NightWatcher 8 channel D1 Realtime DVR User Manual page 47

Remote Access
- IP addresses
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 network's 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. You'll need to know the private IP address if you're using STATIC addressing and/or are
Port Forwarding (i.e. not using UPnP).
If you're using DHCP addressing and have UPnP enabled on both the router and the DVR, then you
may not need to know the private IP address at all.
How do I find these addresses, and what should I do with them?
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. If you're not using UPnP (if possible, use UPnP - it's just awesome) then configure your
router to forward these ports to the DVR.
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.
Finally, to learn your network's 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!
Static and Dynamic IP Addresses
In much the same way as your home network can use static or dynamic IP addresses, many Internet
providers don't issue (or charge more for) a static IP address for users. The easiest way to find out is
to contact your Internet service provider. Alternately, you can access the www.whatismyip.com
service, make a note of your IP, then reboot your router/gateway. This should refresh your Internet
connection. If your IP address stays the same, you've probably got a static IP address. If it changes,
you have a dynamic IP address.
How do I deal with a dynamic IP address?
One option is to contact your ISP and request a static IP address. They'll usually charge a small fee for
doing this. It's worth noting that not all ISPs offer static IP addresses. If your ISP does not offer static
IP addresses then you can use a dynamic referencing service.
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