Setting Up Remote Access - Swann DVR4-5600 Operating Instructions Manual

Setting Up Remote Access

Public and Private IP Addresses
The IP address used by the DVR, whether entered manually (STATIC) or assigned
by the dynamic host (DHCP) is the private IP address of the DVR. The private IP
address is used to locate the DVR on your private network. However, to access
the DVR from a remote location via the Internet, you'll need to know your home
networks public IP address.
What's the difference?
The IP addressing system that the Internet utilizes at the moment supports up
to (approximately) 4 billion addresses. That is a lot, but it's not enough for every
device connected to it (computers, phones, video game consoles, DVRs, servers,
televisions and even some refrigerators can all have Internet connections) to have
individual addresses. This problem is solved by assigning an address to each sub-
network on the Internet. This means that all LANs, such as your local network in
your home or office, will have a public IP address which will allow you to find that
network from anywhere connected to the Internet.
This means that all devices connected to your network share one public IP address.
To differentiate devices on your network, your network has its own IP address
range, and this is what is referred to as your private IP address. The private IP
address is used to configure your DVR and router for remote access through a
process known as Port Forwarding.
How do I find these addresses, and what should I do with them?
If you've configured your network using STATIC IP addressing, then you'll be
entering the private IP address directly into the DVR. Then you'll need to choose
your Web Port and Media Port. Finally, you'll have to configure your router to
forward your selected ports to the private IP address of the DVR.
If you're setting up a dynamic network (DHCP) then you don't need to know the
private IP address of your DVR (it'll probably change over time, anyway). Rather,
you only need to define the Media Port and Web Port, then configure your router
to forward these ports to the DVR (usually your router will have a drop-down menu
allowing you to select which devices on the network to forward ports to).
Finally, to learn your networks public IP address, you'll need a computer with Internet
access connected via the same network as the DVR you're configuring. Then, open
an Internet browser window. In the address bar, go to www.whatismyip.com. Your
public IP address will be displayed instantly!
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