What is port forwarding?

Configuring port forwarding for your IP camera enables you to access your locally connected camera on the secure side of the router (via LAN) anywhere with internet at a different location (VIA WAN) through PC/Mac or Smartphone. It basically just forwards all traffic of your private camera to a public network.

Port forwarding must be supported by your router, and configured in your router’s interface. Therefore, for specific steps of port forwarding, please refer to the manual of your router or contact the manufacturer of your router for help (user interface extremely router specific). There are many different resources on YouTube that we find helpful. And you may also explore this webpage where it has the port forward interfaces for most routers: http://portforward.com/

Note: To access your IP camera in certain software or mobile app (such as iVMS or IP Cam Viewer), RTSP port may need to be forwarded as well.

After port forwarding, you will get a dynamic WAN IP of the camera where you can use to access the camera remotely anywhere.

Use canyouseeme.org to check your WAN IP and whether the ports are forwarded successfully (or “open”).

Go to Internet Explorer and type in WAN IP: HTTP port as the address to remotely log in the camera for a quick test.

Finally, please remember that the WAN IP changes constantly (normally after 24 hours) so it may be good for you to use free DDNS service such as NO-IP.com to have a fixed domain name, which can be memorized easily.

Other Dynamic DNS service provider:  DynDNS.org and TZO.com

Please first register an account at the DDNS service provider’s site. And you will get an unchanged name for your home WAN IP: such as myname.dyndns.org  

This fixed domain will be representing your home WAN IP!

Then you can login to your router again, go to DDNS option built-in your router and enter your DDNS service provider information to make sure your router recognizes them.