Quickly find answers to the most commonly asked questions
Dynamic DNS makes a dynamic IP address act as though it’s static (does not change), even though it is not. With No-IP you create an easy to remember hostname, this hostname is the URL that you type into your browser to connect to your remote device. Our Dynamic Update Client then takes your hostname that you created (example: yourname.no-ip.org) and points it to your IP address. When your IP address changes, we update it on our servers, BAM! Magic!
What is No-IP’s VAT registration number?
No-IP is VAT compliant in the European Union, and our EU VAT registration number is EU372002568. If you have any issues please open a support ticket.
What’s a hostname?
The term hostname refers to the unique part that identifies a host on the Internet. In www.noip.com, www is the hostname. In that same example, noip.com is the domain name. The host portion prepended to the domain name is often referred to as the hostname and that is how we use the term here. So, in summary, www is the host, no-ip.com is the domain, and www.no-ip.com is the hostname. Our free dynamic DNS service offers free hostnames on our domains i.e. yourname.ddns.net. If you would like hostnames on your own domain name, you will need to register the domain and purchase Plus Managed DNS. Plus Managed DNS allows you to create up to 50 hostnames on your very own domain.
An IP address is a unique number that allows computers to locate each other on a network. The Internet is a big network and uses IP addresses to route the communication to the proper host. The IP in IP address stands for Internet Protocol. An IP address looks like this 8.23.224.107. If you type 8.23.224.107 into your browser, it will bring you to the No-IP website.
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Yes, you can write your own update client. Please view the steps on the integrate page for our update protocol.
Let’s start with the basics, the basis of the system. DNS stands for Domain Name Service. It’s like the whitepage directory for the Internet. You supply a name, DNS supplies a number. The name in this case is specifically a hostname and the number is an IP address. Without DNS you would have to remember every IP address of every website you want to visit. With over 300 million websites on the web, remembering every IP address would be utterly impossible, well unless maybe you’re Kim Peek: The Real Rain Man.
A Dynamic IP address is one that is not static. It changes from time to time. If you are unsure if your IP address is static or dynamic, chances are pretty high that it is dynamic. They are more cost effective for your ISP.
Imagine that once a day at a random time your phone company changed your telephone number. If there was no way to look it up no one would be able to call you! This is what a dynamic IP address effectively is. It’s a changing phone number. The number used to find your computer on the Internet can be different each time you log on, or at the discretion of your ISP. Dynamic DNS is like a live phone book that updates itself when your number changes. It knows your number at any given time so that people can connect to you. To make sure the dynamic DNS server has your proper IP address, your computer must run an update client to let the server know when your IP address has changed.
A static IP address is one that doesn’t change, it is assigned to you by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and often costs extra money. A static IP address is yours and will never change (unless you cancel the subscription).
Free Dynamic DNS hostnames must be confirmed every 30 days or they will be deleted. This policy helps keep our network free of unused hostnames.
You can manually confirm your hostname if it is within 7 days of expiring. Simply login to your No-IP account and click Dynamic DNS on the left navigation. Next, click Confirm next to the hostname you would like to confirm. Your hostname is now confirmed. If your hostname says Expired it has stopped resolving and you will need to click “Confirm” and follow the confirmation steps. Otherwise you can confirm the hostname by following the link in the emails you receive 7 days and 0 day prior to your 30 day expiration date.
If you do not wish to do this every 30 days, you can upgrade to Enhanced Dynamic DNS. Enhanced Dynamic DNS removes the 30 day hostname activation requirement.
Benefits of Upgrading Include:
If you have a router at home or your office, you will need to forward ports in order for outside traffic to get into your network. Think of your router as being a huge electric fence or wall, with a few doors or openings. This fence serves as your barrier from the scary outside Internet world. Your router comes pre-configured with a few of those doors (or ports) open to let you access the internet, but the others are closed tight. So, in order to run a mail server, game server, access your computer remotely, etc you will need to open an extra door or two in your router in order for the outside traffic to get inside. This is called Port Forwarding.
Check out our General Port forwarding Guide for more information.
In order for No-IP to manage your websites DNS, your domains name servers must be pointed at ours. Login to your No-IP account and click on the DNS Hosting tab, then click Modify next to the domain you would like to update.
Please enter the following name servers:
Note: DNS server changes may take 24-48 hours to update or propagate throughout the Internet. Please remember that changing the DNS could cause any associated Network Solutions services (e.g., Web sites, e-mail accounts, Private Registration) to become unavailable.
Upgrading to Enhanced Dynamic DNS will provide you with the following benefits:
Upgrade to Enhanced Dynamic DNS today for as little as $1.99/month!
Our Free Dynamic DNS service takes your Dynamic IP address and makes it act as though it is static by pointing a static hostname to it and checking every 5 minutes for changes to your IP address. If your IP address changes, our Dynamic Update Client updates your hostname with the current IP address. Which means you can run a server from home and access your computer, or IP camera remotely.
Our Plus Managed DNS service makes your website reliable and super redundant by handling your websites DNS. You point your domains name servers at ours, which will ensure that your website is hosted on our awesome anycast network with over 100 points of presence worldwide. Remember, there are no upsides to downtime. How much would downtime cost you?
It’s not a problem if No-IP isn’t an integrated solution in your device, but you should take a few seconds to write an email or tweet to your device manufacturer and ask them to add No-IP as a Dynamic DNS provider. It will make your life easier, we swear. In the mean time… If No-IP is not an integrated solution in your router or device, we offer an easy and free solution. Simply download our Dynamic Update Client, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Install the software at the location where you would like your IP address to be updated with your hostname. The Dynamic Update Client must be running at all times in order to keep your hostname updated with the current IP address.
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