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Dynamic DNS

Table of Contents
Dynamic DNS
Introduction
Configuring the DynDNS Client
Description of Parameters
Testing the Configuration
Ethernet Connection

In the Configure Dynamic DNS dialog, you are configuring the camera's DynDNS Client so that you can access the camera using a symbolic host name even though the camera's IP address keeps changing.

Introduction

Connections via the Internet are typically established by Internet service providers. Normally, providers assign changing IP addresses, which means that the camera's IP address is a different one each time a connection to the provider is established. Once the camera is connected to the Internet, you can only access it via the Internet if you know its current IP address.

The Domain Name Service (DNS) is an important Internet service. Using so-called name servers, this service provides decentralized databases that allow allocating symbolic host names (e.g. www.mobotix.com) to the respective IP addresses (e.g. 213.83.41.133). However, the DNS service concept is based on statically assigned IP addresses. Originally, this concept was not designed to work with frequently changing IP addresses as used when dialing up to a provider.

In order to enable the DNS to also manage changing IP addresses, the Dynamic DNS Service (DynDNS) has been introduced. A mechanism has been added to the DNS service, which the camera can use to transmit its current IP address, so that the entry in the name server database is updated automatically.

Note

For the dynamic DNS service to work, the camera must be connected directly to the Internet using an officially routed IP address. This is generally not the case if the camera is connected via a DSL router only, since these usually employ NAT (Network Address Translation). A router using NAT replaces the camera's IP address in outbound packets by his own.

The camera has no knowledge of this IP address and therefore can not use the dynamic DNS service. In this case, you need to configure port forwarding to the camera on the router, and set the latter to use the dynamic DNS service.

Configuring the DynDNS Client

Prior to configuring the camera for DynDNS, you need to register a host name for your camera with a DynDNS service (e.g. mycam.dyndns.org). For a list of DynDNS service websites, see the Service Type list box.

Description of Parameters

Parameter

Description

Client

This option enables or disables your camera's DynDNS client.

Service Type

The DynDNS data transfer is not standardized. This has resulted in different data exchange formats for different DynDNS providers. Select the service type suitable for your DynDNS service.

Server

Enter the symbolic name (e.g. members.dyndns.org) or the IP address of your DynDNS provider's server. If you are not sure which server to enter, leave this field empty. In this case, the camera automatically uses the standard server enclosed in parentheses in the Service Type field.

Host Name

Enter the host name (e.g. mycam.dyndns.org) that you have registered with a DynDNS service for your camera.

User Name

Enter the user name that you have registered or that you have been assigned during the registration process with your DynDNS service.

Password

Enter the password that is used for authentication at the DynDNS server.

Connection

This field shows which connection the DynDNS client uses and if it is working properly. This is the connection defined for the standard route. For configuring the standard route, open the Routing dialog.

Testing the Configuration

Ethernet Connection

In this case, the camera's DynDNS client transfers the IP address just once when the camera has been rebooted.

If your network uses e.g. DSL to connect to the Internet, you need to make sure that the camera is rebooted periodically after the respective router has been assigned a new IP address. By default, the camera is rebooting every Monday between 03:00 and 03:59 hours using a time task defined in the Time Tasks dialog.

For status information on this feature, open the System Messages dialog.


Storing the Configuration

Click on the Set button to activate your settings and to save them until the next reboot of the camera.

Click on the Factory button to load the factory defaults for this dialog (this button may not be present in all dialogs).

Click on the Restore button to undo your most recent changes that have not been stored in the camera permanently.

Click on the Close button to close the dialog. While closing the dialog, the system checks the entire configuration for changes. If changes are detected, you will be asked if you would like to store the entire configuration permanently.

 In order to enable these settings, you need to store the configuration and reboot the camera!


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