Setting a static IP address for my desktop

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I want to connect to my desktop remotely to see the Bird Box camera I have installed.
I can at present do so with little problem.
But occasionally the computer will have to reconnect with the router (Belkin N600).
When this happens it nearly always gives it a new local IP address.
I have the router set for port forwarding but this relies on the Desktop been at the IP address which is set in the port forwarding .
I have checked on line to see how to set a Local Static IP address but so far have not done so because
I keep getting the impression it means I will loose my internet connection to my ISP who uses Dynamic DNS
as one of the settings required is the DNS server and this is not static.

I know about using a DDNS service but don’t want to do that if I can avoid it.

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Why don’t you reserve the IP address for the desktop? It’s easy to do, your Belkin should support (mine does) and there is nothing to change, except at the router.

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I think there is some mixed up terms in the questions you ask.

First a question: if the bird box camera connected to the router and available on your internal network, or is it remote and connected to another network. I suspect it’s internal and available on your network, so the following is based on that assumption.

It’s straightforward to set a static internal IP address on the PC. Open the properties of the network adapter (the route to that varies depending on which OS you use). Select TCP/IPv4, and click Properties. Now, before entering any data, go to the web interface on the router, and check the range of the DHCP server. Armed with this information, set the fixed IP address in the Properties of the TCP/IPv4 window to be something outside the range of the DHCP server. Set netmask to be 255.255.255.0 and the gateway to be the IP address of the router. Set the DNS server in the TPC/IPv4 window to be the IP address of the router.

That will set an static IP address on the PC, you can now adjust the router to forward the ports required to the new static IP address. The PC will remain behind the firewall and NAT, so it’s quite safe enough.

Then to access the desktop PC depends on your location. If you are inside your network, you can use a VNC server and client to route traffic internally (so nothing escapes over the internet). However, using VNC is not recommended for public routed traffic due to security reasons. In point of fact, if you use VNC you don’t need to use a static IP address as it will pick up the host name of the Desktop PC.

If you are located remotely from your Desktop PC, you could use a service such as Teamviewer or Logmein to access the PC remotely. Neither o those required a static Public or Private IP address. Both services route traffic securely over the internet so are more suitable if you are accessing your Desktop PC from outside your network.

Now, turning to a couple of other items, I doubt very much if you ISP will use Dynamic DNS. DNS (Domain Name System) is a global Internet service that translates Host names to IP addresses so that access to those hosts can be routed over the internet. The DNS server at your ISP will almost certainly use a fixed IP address (you can probably find this by inspecting the router status). If the ISP used a dynamic DNS server, how would your router know which DNS server IP address to forward its queries to?

Is suspect you have mixed terminology or been given poor advice that fails to differentiate between Dynamic and Static Public IP addresses and DNS. Your ISP will almost certainly issue Dynamic IP addresses to its client (you). This is so it can manage a limited pool of IP addresses. Restarting the router will likely result in the ISP issuing a new public IP address to the router, but that will have zero effect on how you access the bird box camera as long as you are accessing it from inside the network.

If however, you are accessing the bird box camera from outside the network, then you may have either a static IP address on the camera (or its router), or use a Dynamic DNS service to make the camera host name discoverable with DNS.

But I have some concerns about how you are currently accessing the desktop PC remotely: if you have portforwared from outside the network (i.e from the internet) directly to the desktop PC (this is known as setting it in the DMZ or Demilitarised Zone), the Desktop PC is very insecure and should not be used for anything else other than the bird box camera.

In summary, if you are in a different room at home, use VNC to connect to the Desktop PC and view everything over VNC. If you are at work or a coffee shop etc and just want to check the bird box at home from time to time, install TeamViewer or Logmein on the Desktop PC and access the machine using those services. None of those options require a change from DHCP to static IP and none expose the Desktop PC to increased internet based threats.

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Ruirib I have checked in the help files and online and can find no simple way to reserve an ip address for one particular computer on my Belkin N600.
That would be a wonderful option.

Tinto Tech thanks for the info it is a bit clearer now.

My problem was following the instructions online on setting up a fixed or static IP address for the desktop on which I have the Birdbox software.
I wrongly thought the DNS from my ISP changed I now know that is not the case it is the IP that’s dynamic.
I have the software emailing me every time the ISP changes the IP address so I can access the Desktop via port forwarding.
No problem with that it works well.

What was happening, was if for any reason the desktop had to reconnect to the router it would then be assigned a different IP address
192.168.2.3 then next time 192.168.2.7 now with port forwarding you have to set the IP of the computer on which the software is located.
Clearly the router changing the IP address is not any good so I needed to make it static,

Will now re-examine the settings I found online to make the IP static for the desktop.
Hopefully that won’t effect the Laptop or Smart Phone access.

Cheers again

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Tinto Tech explained how to setup a static IP address for the PC in post#3

It’s straightforward to set a static internal IP address on the PC. Open the properties of the network adapter (the route to that varies depending on which OS you use). Select TCP/IPv4, and click Properties. Now, before entering any data, go to the web interface on the router, and check the range of the DHCP server. Armed with this information, set the fixed IP address in the Properties of the TCP/IPv4 window to be something outside the range of the DHCP server. Set netmask to be 255.255.255.0 and the gateway to be the IP address of the router. Set the DNS server in the TPC/IPv4 window to be the IP address of the router.

That will set an static IP address on the PC, you can now adjust the router to forward the ports required to the new static IP address. The PC will remain behind the firewall and NAT, so it’s quite safe enough.

This is exactly how my PC is setup.

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Given all the bother I have had trying to set up my Bird Box for remote viewing.
I decided to change my Router for the one sent by my ISP.
Its a D-Link DSL-2680 and I am able to create a static local IP address on it with ease.
I then set up port forwarding but something is stopping me from accessing it?.
Filled in the correct port forwarding info but not able to see the birdbox.

I have installed the Teamviewer software as a temporary measure but not totally happy with the outcome.
Although I can see the bird box it is all slow to respond where the portforwarding worked live with little or no delay.

Will have to see if I can find out what is preventing me seeing it now if I can.

Thanks for all your suggestions with this problem and if you have any suggestion regarding the D-Link problem please feel free to post.

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I’m sure we can help you find a solution, but I fear we may go round in circles without knowing exactly what it is you are trying to achieve and what system you currently have devised.

So, please forgive the list of questions, but they will help us establish a clear picture….

[*]You have a Bird Box camera. Is this a USB connected device, or is it networked with either an Ethernet connection or wireless?
[*]You currently view the video from the camera on a desktop PC. Is this using a software package, or do you open a browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox etc) to view the picture, or do you use some other mechanism?
[*]You want to fix the IP address of the Desktop PC because your router allocates it with a dynamic IP address and you believe it is necessary to open ports on the router firewall to access the PC by Port Forwarding to view the video. What ports do you need to open on the router and why do you need to route them to the PC?
[*]You want to access the Desktop PC remotely to view the BirdBox camera video and have tried Teamviewer but it gives an undesirable latency when observing the video. Are you trying to access the Desktop PC over the internet from a network that is outside your own system, or are you trying to connect to the Desktop PC from somewhere inside your network (i.e. another device connected to your router)?

Can you give us details of the Birdbox camera (make and model etc) so we can check it’s capabilities?

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Hi Tinto Tech

1. You have a Bird Box camera. Is this a USB connected device, or is it networked with either an Ethernet connection or wireless?

I have a wireless bird Box camera which is picked up by a receiver and then through a usb hardware and software adapter (USB4CAP)

http://www.spycameracctv.com/spycamera/usb-video-capture-device-with-windows-pc-dvr-net-access-cctv-software

The stand alone software can show four separate camera’s but I only have one connected.
This work fine on my Windows 7 64 system I can view it 24/7 motion detect record and snap without a hitch.

2 You currently view the video from the camera on a desktop PC. Is this using a software package, or do you open a browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox etc) to view the picture, or do you use some other mechanism?

No need for any other program to view box.

3 You want to fix the IP address of the Desktop PC because your router allocates it with a dynamic IP address and you believe it is necessary to open ports on the router firewall to access the PC by Port Forwarding to view the video.

With this router D-Link DSL 2680 I can easily make the local IP address of my desktop static so that is not a problem now.

4 What ports do you need to open on the router and why do you need to route them to the PC?

I tried setting it up automatic via the USB4CAP software but it fails saying the UPnP is disabled.
It makes no difference if I tick the enable UPnP or un-tick the enable UPnP box in the router settings

If I set it up manually like I did in the previous router it needs to watch port 3078 this worked fine in the other router
but I had the problem of making the local IP address static?

5. You want to access the Desktop PC remotely to view the BirdBox camera video and have tried Teamviewer but it gives an undesirable latency
when observing the video.

Yes I should be able to view live pictures via my Mobile or Laptop from anywhere using a Browser. (Chrome worked fine)
I can access it over my own network but that uses a different IP address that works fine.

6. Are you trying to access the Desktop PC over the internet from a network that is outside your own system, or are you trying to connect to the Desktop PC from somewhere inside your network (i.e. another device connected to your router)?

Can you give us details of the Birdbox camera (make and model etc) so we can check it’s capabilities?

The make of the camera is irrelevant given it works fine on the computer it’s the port forwarding that is been stopped by some setting on the Router I think???

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OK, that’s useful extra detail.

The link you gave also gives us the user manual at the bottom of the page. From that it can be inferred that the software loaded onto the desktop PC is (among other things) running a small web server to playback video for remote viewers and offering that up on a port of your choice. It’s not clear which port, or where that is defined, but there is a description on pages 25 and 31 of the manual that suggests you can enter the details directly yourself.

If you can specify the port manually, you need to open and forward the port of your choice in your router from the outside world (i.e. the internet) to your new static internal IP address. In a way it’s good that UPnP doesn’t work opening the ports, because it’s highly insecure and could allow an easy drive by attack on your router and hence your PC.

Setting up the port forwarding is described in the router manual on page 44. Specify the port that you wish to forward, the static internal IP address of the PC and the range of public ports. The latter is difficult if not impossible to know as it will be the port of the web browser on the remote host. It will be a random high port. I would be tempted to specify start public port 1024 and end public port 65536 – which if I’ve interpreted the manual correctly will allow remote clients using those source ports to be routed to your new internal static IP on the internal port of your choice. The other difficulty will be selecting a protocol to forward. Look for RTSP or similar, or you may have a default all protocols, but you need to find a protocol setting that is not blocked on that port and the manual doesn’t tell us what protocols you have to choose from.

You also need either a static external IP or use a Dynamic DNS hosting service to set a fixed public IP address for your remote viewers to access.

Personally, I would implement a Dynamic DNS host service such as no-ip.com or dyn.com. Use their small monitor client to automatically update the public IP address at the D-DNS service provider. I prefer to use the client updater software rather than use a D-DNS setup in the router directly.

When it’s all setup, you browse to mybirdbox[dot]no-ip.com:{port number}, where mybirdbox is the host name you assign to your broadband connection and the D-DNS hosting service and {port number} is the port you choose to forward.

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Hi thanks for your help.

Just to clarify a couple of points in the manual.
Because it won’t auto set-up using UPnP for which it uses port 6139 or something around there.
I have to follow the instructions on setting port forward up manually and for that it uses port 3078.
Which worked fine when it was available on the other Router.

I did try to select another port but the software is fixed on these particular ones.

I can connect to the software using the internal IP address and port 3078 but not if I try using the external IP address.
Regards the setting up of a DDNS service I don’t need to do that because
I have set up the software to email me of any change to the IP address when my ISP changes it so I just change the address I am looking for remotely.

Still convinced that a setting in the Router is blocking the access.

when I am setting the port forward up I have been specifying start 3078 and finish 3078 as the start and finish port to watch
how insecure is it if I widen the range.
Not sure it will help though.

Scott5

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when I am setting the port forward up I have been specifying start 3078 and finish 3078 as the start and finish port to watch
how insecure is it if I widen the range.

I think that may be part of the problem. The start and finish ports are the source ports rather than the destination port and you have no control over what ports the remote viewers may be using. I think you have to open the range up. It shouldn’t be a security risk because your remote viewers are only trying to connect to the local port 3078 or whatever, so by opening them up you are saying “OK, I’ll allow any remote port to connect to local port 3078”

The other thing (that I can’t be sure about reading the manual) is the protocol As noted earlier, I suspect you may need to route using a particular protocol. You could try RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) and if that fails, try http or https.

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Hi again

I just tried viewing the bird box on my Samsung Galaxy phone via the internet.
It worked fine managed to see the login page then the Birdbox.
No problem at all.

Checked with GRC ShieldsUP! — Internet Vulnerability Profiling and its telling me that port 3078 is open
which of cause it must be given the phone can connect to it.

I have tried both IE and Chrome on my laptop and they do not work.
How Odd is that.

If I put the IP address on here would you be able to try connecting to it.
Not sure how that would help except confirm its the Browser that’s preventing it.

I could put a temperary log on for you to try but not sure thats a good idea.

Don’t know who’s watching.

Regards the port used to view the bird box it is added to the IP address when connecting to the Box so it is specificly 3078

Scott5

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I have just tried accessing my Nestbox via the port forward option.
I disconnected my laptop from my router and connected using a T-Mobile dongle I have for travelling.
It connected without a hitch directly to the log on screen then through to show the Birdbox clear as a bell live.

I have reconnected to the internet via the Router and Talktalk and cannot connect to it at all.

Now I am confused????

Were do I go from here.

Is it the Router or Talktalk and why does my phone connect

I have checked the Smartphone and it was connecting to the box ok but I have just discovered that it was connecting using the T-Mobile service
I have connected to the Router with it and I am unable to connect to the Birdbox.

So we are back to the Router or Talktalk stopping me accessing the birdbox.???????????

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From your update, I don’t think there is anything wrong with the setup.

The port forward is routing incoming connections from the internet (your smartphone on t-mobile or laptop when connected via the dongle) to the static IP address and port on the desktop PC. When you try to use the laptop from inside the network (i.e directly connected to the router), the port forward will not connect it. That’s how port forwarding works.

The port forward will route incoming requests from the WAN to the LAN, not from the LAN to LAN.

I’m not 100% sure (because I don’t know the webcam software or how it is configured), but you may be able to view the BirdBox viewer from inside the network but using a minor adjustment to the URL in the browser. Try using the form http://{internal-static-IP}:[software-port]….so if your static IP on the desktop is 192.168.1.1 and the port you have set for forwarding is 3078 then you point your browser to http://192.168.1.1:3078. If your host name is published through netbios you may even be able to use {host name}:[port] so if your desktop PC host name is “desktop-pc” you could use http://desktop-pc:3078.

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Tento Tech

I can connect to the Bird box on the lap top using the local IP address and the port number with no problems.

What got me confused was that the Belkin Router I was using allowed me to see the bird box via the internet.
But it wouldn’t let me set up a local static IP without causing lots of problems.

This router lets me set a local static IP easily but won’t let me use it to view via the internet.

Glad it is all sorted.

Thanks for all you help much appreciated

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I could almost best that you can do it. Type router on your browser and you will get to the router setup page (you can also type the IP for the router). You will get to a page with a similar menu on the left:

33441-Routermenu

From there you can click DHCP Client List and you should get to a screen similar to this:

33442-ReserveIPs

Find the device you want in the first list and just click Reserve.

I would be surprised if Belkin had stopped offering this option.

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ruirib I have no problem getting to the LAN > DHCP Client List on my router.

But it does not have the option of reserving any one of the IP addresses
All it has showing is IP Address, Host Name, and Mac Address no option to reserve.

I did find a section on the Lan settings page

The length of time the DHCP server will reserve the IP address for each computer. and this is set to “forever”
but it obviously doesn’t keep the same IP address for each machine because it does change it if I have to reconnect
for any reason.

Tinto Tech
I have followed the instructions to fix a static IP address I found on line but had all sorts of problems.
It kept telling me that the router was under the control of a different IP address and then I actually lost connection.
I only got it re-connect using Windows fault finder to restore the DHCP to the automatic IP option.
Now restored the automatic option and will see if the IP address changes again.

All very confusing.

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Oh well, amazing how they remove some interesting features from newer routers.

I would have to agree with Tinto and suggest that you use TeamViewer. It is free for non profit use and it will avoid messing with the IP settings.

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Oh well, amazing how they remove some interesting features from newer routers.

I would have to agree with Tinto and suggest that you use TeamViewer. It is free for non profit use and it will avoid messing with the IP settings.

I too doubt that you are mistaken about his router, but the fix is on the computer’s side. Connection and packet routing are independent of the DHCP server. If auto DHCP is disabled, then all devices must be configured manually however, even if auto DHCP is enabled in the router, the router will still connect with devices configured manually (not requesting an IP, but having it assigned).

I haven’t done this in Windows newer than XP. It’s done in the advanced settings of the network connections there. Others will have to help with more recent versions.

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I too doubt that you are mistaken about his router, but the fix is on the computer’s side. Connection and packet routing are independent of the DHCP server. If auto DHCP is disabled, then all devices must be configured manually however, even if auto DHCP is enabled in the router, the router will still connect with devices configured manually (not requesting an IP, but having it assigned).

I haven’t done this in Windows newer than XP. It’s done in the advanced settings of the network connections there. Others will have to help with more recent versions.

I’m not disputing that, it’s just that would be incredibly more easier to do it on the router side. Also, care will need to be taken to remove the manually assigned IP from the pool of IPs that the router can assign.

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I forgot to add that the LAN screen that he referred to, reflects the range of the LAN in the router’s IP subnet. The static IP assigned to the computer must be in that subnet.

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Depends. If there are no other requesting devices, or if the leasing client is not turned off, the likelihood of reassignment of the IP is small. A strategy to employ where that is a concern is to choose an IP near the end of the pool.

But you’re right about the software approach for those who don’t want to mess with manual configuration.

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I have tried every thing I have found on the net and here and the help files for the Router.

Useless.

Even if I set the lease time to the DHCP server IP address allocated to each machine on the router to forever
it still changes them if I loose the connection and have to reconnect.
This means that once the virtual server is set to access the birdbox camera via IP ending in xxx.xxx.xx.3 when the router as changed the IP
to another address eg: xxx.xxx.xx.7 the virtual server is then unable to point to the birdbox camera.

Even if I use any of the programs you suggest or DDNS service they will not work once the router as changed the local IP address.

If I disable the automatic DHCN on the router I then cannot get access to the router settings for some reason.
When I try to log into it, it shows a text message saying “Duplicate Administration this is been administered by XXX.XXX.XX. x
x been a number that none of the computers had before the router updated.

So frustrating.

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TeamViewer does not depend on a specific IP, so it’s not useless at all. It’s precisely because it will connect to your computer regardless of the IP that it was recommended.

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Let me get this right.
It will connect even though the IP address from my ISP will keep changing that I understand.

But how does it alter the forwarding setting using the local IP the router has assigned to the Desktop Computer.

When I set up port forwarding I have to put in the local IP address the router has assigned to the desktop.
If for any reason the desktop as to reconnect to the router it will get a different IP address assigned
which means the port forwarding information I inserted is now incorrect and you cannot see the Birdbox remotely.

I suspect the software can cope with the different IP address assigned by the ISP
but I don’t see how it can alter the portforwarding settings in the router.

Maybe I am missing something here.

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You don’t even need to have port forwarding at the router.

You will run two instances of TeamViewer – on the desktop and on the computer from which you want to access the desktop. You setup the desktop computer for unattended access. You also create a Teamviewer account and the computers where you have Teamviewer installed will automatically show up under My Computers in TeamViewer. To access the desktop you will just have to right click it in the My Computers list on the other computer and choose Remote Control. That’s it.
TeamViewer works over routers, firewalls, etc. The Teamviewer app in the desktop will register with Teamviewer servers, on boot, so the IP for the desktop is always known.

This is actually safer than having port forwarding and it is easier too.

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Tinto you have sussed out the problem before I could post this .

Another update.
Info from Talktalk.

It seems that some routers don’t like NAT loopback whatever that is, and this is one of them.
This means that it will not let you use the internet to look at something set up for port forwarding if you use that same router to connect to the internet.

In a nutshell my system is working and I should be able to view it from anywhere else using some other access to the internet.
That I proved by using the T-Mobile dongle and phone which worked fine.

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Yes, not many residential routers support static routing on the LAN side, which is what you would have needed to view it from the laptop in the way you anticipated. But entering the IP address or host name appended with the port number should work just as well for the laptop when at home.

Anyway, glad it worked out in the end.

Now all you need to do is sit with your laptop in your favourite coffee shop and wait for spring…

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You will be pleased to hear I had a Blue Tit in the box this morning checking out the dimensions and making the access to it’s liking.
I have had the box checked out three times since I put it up in early February.

I really needed the access to show my four grandchildren when we visit them.

Cheers

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Just out of curiosity what’s the post from sunga3232 all about. ???

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Scott,

I see that the post is gone so I can only assume it was spam and one of the other admins deleted it.

BTW: When you see this type of post you can report it by clicking on the triangle with exclamation point at the left side of the blue bar below the post. :cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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