backbone. Each device receives a private, non-routable IP address within the VRF. Unless NAT or a VPN tunnel is explicitly configured, the device’s traffic cannot be accessed from the public internet.

Role of MPLS in the Telnyx network

Telnyx’s global backbone uses MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching), which forwards data based on “labels” rather than exhaustive IP lookups. This approach is faster and more efficient, reducing delays crucial for latency-sensitive IoT applications. It ensures reliable global transport and seamless VRF integration.

PWG alone vs. PWG and Cloud VPN

With PWG alone, IoT devices communicate privately within the Telnyx network but won't have a direct tunnel to your infrastructure unless another path is set up. This process is useful for local device-to-device communication. The combination of PWG and Cloud VPN extends the private environment to your data center, virtual private cloud, or on-premises servers without touching the public internet.

Cloud VPN (built on WireGuard)

WireGuard stands out among VPN technologies for its modern cryptography, performance, and ease of configuration. Telnyx’s Cloud VPN uses WireGuard to deliver high performance, robust encryption, and simplicity. Telnyx Cloud VPN extends secure connectivity by linking your corporate network and cloud infrastructure to a VRF-defined network on Telnyx’s private backbone. Using WireGuard VPN, it enables private, high-performance communication between IoT devices, cloud services, and enterprise networks, seamlessly integrating with PWGs

Setting up a Cloud VPN gateway

In the Telnyx platform, the setup generally involves creating a WireGuard interface, configuring peers, and establishing an encrypted tunnel. Once the secure connection is established, all traffic between your environment and Telnyx flows through this end-to-end encrypted WireGuard tunnel. WireGuard’s design simplifies handling large numbers of devices, as each device doesn’t need its own VPN client. The PWG handles routing at the network layer, removing complexity for primitive or resource-constrained IoT devices.

End-to-end flow: How Telnyx IoT VPN works

Telnyx provides a complete private pipeline for IoT traffic, from the physical device to your application environment. Here's the process:

1. Device power on and SIM authentication
   Your IoT device, equipped with a Telnyx SIM, connects to a cellular network. The Telnyx core network authenticates the SIM via the APN and routes traffic to the designated PWG.
2. Assignment of a private IP
   Inside the VRF, the device is assigned a private IP address. This private IP is unreachable from the public internet, reducing exposure to threats.
3. VRF routing and MPLS backbone
   Device traffic is forwarded within a dedicated VRF and travels through Telnyx’s MPLS network. MPLS ensures efficient and reliable routing, reducing latency and bottlenecks.
4. Entering the WireGuard tunnel
   At a Telnyx point of presence (PoP), IoT data flows into the Cloud VPN interface. The WireGuard protocol encrypts traffic between the Telnyx PoP and your on-premises or cloud-based peer.
5. Your data center or cloud environment
   Traffic arrives as if from an internal IP, staying within your private IP space. You can apply firewall rules, inspect packets, store logs, or run analytics without public exposure.

Some IoT deployments require periodic internet access, such as for firmware updates. With Telnyx IoT VPN, you can use a default gateway or a specialized internet gateway from Telnyx, performing NAT while maintaining private IP assignment. Alternatively, peer as an exit node within your environment, controlling outbound internet traffic through your firewall/NAT. Both methods keep the device from being publicly addressable, allowing precise control over traffic.

Advantages of Telnyx IoT VPN

Telnyx IoT VPN is more than a connectivity option. It strengthens the potential points of weakness of modern IoT deployments like security, privacy, and scalability. Using streamlined architecture and building innovative infrastructure with proprietary security components, there are many reasons why organizations choose Telnyx:

Complete privacy

Devices receive only private IP addresses, reducing exposure to unauthorized access and attacks. There is no reliance on NAT traversal solutions that may leak traffic or require complex firewall rules.

High performance and low latency

Built on a global MPLS backbone, Telnyx optimizes routing paths for minimal latency. WireGuard has a smaller codebase and fewer overheads compared to older VPN protocols, translating to faster throughput.

Router-level VPN configuration

Traditional IoT setups require each device to run a VPN client, which is a challenge for resource-constrained devices. Telnyx IoT VPN shifts VPN configuration to the network layer, meaning any device with a Telnyx SIM is included in your private environment.

Enhanced security

End-to-end encryption using modern cryptographic standards. VRF isolation ensures traffic is separated from other customers, adding a defense against cross-tenant intrusions.

Easy integration with on-prem and cloud

Telnyx IoT VPN integrates seamlessly with AWS, Azure, GCP, or private data centers. WireGuard configuration is straightforward, requiring minimal effort to scale to new regions.

Flexible internet access options

Control how devices connect to external networks through a Telnyx Internet Gateway or your own NAT setup, ensuring command over egress traffic.

Scalable, pay-as-you-go model

Whether you have 10 devices or 10,000, you can add SIMs to your IoT VPN without re-architecting your network. Telnyx’s usage-based billing model means you only pay for what you need.

Compliance and regulatory friendliness

With no traffic exposed to the public internet, IoT privacy regulations and industry standards become simpler to address. The ability to segment device traffic supports granular policy enforcement.

These benefits make Telnyx IoT VPN uniquely positioned to solve persistent security and privacy challenges in IoT.

Secure your IoT network effortlessly

Telnyx IoT VPN stands as a robust solution for safeguarding your IoT deployments, offering a streamlined structure that integrates Private Wireless Gateway and Cloud VPN for unparalleled security and privacy. By assigning private IPs and employing modern cryptographic protocols, Telnyx ensures your IoT devices remain invisible to external threats. This architecture also simplifies network management, eliminating the need for individual VPN clients on each device, and scales effortlessly with your growing IoT ecosystem.

As a leader in communication technology, Telnyx brings its comprehensive expertise to IoT security. Our solutions are designed to address today's privacy concerns while offering a scalable, cost-effective approach to IoT connectivity. With a global MPLS backbone and market-leading technologies like VRF and WireGuard, Telnyx not only secures your data but also enhances the performance of your IoT network. Organizations looking to protect their IoT investments will find Telnyx IoT VPN an indispensable ally, ensuring their devices and data stay protected within a private, secure environment.