What is DDNS and Why Do I need it?

DDNS stands for Dynamic Domain Name System.  This is a very-tekkie discussion of DDNS, in more detail than previously presented.

Each website, FTP site, device, and even your cable modem, has an Internet ADDRESS. This address is how the Internet locates nodes, aka computers, or routers, or anything else that might hang on a CAT-V cable [1].

The numbers aren't *too friendly* however. They're hard to remember and for the most part, meaningless as far as their significance. Think about it. If your friend says 

Did you check out my latest pix on 66.220.149.11??

You'll be like HUH? But if they instead say

Did you check out my latest pix on Facebook??

THEN you'll know what they mean right? Well on the INTERNET, FACEBOOK is the domain NAME (at least part of it), and 66.220.149.11 is the Internet address for that name. This might be called the IP Address, or even the WAN address.

So they have to have a system that can TRANSLATE a name into an address,  so when you enter FACEBOOK into your browser, it knows to send you to 66.220.149.11 , and that's what a DNS or Domain Name Server, does. This is called NAT, or Network Address Translation.

So that's a little bit of background for you.  Now what about DYNAMIC DNS (DDNS)?

You actually could get a NAME and a FIXED IP ADDRESS [1] for your camera, and never worry about DDNS. But for most of us, that's impractical. A fixed address is expensive. So instead let's look at DDNS.

Your CABLE or other type of provider temporarily assigns an IP address to you. They own a pool of FIXED UP Addresses, which they dole out to their subscribers on a round-robin or other type of sequence. So when you woke up this morning, your IP address could potentially be different than it was when you went to sleep.

In practice they don't really change that often. If your router hasn't been off line, its possible to have the same IP Address for weeks, or months. In that scenario, you might consider just using the current IP, not worrying about DDNS, and resign yourself to having to adjust it ever month or two. Or six.

But if you want your Camera to automatically be ADJUSTED to use the new IP address, then that's where DDNS shines.

Here is how it works. 

You sign up for a DDNS service. There are dozens. Some are free, some charge $1-2 a month, others more. One caveat- your selections may be limited by your camera or router, read on..

Next, you need to configure one of your devices to *talk to* your DDNS provider. You can locate DDNS settings in your router, camera, and even on some computers.

Then you configure it to tell your DDNS provider about your IP address. When it changes, it tells the DDNS provider, and it adjusts your NAT (Network Address Translation) so someone who types in tammycam.com ALWAYS finds you, even if your address changed.

For details on settings at both the DDNS provider and your router or camera, you'll have to consult the associated guides. They're all different. 

But the part to remember is that many devices can only support CERTAIN DDNS providers. You'll find the list in that guide. Be sure to select one in the list. The other important thing is that you only need ONE device to communicate to the DDNS provider, so you can select it based on which is easiest to configure, which is always-on (like your router), etc.

With lots of study and some trial and error, you can set-and-forget this and never have to worry about it again (hopefully!)..

[1] Most network connections are made with CAT-V cable. The connectors look like really big telephone jacks (remember those?)..

[2] a FIXED IP Address is one that stays the same, and essentially you OWN (or, more often, lease) it. A fixed address is expensive, and for most consumers, not used.

How do I Mount and Install an OUTDOOR IP Camera?

...coming soon!

Who can VIEW My IP Camera, and from Where?

"What really sets IP Cameras apart is the ability to view them from anywhere."

With a few fairly simple actions, an IP camera can be configured to view from your smart phone, or any browser worldwide. Sounds amazing?  It is!

Our friends and family  get a great sense of security and virtual presence at home as we view our 4-5 cameras showing us every door, and the interior.  I can pan/tilt my outdoor cameras to see pretty my my entire yard, the street, and even adjacent buildings.

We can check on our home and pets while travelling, out on the water,  at work, whenever and wherever we are (except perhaps when SCUBA diving!)..

Is this secure? It sure is. Modern IP cameras have built-in security- the usual assortment of WEP, WPA, WPA2, etc.

And using the camera interface, you can force users to enter a username and password to view any images. In fact many PTZ cameras offer multi-level access, where you can allow users to view, view and MOVE the camera, or administrate- your choice.

The steps are easy:

1.  choose a PORT to use as your broadcast port. It needs to be > 1024, and unused.
2. set up your camera on your LAN. You'll want to set it up with a FIXED IP address (don't select DNS). Normally this address would be 192.168.1.XXX where XXX>128. Check your router status for unused ports.
3. In the same camera admin network page, and set it up to broadcast on the SAME port you selected.
4. Next, go into your router admin page, and find the page to set port forwarding. Then add the port you selected, and point it at the IP address you chose for your camera.
5. Repeat 1-4 once for each camera you have, each time selecting unique IP's and ports.

and Bingo- you're WORLDWIDE! You can access your cameras anywhere using the IP Addreses from your provider. You can determine THAT by checking your router WAN status or at a number of websites like this one.

Say your provider set you up on 46.43.66.55 (which you found in your router status, or from a WAN IP website). And you chose port 2222 for your camera. Just point your browser at 46.43.66.55:2222 and there is your camera! From anywhere.

You can ALSO view it from inside your LAN, using the local FIXED ip for the camera, and the port, such as 192.168.1.203:2022

But that ONLY works from inside your LAN. The WAN address works from anywhere on the internet.

For smartphones there may be another step, where you set up the MEDIA PORT to point at another port, say 557. In this case, select an unused port between 500 and 600, and add that to port forwarding too (step 4). This step may not be necessary, but certain apos may require it. I recommend IP CAM BASIC as the ap to use for your IP camera viewing from your Android.

Say you want a REAL web-page- not a number? I tell you how to do that in another post, where in a matter of minutes you can set up your camera with a name you select, for example:

http://frontyard.mycoolcam.com

Having fun yet?