Is it possible to purchase a router with in bound security, so that a user outside of my house can access equipment on my home network only after entering a valid user name and password.
Do you mean connecting wirelessly from perhaps a laptop in a car outside, or connecting by accessing your IP address over the internet?
My broadband basic info/help site - www.robertos.me.uk My domains,website and mail hosting -Tsohost. Internet connection - IDNet Home Starter Fibre. Live BQM.
"Where talent is a dwarf, self-esteem is a giant." - Jean-Antoine Petit-Senn.
VPN is one way to go, but generally routers do not do exactly what you describe and would simply port forward to the server application (whatever that may be, e.g. ftp, http, videoserver) and this application handles the authentication layer.