Free Ride

You may have a home network with a permanent-on broadband connection that allows you to access the outside world anytime 24/7, but how do you go the other direction and access your home network from the public Internet? This is possible if you can afford to spend two to four times the money on a broadband account with a fix or static IP address. Fortunately there is an easy solution to solve this problem with DDNS (Dynamic DNS) service. A DDNS service helps a dynamic IP user (non fix IP user) to tie their ever changing dynamic public IP address to a fix IP hostname or domain name.

Most name brand IP camera comes with free DDNS services, for example;

Panasonic: viewnetcam.com

Vivotek: Safe100.net

This free DDNS is for the authorized IP camera user to perform remote monitoring via Internet or handphone. Some smart IP camera users actually free riding on this free but stable DDNS to perform the following tasks;

(1) Host a personal Web site from your own computer.

(2) Host your own FTP server.

(3) Remote Desktop or VNC into your own personal computer from anywhere on the Internet.

(4) Host your own game server.

(5) Host your videos with something like a Slingbox.




In other words, this free for life (or rather paid for) principle provided DDNS makes those IP camera absolutely a bargain. The IP camera actually paid for itself after a while with the money you saved from subscribing to a fix IP line.