Chances are you found No-IP when looking for a way to access your device remotely. Or maybe you had a friend refer you to us because you were using an expensive static IP address when all you needed was Dynamic DNS. Whatever the case may be, Dynamic DNS can seem like a complicated thing to master. But the truth is, Dynamic DNS is very simple and you can be a Dynamic DNS expert with these 5 simple steps.
1. Create A Hostname
The first step to being a master of Dynamic DNS is to sign up for a No-IP account and create an easy to remember hostname. This will be the way you connect to your device from now on, so make it short and easily identifiable. Often times, you will have more than one device you want to connect to and you can use the same name for more than one device on the same network. However, if you want to be able to distinguish which device is which, we suggest using names like, camera1.ddns.net or outsidecamera.ddns.net. Use anything that will help you remember which camera or device you are connecting to.
2. Keep A Dynamic Update Client Running
Running a Dynamic Update Client is a necessity when using Dynamic DNS. The Dynamic Update Client works by checking your IP address every 5 minutes and then, once it has changed, pushing an update to the Dynamic DNS provider to update your hostname. When your IP address changes, we connect the new address to the hostname you have attached to that device. Your device stays online and you don’t have to remember a new IP address ever again.
3. Use Your Hostname Like An IP Address
Your hostname is your new IP address. Before Dynamic DNS you could only connect to your device remotely if you knew what its current IP address was. Now, instead of entering 127.0.0.1, you just enter camera.ddns.net into whatever application you use to remotely access that device. This also means you can give family and friends access to things like your Minecraft server using an easy to remember hostname.
4. Don’t Let Your Hostname Expire
Your hostname is the key to your connection working correctly, so it is important to make sure it never expires. To do that, you will have to confirm your hostname via a link sent to your email every month. If you don’t, your hostname will expire and will be available for use by someone else. Once it expires, you will no longer be able to connect to your device using that hostname and will have to go through the process of adding a new hostname and reconfiguring your device. If you are unable or don’t want to manually update your hostname every month you can upgrade to No-IP’s Enhanced Dynamic DNS, to eliminate the need to update your hostname every 30 days. You also get additional features like the ability to create advanced records like TXT and SRV and you can create as many as 25 hostnames (and even more if you need them).
5. Use a No-IP Integrated Device
No-IP is integrated into most devices, but you may want to make sure we are enabled in a certain device before purchasing. It is a safe bet to say we are in most Netgear and Foscam devices. You will want to check, however, because if No-IP is not integrated you will need to run our Dynamic Update Client on a computer that is always on. There are workarounds like the Dynamic Update Client, but for people who are just beginning to use Dynamic DNS, we suggest using an integrated device.
Dynamic DNS is an easy to use tool that will give you the freedom to remotely access your device from anywhere. By following these 5 simple steps you can master Dynamic DNS and know you’re always connected to what is important to you.