Network Video Server User’s Guide
H. Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS)
Your internet Service Provider (ISP) provides you at least one IP address which you use to connect to the Internet. The address you get may be static, meaning it never changes, or dynamic, meaning it’s likely to change periodically. Just how often it changes, depends on your ISP. A dynamic IP address complicates remote access since you may not know what your current WAN IP address is when you want to access your network over the Internet. The solution to the dynamic IP address problem comes in the form of a dynamic DNS service.
The Internet uses DNS servers to lookup domain names and translates them into IP addresses. Domain names, such as www.intellinet-network.com, are just easy to remember aliases for IP addresses. A dynamic DNS service is unique because it provides a means of updating your IP address so that your listing will remain current when your IP address changes. There are several excellent DDNS services available on the Internet and best of all they’re free to use. Two DDNS services are www.ods.org (ODS) and www.DynDNS.org. You’ll need to register with the service and set up the domain name of your choice to begin using it. Please refer the home page or the service for detailed instructions.
A DDNS service works by uploading your WAN IP address to its servers periodically, your gateway-router may support DDNS directly, in which case you can enter your DDNS account information into your router and it will update the DDNS servers automatically when your IP address changes. Please consult your router’s documentation for more information. If your router does not support DDNS, you can run a small client utility on any PC on your network which will perform the updating. The client utility is usually provided for free by the service.
Check the service’s web page for further information, terms and conditions.