Setup Remote Access – 2

In order to enable us to interface with home automation systems devices like the OmniPro II and Omni IIe we need to know the external IP address of your home. While this can be done by typing in the actual IP address (EX 64.234.182.24), that number is difficult to remember.

Even if you can remember it, the bigger problem is that your ISP will change that number from time to time.

The solution is DDNS. Dynamic DNS allows your IP address to be translated to a domain name such as myhome.homeip.net. This is both easier to remember and always stays up to date with your changing IP address.

In this blog post, we will walk you through setting up DDNS.

To use DynDNS service, you will first need to register with them.

Step 1: Go to DynDNS.com. You will be presented with screen that looks like this:

Step 2: Notice the highlighted part in the above screenshot. Enter the subdomain of your choice and select the domain name from the dropdown given. In the screenshot shown below, we have entered “myhome” as our subdomain and selected “homeip.net” as domain name. We typically will use the naming convention familyname.homeip.net. Once done, press “Add” button.

Step 3: After this, you will be presented with a simple form like the one shown below. Here you will need to enter the username and password that will be used to access your DynDNS account. You would also need to enter your email address. Before clicking on “Create Account” button, make sure you have entered the text shown in image captcha and agree with AUP and privacy policy of DynDNS.com.

Step 4: Now you will receive an email from DynDNS.com. Click on the link given to confirm your account.

Step 5: Clicking on the confirmation link will take you to the page that looks like the one shown below. To start using dynamic DNS service, click on “Activate Services” button.

Step 6: Your dynamic dns service is now be activated. You will be shown your hostname with IP address in details field.

Step 7: The final step is to add our DDNS account information to our router. This will be slightly different on each router. Below is a screen shot of a Linksys router. Follow the steps in Part I of this guide to log into your router. Then click on the DDNS option under the SETUP menu. Select DynDNS.org as the DDNS service and enter your DDNS account information. When done click on SAVE SETTINGS. After a minute or two the status should save “Update Success” or similar.