Dynamic DNS

This guide will help you get started with our Dynamic DNS service.

What is Dynamic DNS? What can I do with it?

The free Dynamic DNS service provides an easy-to-remember URL for quick remote access to your network. This allows you to reach services at home, such as a personal website, security camera, VPN, game server, and more, using a simple web address like http://myhome.dyndns.org/, instead of a meaningless, ever-changing IP address like http://123.45.67.89. You can learn more about how Dynamic DNS works here.

How do I set it up?

Please complete the following steps to get started with the Dynamic DNS service.

1. Install your service

The first step is to set up the services you want to run from your network. You should decide what you would like to access remotely, and install hardware or software in your network to accomplish this. For example, you could host a personal website for family photos with XAMPP and SPGM; remotely access files, shared printers and other devices with OpenVPN; or install a web-enabled surveillance camera for home security.

Once you have chosen the services you wish to use, installed them, and tested them locally, you may move to the next step. (Please note: DynDNS.com cannot provide support for service installation or setup. You will need to contact the software or hardware authors for more help.)

2. Configure port forwarding and firewalls

Now that your service is installed and running, the next step is to configure your network to allow remote access. To do this, you will need to configure your router's port forwarding settings. Please visit PortForward.com for a list of guides by router and service. (For reference, any service you can access with a web browser uses HTTP on TCP port 80). You will also need to allow this port in your firewall software, such as Windows Firewall or Norton Internet Security.

3. Test your network

When you have configured port forwarding in your router, you will need to test your network externally (from outside). To do this, get your network's external IP address from CheckIP, then have a friend try to visit the IP address or use our Open Port Tool to test your network. If your network is configured properly, you can continue to the next step; if not, please see the Troubleshooting section for some common problems.

4. Create an account and Dynamic DNS host

Now that your services are installed and working, and visitors from outside your network can remotely access your services, you can begin using Dynamic DNS. Create and confirm an account, then create a free Dynamic DNS host. The Dynamic DNS host should be assigned to your network's external IP address. Once your host is created, wait a few minutes for the service to activate, then have your friend (or our Open Port Tool) test your network using the host (e.g. http://myphotosite.dyndns.org).

If all goes well, you should see the same results as using the IP address directly, which indicates that the Dynamic DNS host is working properly.

5. Install an update client

The last step is to configure an update client, which will keep your new Dynamic DNS host up-to-date with your network's external IP address. If your camera or router has a section for DynDNS.com (sometimes DynDNS.org), this is an update client. Enter your username, password and hostname, and the router will tell us when your IP changes so that your Dynamic DNS host will always be correct.

If you do not have a hardware update client, you can install a software update client on a computer anywhere in the network (typically your server computer). We recommend using a software client whenever possible, since they are easier to troubleshoot and configure than hardware update clients.

Troubleshooting

This section strictly covers the Dynamic DNS service. If you are having problems setting up a server for the first time, please see our general troubleshooting article Why Can't I Connect to My Server?

Remember, if your Dynamic DNS or Custom DNS host resolves properly to the correct IP address for your network, any problems you are experiencing are not related to your DNS service. To check your host's DNS, use our DNSCog dig utility; If your service resolves, the issue is not a DNS error.

My host does not resolve.

Once you check your service's DNS, there are a few reasons your service may not resolve correctly:

My host is blocked for abusive updates, or my update client isn't working at all.

Some devices, such as routers, use update clients which are not properly compatible with our services. Some clients send unnecessary updates, which can trigger abuse blocks to protect our systems from flooding, while some clients do not send any updates at all. If you have been blocked for abuse, please see our Update Abuse Policy for more information on how to fix the problem.

In either case, you should try installing a software client instead, as they are generally far more reliable than hardware update clients. (If you switch from a hardware client to a software client, please make sure you disable the hardware client to prevent unnecessary updates.) Please note that DynDNS.com is not responsible for update clients embedded in hardware devices. You will need to contact the manufacturer for more help if your update client does not work. You can also try installing a newer version of the device's firmware.

My connection lags or times out.

No traffic passes through DynDNS.com, so any problems with lag or being disconnected unexpectedly are caused by connection problems at the remote network (or the client's network). The Dynamic DNS and Custom DNS services have no impact on connection speed, bandwidth, quality of service or any other networking issues.

What is a Wildcard?

The Wildcard feature for Dynamic DNS hosts allows fourth-level subdomains, such as www.myhost.dyndns.org, abcxyz.camera.homeip.net, and so on to function. The Wildcard setting is entirely optional, and is mostly useful for virtual hosting with webservers (e.g. displaying different personal websites at moe.myfamily.dyndns.org, curly.myfamily.dyndns.org and larry.myfamily.dyndns.org).

Wildcard is only available to customers with Dynamic DNS Pro.

Other people can reach my services, but I can't reach them locally.

This is a loopback connection error, which is discussed in more detail here.

When I visit my host, I see my router.

This is also a loopback connection error, which is discussed in more detail here.

I can ping my host, but I don't get a reply and/or I can't connect to my services.

Being able to ping a host does not indicate connectivity, which is discussed in more detail here. However, it can show you that your Dynamic DNS or Custom DNS host is resolving properly. A ping request starts with something like this:

> ping google.com
Pinging google.com [209.85.171.100] with 32 bytes of data:

Notice google.com [209.85.171.100], which demonstrates that your computer was able to resolve google.com to its corresponding IP address, 209.85.171.100. Whether you receive a ping reply or not is irrelevant; since the host resolved to the IP, the DNS service is working properly, so you can continue troubleshooting at the network level.

What are the security risks of using Dynamic DNS?

The Dynamic DNS service does not create any new security vulnerabilities for your network. It is simply an easy way of locating your services. You should take steps to properly secure your network, such as a properly configured router, firewalls, up-to-date antivirus software, and common security practices such as strong passwords (eight characters in length with at least one capital letter, one number and one symbol such as @ or _) and strictly limited access (e.g. FTP access for a single subdirectory, not an entire drive).