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I have an Airport Extreme and wish to set up Dynamic DNS (DDNS) so that I can remotely access my home WiFi security cameras when I'm traveling. I'm seeing certain things that say the built-in dynamic DNS client in the Airport, which I need to use since my Mac will be traveling with me, uses obscure protocols that aren't supported by many accounts. Is there a free dynamic DNS provider I can use (or the one from Foscam) that will work with the Airport?

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5 Answers 5

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Apple's Airport Extreme doesn't have DDNS support built in so it can't update the service itself. But it also doesn't prevent any other client from talking to the DDNS service and updating the records to point to the Airport.

You don't need to be on the router to get your public IP address; you can get get it from any client anywhere on your network that has Internet access.

The basic way DDNS works is that

  1. You set up a DDNS domain and account to which you will sync periodically to.

  2. The DDNS client requests an update from the DDNS server; the client and server authenticate, and compare the IP address the client is sending with the IP address in the DNS record.

  3. If the records are the same, nothing is done and you continue on. If there is an update, the server updates its DNS record.

  4. The DDNS DNS server propagates those changes throughout the Internet meaning GoDaddy's, Google's, etc. will accept the changes.

  5. At some point, this change hits your ISP and their DNS servers so a nslookup of your IP address will return the correct domain name.

I had a router that didn't support DNS, so I created a script that ran via cron on my web dev server VM that updated it; it worked with no problem. So, in reference to your "answer", it's your IP cameras that are doing the DDNS updates for you.

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    Wrong. Airport Extreme has DDNS support. And Dynu.com has support for Airport routers. Open Airport Utility, click Router, Internet Tab, enter Domain Name, then click Internet Options and enable "Use dynamic global hostbname".
    – Kosteg
    Aug 2, 2021 at 12:53
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I don't believe the Airport Extreme "speaks" to No-IP. It looks like No-IP sets your DDNS address to the one from which you set up the account, but does not accept further updates from the Airport. It's hard to understand why everyone needs to use a different API for something so simple as conveying IPaddr info. It's also annoying that Apple provides no info on which DDNS service(s) they support.

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  • Thanks Allan. I understand that any client on the home network can serve as the DDNS "informer" but since the router is always on, it only seems reasonable for it to do that work. Otherwise, you have to leave something else on all the time. As it turns out, I do have a mac mini I leave on all the time, and will try running something on it to keep no-ip up to date.
    – Ron
    May 21, 2016 at 14:40
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I tried no.ip but they don't support Airport extreme.

Now im using https://www.dynu.com/DynamicDNS/IPUpdateClient/Apple-Airport this one is free but to configure the airport extreme you need to pay their membership of 10$ / month

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I have been trying the free account for NoIP (noip.com). My Airport Extreme has accepted it without complaint, but I found that my Foscam IPTV cameras have a built-in DDNS client so I don't know whether updates are happening from them or the Airport. I am running 7.7.3 firmware on the Airport.

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  • Does anyone know of a way to access a log so I could verify if the Airport client is updating the IP?
    – Paul
    Jul 6, 2015 at 17:36
  • Also I made some mistake when I originally set up the Airport Extreme for the dynamic DNS, and it did not complain then either, so it may simply be accepting what I give it and silently failing.
    – Paul
    Jul 6, 2015 at 17:37
  • Why the downvote? Do you have a better answer? The best info I have seen anyone offer is that my Extreme accepts the credentials without complaint. Note I am the asker and I am giving out the best info I have found on the question: I have deliberately not accepted this answer.
    – Paul
    Jul 11, 2015 at 22:05
  • If you can show me that proper SE etiquette is to list this as a comment even though it is a partial answer, I will be happy to list it only as a comment. That will leave the question entirely unanswered.
    – Paul
    Jul 11, 2015 at 22:07
  • Note you have to visit noip.com every month to keep your free account active. They will email you to remind you.
    – Paul
    Sep 21, 2015 at 14:42
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It is very simple to get dynamic dns working on your apple router with duiadns.net. Here's a blog post that might help you with that: https://www.duiadns.net/running-duiadns-on-apple-router

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  • Welcome to Ask Different. While the link you provided may answer the question, it's advisable to summarize and/or provide the relevant details that answer the question here. Links often go stale making the answer useless.
    – Allan
    Oct 7, 2016 at 1:17
  • This approach only works for free accounts created before Jan 1, 2016. In other words, it's too late. Still, at 8 euros a year currently, it's at least not very expensive.
    – Paul
    Oct 9, 2016 at 19:09

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