DynDns dropping free service in 30 days

[Hawkdl2]

I just got the email today. It's been a while since I looked for an alternative free dyn updater service so I'm not sure where to go. I don't plan on installing Fusion until a couple of full release versions have been in the field, so does anyone have any suggestions?

[Breadman03]

It's like $25/year. I just ponied up and paid.

[kurt_n]

Ahhh... I see they even dropped the option that if you logged in to your account on their website every 30 days, it would be free. Nice little &*&^storm going on in their forums!

I played the "log in every month" game for a few months before I finally caved and paid for it. Back when they originally did that though, they gave a discount if you signed up. So I can't really help with any alternatives. Since I originally signed up for them - just for the Apex - I've added an IP cam for home security to the mix, so I'm telling myself I'm getting my money's worth!

[Hawkdl2]

I'll probably pay if I can't find any alternatives, but I've got 30 days to find something.

The email says they are offering a 25% discount, but I presume that is just for the first year.

[RandoReefer]

Does Fusion not solve this problem?

I would imagine that you would be able to revert back to your "home network" IP address, where you wouldn't have to port forward or deal with dynamic IP, and connect to Fusion....

The guys on Neptunesystems forums could probably chime in more smartly.

[aleithol]

Does Fusion not solve this problem?

I would imagine that you would be able to revert back to your "home network" IP address, where you wouldn't have to port forward or deal with dynamic IP, and connect to Fusion....

The guys on Neptunesystems forums could probably chime in more smartly.

I've been in the Beta now for more than a month I suspect...

Issue is this, even once Fusion becomes GA: If you are OK with becoming dependent upon an internet connection from your Apex to Fusion, and The reliability of Fusion servers and the surrounding network, great -- in the long haul, you won't need to diddle with all the net setup and such. Fusion's ease-of-use will be a huge boon opening up Apex capabilities to the non-technically inclined and a whole new set of customers I'm sure.

In my case, I like the redundancy the Apex architecture WITH what Fusion will provide... Meaning, Fusion today and likely for the foreseeable future is just a layer sitting on top of what your Apex is always executing... Better widgets, graphics, and such, as Fusion isnt limited by the hardware, memory, processor and other constraints of that little piece of gear running your tank. For the most part now, if you pull up Fusion, it reads your setup and coding from your Apex to get started. Then, if you make a change to your coding via Fusion, the result is just being saved back to your own Apex that executes everything. You can in fact still modify anything created by Fusion using traditional means on your Apex if you like (more work to be finished before GA in that regard), and you will be able to tweak things you made directly on your Apex using the display or traditional web interface using the improved GUI that Fusion provides. ...but, for me, being able to access my Apex directly within my home even if external internet access is down, and even when I'm away should Fusion servers or that part of the network be out of commission for whatever reason, gives me another safety net that I love. I plan to keep my network settings, and even many of the email-types of alerts generated directly by my own Apex in place for that reason, and use Fusion for the nice and easier-to-use interface as it is expanded over time, but for now, as a guy with 90-some odd outlets, I don't see it possibly ever being the exclusive way I access and maintain my Apex.

Hopefully that helps with at least my bit of perspective -- it's hard to pick up some of the nuances how Fusion does and does not operate from the marketing material released thus far. :). IMO, it has huge potential tough and will be a great addition to an already good thing.

[kurt_n]

Does Fusion not solve this problem?

...

aleithol, I think, made a great reply.

In a nutshell... yes, Fusion solves this problem. You log in via Fusion and see your Apex, regardless of your IP address.

It's just a matter of how many redundancies you want in place. I'm so anal, when I leave on a trip, I always note my IP address when I leave... just in case dyndns honks something up and I can't "phone home" using my dyndns address.

[RandoReefer]

Well said aleithol. I was one of the lucky ones who was blessed with a provider who uses static IP. I've been on Fusion for some time now, and still use my app and old dashboard to program/monitor, so I understand where you are coming from.

[revnull]

Just throwing it out there... "free" Dynamic DNS with compatible Asus routers. Take your $25 and put it towards an upgrade instead.

<something>.asuscomm.com

[kurt_n]

D-link is another that provides "free" dynamic DNS.

Even though I have a D-link NAS and IP cam, I haven't taken them up on it, so I can't give a review of their service. D-link seems to make good hardware for the price, but their documentation and service, well... leaves much to be desired. (Great products if you're willing to put in a little elbow grease to figure things out.)

[2k3sgm]

noip.com, but does require updating each month. Not a big deal, just have to be sure when you update you're at home!

[Hawkdl2]

Revnull, jurt_n and 2k3sgm, thanks for the relevant responses. I have a pretty nice Asus router so I'll give Asus or noip a try.

[Spyderturbo007]

www.dnsexit.com

[skystar]

noip.com, but does require updating each month. Not a big deal, just have to be sure when you update you're at home!

This is what I use, and if you use their "DUC" (Dynamic Update Client) on your home PC, it automatically updates it for you so you don't have to log in each month. The update client just runs in the background.

[jeffreylam1132]

skystar, if you don't mind, can you please elaborate?

[tdb320reef]

I never really understood why everyone uses this complicated dyndns stuff.


Go to go daddy and get a domain name. Log into the control panel and put the IP of your outside router. Log into the router open the port to your apex. Usually your ip will change but very infrequently at which point you just log in and manually change it.


I think I pay 4.99 a year for the name that I also use for other services.

Thanks.

[revnull]

What you are doing is a manual reactive process. Your TTLs with standard DNS hosting could be hours, making your updates unnecessarily long. The method you use to discover your new IP and update your DNS A record is more complicated than most people are willing to deal with.

Dynamic DNS services are not rocket science. Though to the uninitiated, it seems that way.

If you still want to use your godaddy domain, add a static forward to your dynamic DNS subdomain. Boom, best if both worlds. :)

[tdb320reef]

What you are doing is a manual reactive process. Your TTLs with standard DNS hosting could be hours, making your updates unnecessarily long. The method you use to discover your new IP and update your DNS A record is more complicated than most people are willing to deal with.

Dynamic DNS services are not rocket science. Though to the uninitiated, it seems that way.

If you still want to use your godaddy domain, add a static forward to your dynamic DNS subdomain. Boom, best if both worlds. :)

Na 15 minutes - not complicated-no need to run software. have my router on a UPS and the Ipaddress for Comcast has not changed for over a year and half. You can get crafty and start using the DNS name to host your own pics.

[revnull]

TTL for dynamic DNS services are usually around 1 minute, godaddy's are 30min-1hr (then another 24-48hrs to fully propagate) - also not complicated - only need to run software if your router, ipcam, or other "always on" device does not support your service of choice. Having the same IP for that long is definitely not the norm. Some more aggressive ISPs have 8hr DHCP leases. You can still use a dynamic sub domain to host services from you home.

[tdb320reef]

TTL for dynamic DNS services are usually around 1 minute, godaddy's are 30min-1hr (then another 24-48hrs to fully propagate) - also not complicated - only need to run software if your router, ipcam, or other "always on" device does not support your service of choice. Having the same IP for that long is definitely not the norm. Some more aggressive ISPs have 8hr DHCP leases. You can still use a dynamic sub domain to host services from you home.

Replace the org. wording from complicated to annoying. Been doing it this was for several years and have never had many of the annoying issues that people mention using third party tools to achieve DNS.

[revnull]

I have also been in the "IT" field for many years. As a fellow computer nerd, you would have to agree that for the everyday technology/internet consumer there is a fundamental expectation of simple utility from most devices & services. Plug in a light and turn on the switch, they don't care how the house is wired or how the electricity is generated or how it arrives from the provider. Internet service is the same. The ISP provides the connectivity and basic guidance on how to use it, then like magic... google, netflix, & everything else the world has to offer. By in large, this is a downstream transaction. Not complicated or annoying because the someone else manages the infrastructure.
It all gets dicey when you reverse the flow of data. The voodoo of DNS and NAT are no longer automated by the router and ISP. This means a bit of discovery must be made. Holes in the firewall must be poked. Basic routes must be in place. Just like the billions of other destinations on the internet, 90% of the path must be statically defined or dynamically discovered to work. This is where dynamic DNS comes in. It's a set it and forget it utility service. It's automates the DNS management that most would find a cumbersome if not impossible task.
As tech professionals, we take for granted that we know "how it works" so of course its easy. But for everyone else, it's all Greek wrapped in black magic voodoo, spoken in ones and zeros between 2 pasty gentlemen that live in front of a computer screen in a deep dark basement.

Now tat I'm done with my incoherent palaver, back on topic. :)
Free dyndns.org = DEAD, if you need a replacement service, find one that works with your router, IP camera or other internet connected device to avoid future headaches.

[tdb320reef]

I have also been in the "IT" field for many years. As a fellow computer nerd, you would have to agree that for the everyday technology/internet consumer there is a fundamental expectation of simple utility from most devices & services. Plug in a light and turn on the switch, they don't care how the house is wired or how the electricity is generated or how it arrives from the provider. Internet service is the same. The ISP provides the connectivity and basic guidance on how to use it, then like magic... google, netflix, & everything else the world has to offer. By in large, this is a downstream transaction. Not complicated or annoying because the someone else manages the infrastructure.
It all gets dicey when you reverse the flow of data. The voodoo of DNS and NAT are no longer automated by the router and ISP. This means a bit of discovery must be made. Holes in the firewall must be poked. Basic routes must be in place. Just like the billions of other destinations on the internet, 90% of the path must be statically defined or dynamically discovered to work. This is where dynamic DNS comes in. It's a set it and forget it utility service. It's automates the DNS management that most would find a cumbersome if not impossible task.
As tech professionals, we take for granted that we know "how it works" so of course its easy. But for everyone else, it's all Greek wrapped in black magic voodoo, spoken in ones and zeros between 2 pasty gentlemen that live in front of a computer screen in a deep dark basement.

Now tat I'm done with my incoherent palaver, back on topic. :)
Free dyndns.org = DEAD, if you need a replacement service, find one that works with your router, IP camera or other internet connected device to avoid future headaches.

You lost me. To all setting up a DnS name is simple. There might be some maintenance from time to time but only a few steps. If you need help Pm me and ill provide the steps.

[revnull]

Ok, let's simplify.

To most people:
Manual DNS = Rocket Science
Dynamic DNS = High school Science project

[tdb320reef]

Ok, let's simplify.

To most people:
Manual DNS = Rocket Science
Dynamic DNS = High school Science project

Thats what all of that meant =). I disagree but okay.

[revnull]

Most rocket scientists would disagree. ;)

[Spyderturbo007]

It's easier for me to have a client run a small program on their workstation / server to update their DNS than it is for me to have them purchase a domain and start editing DNS records through their registrar.

People are used to downloading programs and entering login credentials which is all that's required for an automated DNS updater. They are not used to manually editing DNS records on a regular basis after realizing that their remote access as ceased to function because their ISP has stuck them with a new IP address.

My clients would fire me if I told them to do things like that manually. How can doing it manually be easier than something that's completely automated?

I bet you still make your clients manually update programs like Flash, Acrobat, Java, Google Earth, VNC, etc, as opposed to automating the process, don't you? :D