Page 24
Overview of Manual IP Address Setup (without UPnP)
In the previous section we showed how to tell if your camera was able to
automatically configure itself using your router’s UPnP feature.
In this section we provide an overview of the manual IP address setup
procedure. You would only need to do this if UPnP is not available on your
network, for example if you have an older router. If UPnP worked or if you
have an Apple router that you’ve already set up with our Airport specific
instructions please skip ahead to “Step 3: Choosing a name for your camera”.
Most routers come pre-configured to protect your own network devices from
external access. This means that in order to view your camera remotely over
the internet your router needs to be configured to open ports and allow
access. If this sounds difficult, you may want to consider upgrading your router
to a newer NetGear, LinkSys, or DLink model as they are very inexpensive now
(we’ve seen sale prices under $40). Either way our tech support can help you.
The terminology for opening up ports can be different based on the
manufacturer of the router. Typically this setting is called “Web access”,
“DMZ”, “Virtual Server”, “Virtual Service”, “Pin hole”, “User Defined Service”,
“Port Forwarding” or “Port Mapping”. There are 2 main steps involved in port
forwarding:
1.
Reserving a DHCP address or assigning a permanent (static) IP address
for your camera on your local network.
2.
Configuring your router to allow access from the internet to the
camera’s IP address on your local network.
Strictly speaking, step 1 above is optional, but some routers (especially LinkSys
and Belkin models) tend to reassign all the IP addresses on your home network
after a power failure or based on the order in which you use them. Therefore
your setup is only reliable if you reserve a DHCP address or assign a permanent
IP address to your camera and then do the actual port forwarding. Reserving
an IP address in the router is easier than setting it up in the camera, so please
check the section on reserving an IP address to see if your router supports it.
Some residential internet service providers want to charge more for business
service and therefore deliberately block all internet access that looks like it
might involve a web server at the standard port 80. That’s why we always
recommend using port 8150, which in our experience is usually available.
