About IP ADDRESSES
Internet Protocol (IP) Version 4 is the networking protocol employed by this DVR, and of the Internet as a whole. It allows for approximately four billion (specfically 232) individual addresses. This is a lot, but it isn’t enough for every device in the world to have it’s own. Thus, the Internet is broken down into a series of smaller networks (LANs and Intranets) which have a unique IP. This is the PUBLIC IP ADDRESS of that network - it is unique and can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
However, inside your network there is another series of IP ADDRESSES - the PRIVATE IP ADDRESSES. The function of private IP addresses is to direct and guide traffic inside the local network. These often are as simple as “10.0.0.1”.
The IP ADDRESS in the DVR’s NETWORK SETUP menu is the LOCAL IP ADDRESS. To learn your PUBLIC IP ADDRESS, use a service such as www.whatismyip.com. As the name implies, it will tell you the PUBLIC IP ADDRESS of the network that the computer you access it from is connected to it.
Port Forwarding
So, if the PUBLIC IP ADDRESS can only direct Internet traffic to your network, you need to be able to get from the router to the DVR itself. We do this by a process called PORT FORWARDING. In a nutshell, you need to configure your router to forward the WEB PORT of the DVR (0085, if you followed our instructions in the NETWORK SETUP section) to the PRIVATE IP ADDRESS of the DVR.
This has to be done in your router’s PORT FORWARDING settings, not in the DVR or your computer. Routers are third party hardware, and there are (literally) hundreds of different models out there - thus, unfortunately, we cannot give you a step by step guide to how to configure yours.
However, we have some resources regarding networking your DVR on our website, at www.swannsecurity.com. Also, check out the site www.portforward.com for instructions on how to configure hundreds of routers for port forwarding.
Dynamic VS Static IP Addresses
If your Internet service provider (ISP) provides your network with a DYNAMIC IP ADDRESS, then your PUBLIC IP AD- DRESS will keep changing (usually any time you disconnect from and reconnect to the Internet). However, some ISP’s cycle IP addresses even more frequently.
This is not usually a problem for casual Internet browsing, email use and so on, but can present a problem when you’re trying to log into your DVR remotely.
We suggest two possible solutions for this. You can either pay your ISP a little extra and they’ll provide you with a FIXED IP ADDRESS (which will not change the way a dynamic one will) or you can use a service such as DynamicDNS (www. dyndns.com). DynamicDNS is a free service which will provide your network with a DOMAIN NAME for easy access, and software that will let you track your IP address as it changes.
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