Troubleshooting
This section strictly covers the Dynamic DNS service. If you are having problems setting up a server for the first time, please see our general troubleshooting article Why Can't I Connect to My Server?
Remember, if your Dynamic DNS or Custom DNS host resolves properly to the correct IP address for your network, any problems you are experiencing are not related to your DNS service. To check your host's DNS, use our DNSCog dig and report utility; If your service resolves, the issue is not a DNS error.
My host does not resolve.
Once you check your service's DNS, there are a few reasons your service may not resolve correctly:
- Typo: The simplest and most common problem is a typo. Double- and triple-check your spelling to make sure you are not transposing a letter or putting the wrong TLD (e.g. .net instead of .org).
- Service is still in cart: Dynamic DNS hosts are placed in your shopping cart when you click the Create Host button. You must complete checkout to activate the hosts.
- Service has not been created: When a new account is created, it does not contain any hosts. You need to add a host to begin using the service.
- Your domain is not delegated correctly: Before our Custom DNS service can answer queries for your domain, you need to make sure that it is properly delegated to us.
My host is blocked for abusive updates, or my update client isn't working at all.
Some devices, such as routers, use update clients which are not properly compatible with our services. Some clients send unnecessary updates, which can trigger abuse blocks to protect our systems from flooding, while some clients do not send any updates at all. If you have been blocked for abuse, please see our Update Abuse Policy for more information on how to fix the problem.
In either case, you should try installing a software client instead, as they are generally far more reliable than hardware update clients. (If you switch from a hardware client to a software client, please make sure you disable the hardware client to prevent unnecessary updates.) Please note that DynDNS.com is not responsible for update clients embedded in hardware devices. You will need to contact the manufacturer for more help if your update client does not work. You can also try installing a newer version of the device's firmware.
My connection lags or times out.
No traffic passes through DynDNS.com, so any problems with lag or being disconnected unexpectedly are caused by connection problems at the remote network (or the client's network). The Dynamic DNS and Custom DNS services have no impact on connection speed, bandwidth, quality of service or any other networking issues.
Other people can reach my services, but I can't reach them locally.
This is a loopback connection error, which is discussed in more detail here.
When I visit my host, I see my router.
This is also a loopback connection error, which is discussed in more detail here.
I can ping my host, but I don't get a reply and/or I can't connect to my services.
Being able to ping a host does not indicate connectivity, which is discussed in more detail here. However, it can show you that your Dynamic DNS or Custom DNS host is resolving properly. A ping request starts with something like this:
> ping google.com
Pinging google.com [209.85.171.100] with 32 bytes of data:
Notice google.com [209.85.171.100], which demonstrates that your computer was able to resolve google.com to its corresponding IP address, 209.85.171.100. Whether you receive a ping reply or not is irrelevant; since the host resolved to the IP, the DNS service is working properly, so you can continue troubleshooting at the network level.
Readme
This section covers some additional features and general questions about Dynamic DNS.
Dynamic DNS for Registered Domains
If you wish to have the capabilities of the Dynamic DNS service for your own registered domain (e.g. mydomain.com), you are looking for our Custom DNS service.
What is a Wildcard?
The Wildcard feature for Dynamic DNS hosts allows fourth-level subdomains, such as www.myhost.dyndns.org,abcxyz.camera.homeip.net, and so on to function. The Wildcard setting is entirely optional, and is mostly useful for virtual hosting with webservers (e.g. displaying different personal websites at moe.myfamily.dyndns.org, curly.myfamily.dyndns.org andlarry.myfamily.dyndns.org).
Wildcard is only available to customers with Dynamic DNS Pro.
Inactivity Expirations
A Dynamic DNS Free host's activity is measured by how often the host's IP address is updated. If a host is not updated within 30 days, it will be removed from the system. To prevent these expirations, you can click the link in the expiry email sent every 25 days, or purchase our Full Featured Dynamic DNS Pro.
IP Detection Behind Firewalls, VPNs and Proxies
Many update clients offer methods to automatically account for detection problems involving firewalls and proxies. To view your current location's external IP address, please visit http://checkip.dyndns.com/, then http://checkip.dyndns.com:8245/. The address listed on the first site should match the address listed on the second site. If not, you are likely seeing a problem caused by a firewall or proxy; the second site, using port 8245 to bypass these problems, should be the correct and true external IP for your network. You will need to configure your client to use port 8245 for external IP detection from our CheckIP site.
VPNs can be more problematic, as they tend to route all traffic through the destination network.
How do I use alternate ports?
You can set a Dynamic DNS host to WebHop, an HTTP redirection that sends visitors to any desired URL. This is useful for redirecting short Dynamic DNS hosts to much longer hosted pages (e.g. myhost.dyndns.org to freewebhost.com/really/long/sub/~directory/), or alternate ports to circumvent port blocking (e.g. mycamera.dyndns.org:8000).
Offline Hostname
The Offline Hostname feature temporarily sets the host to our offline webpage to provide helpful error messages to your visitors. This feature is useful for maintenance windows, outages, and other times when your server isn't available for a short while and you need to let your visitors know without setting up a second server and temporary downtime page elsewhere. The Offline Hostname feature is not failover (automated detection and redirection for unavailable servers); if you do need failover service, you may be interested in our Dynect® Platform.
SSL Certificates
You cannot use third-party SSL certificates for Dynamic DNS hosts, including the certificates we offer. You may use self-signed certificates for Dynamic DNS hosts. If you need the security of a third-party certificate for business transactions or corporate use, you may wish to create your own domain registration and DNS service, then purchase a QuickSSL or True BusinessID certificate for the domain.
What are the security risks of using Dynamic DNS?
The Dynamic DNS service does not create any new security vulnerabilities for your network. It is simply an easy way of locating your services. You should take steps to properly secure your network, such as a properly configured router, firewalls, up-to-date antivirus software, and common security practices such as strong passwords (eight characters in length with at least one capital letter, one number and one symbol such as @ or _) and strictly limited access (e.g. FTP access for a single subdirectory, not an entire drive).
