Ah, So we have three parts.

-- Pogoplug hardware
-- service.pogoplug.com(which can end up being any one of our servers)
-- Your PC/iPad/iPhone/etc

If you're at work and your Pogoplug is at home:
PC -> OurServers -> YourPogoplugAtHome

If you're at home on the same network as the Pogoplug:
PC -> YourPogoplug.
NOTE: The actual transfer of files stay on your LAN, but things like logging in
still need to be check against our encrypted-password-hashes.

Thanks,

The only limit to the Pogoplug is your imagination... and C skills... and linux skills. ^_^ h\t\tp://download.pogoplug.com/opensource/pogoplug-gcc.tar.bz2

Your router probably does not raise alerts for:

1)Internal LAN communication.
2)Outbound connects that originated from within your LAN.

By default, I believe most routers & firewalls behave this way.

The Pogoplug is the one who reaches out to us first, not the other way around. So we can communicate with the Pogoplug without hitting most firewall blocks. Only in very aggressive network-security(e.g. most corporate work place) will prevent unauthorized(usually anything other than port 80 & 443) outbound connections and all UDP packets(preventing most online gaming).

The only limit to the Pogoplug is your imagination... and C skills... and linux skills. ^_^ h\t\tp://download.pogoplug.com/opensource/pogoplug-gcc.tar.bz2

might have answered my own question-seems maybe the Android app keeps track of how you last connected. I switched from 3G to wireless without resigning into the app and got the choppy performance and data going out my wan link even though I was connected locally to my network via wifi.

completely "back buttoning" out the app and resigning in seemed to clear that up.