Setting up a DynDNS account to track your dynamic IP
This set of instructions assumes that you are already able to access your DVR from outside your network using an IP address. If
you don’t have a static IP address, your IP address could change and leave you in a situation where you cannot access the DVR
any more using the IP address you are used to. DynDNS is a free service that allows your DVR to automatically track your
changing IP address.
Open a Web browser and go to http://www.dyndns.com
Click the “Create Account” link at the top right of the page. (See Figure 1)
Figure 1
After clicking “Create Account”, you will see the screen shown in Figure 2 below. Figure 2
On this screen you will enter the following information:
Username: Choose any username you like here. Make note of this as you will need this information later to enter into the DVR.
Email Address: This needs to be an email address that you will have access to immediately. Right after submitting your
information, DynDNS will send an email to this address. This email will contain a link that you will have to click to activate your
account.
Password: Choose any password you like here. Make note of this as well. You will need to enter this in the DVR as well.
You then have to check that you agree with the AUP and agree to only create one free account. We recommend that you
uncheck the newsletters box unless you want to get newsletters from DynDNS.
Click “Create Account”. DynDNS will send you an email immediately with a link that you must click to activate your account.
Click this link and you will be sent back to the DynDNS website. (Figure 3) Figure 3
Log in with the username and password you created.
After logging in, click on “My Services” link at the top right of the page. Then select, “Add Host Service”. This will bring up the
screen shown in Figure 4
Figure 4
Here is what you will need to put in this screen to get set up.
Hostname: This is a combination of the name you give it, and the ending you choose. In the example above (figure 4) the
ending that is chosen is servftp.org. You can choose any of the endings in the list. Then you would give it a name. For example,
you might choose something like “myhomedvr”. If so, then your hostname will end up being myhomedvr.servftp.org. Service Type: This should be left at the default “Host with IP address”.
That is all. Now, just click “Create Host” and you will be presented with the screen shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5
At this point you are finished here at this site. Make sure you have noted the username and password that you created here, as
well as the hostname that you created. This is the information that you will put into the DVR.
Now, at the DVR, go into the network setup screen. Under the DDNS section, you will put the hostname in the URL field. Put
the username and password in the username and password fields, and choose DynDNS Dynamic as the DDNS Type. Save these
settings and you are finished.
Now, when you are away from your home or office, you will access your DVR using the hostname followed by a colon and the
port number, i.e. http://myhomedvr.servftp.org:90. From now on, if your ISP changes your IP address, the DVR will
automatically update the DDNS server at DynDNS. So, no matter what your IP is, that hostname will always point to the correct
IP address.