This tutorial explains how to configure a static IP address on a Comcast Business Class SMC8014 gateway and a Linksys WiFi router to enable remote access to network clients from the Internet. The SMC8014 gateway is configured for “bridge mode” by disabling the normal routing, firewall and DHCP functions. A static IP address is assigned to the Linksys router for Dynamic DNS (DDNS) services and remote Internet access to LAN clients.

Remote Internet Access Problem

I was helping a small business setup the Mobotix network cameras on a small network with the Comcast Business Class cable modem service and ran into a problem with Internet access to the cameras: the DDNS agent in the Linksys WRT router was showing the 10.1.10.10 (“10 space”) non-routable private IP address! I logged into the DynDNS account saw the same 10.1.10.10 private IP address listed in the Host Services table.

If this were DSL Internet service I would put the DSL modem into “Bridge Mode” to solve the problem. In simple terms, Bridge Mode is a Layer 2 network function that disables the DSL modem routing, firewall and DHCP services to transparently connect (bridge) the Linksys WiFi router to the Internet. Bridge mode means the Linksys WiFi router receives the dynamic public IP address assignment from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) instead of the DSL modem. The DDNS agent in the Linksys router can now update the DynDNS service with the public IP address. Remote Internet access will now work with the easy to remember DynDNS host name with port forwarding, e.g. https://myhost.homedns.org:443.

The Comcast Business Class Internet service uses an SMC8014 gateway, which is a small office/home office cable modem and router combo. Being a Layer 3 router, the SMC8014 does not support true Bridge Mode. Remote Internet access to the LAN network clients (cameras, computers, etc.) therefore requires subscribing to Comcast’s Static IP Service and disabling the various SMC8014 firewall and DHCP functions. Comcast Customer Support will remotely reconfigure the SMC8014 gateway for you when the Static IP is activated. This particular SMC8014 is older, circa 2007, and has only basic router and firewall features with known bugs, so disabling these functions isn’t a major concern.

Comcast Business Class Static IP Address

I called Comcast and upgraded the Internet subscription by adding one (1) static IP address service for $14.95/month since a single IP address would do the job. The sales person said a confirmation e-mail would be sent with the new static IP in 3 to 5 business days. Several days later, an e-mail confirmation arrived with the new IP address, gateway IP, subnet mask, DNS server IPs and instructions to call Comcast Tech Support’s toll free number to active the static IP service. The e-mail was brief and to the point:

Dear Customer,
Below is the Static IP information for Account # xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Static 173.xxx.yy.185 (Static IP address for my Linksys router)
Gateway 173.xxx.yy.186 (Static IP address of the SMC8014 gateway)
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.252

Primary DNS: 68.87.68.162
Secondary DNS 68.87.74.162

Note: Static IP's will not be active/available until the file is downloaded
to your gateway. Please call Tech Support...800.391.3000 or reply to this
email when you want to make the change.

Here’s the as-built network diagram with the new static IP service assigned to Wide Area Network (WAN) interfaces of the SMC8014 gateway and Linksys WRT160N router:

Comcast Business Class SMC8014 Static IP Network Diagram

Comcast Static IP Address & Bridge Mode

My first call to Comcast Tech Support to activate the static IP’s resulted in 30 minutes of wasted time. The Comcast technician was inexperienced and kept putting me on hold while he tried to figure out what to do. He ultimately gave up and offered to transfer me to another tech, and after a few moments I was disconnected.

I redialed the toll free Comcast Tech Support number and my call was answered by a cheerful young lady who said she knew exactly what to do. She pushed the new static IP configuration to the SMC8014 gateway and reset the device. I explained what I was trying to do with DDNS remote access and asked about a Bridge Mode configuration. She said “Sure, I can do the Bridge Mode setup!” and remotely configured the SMC8014 for the routed equivalent to Bridge Mode, which disables the DHCP, DNS, NAT, firewall, static routing, filtering, etc. functions.

The new SMC8014 “Bridge Mode” configuration can be viewed by logging into the gateway using a web browser:

• Admin page: http://10.1.10.1
• User name: cusadmin
• Password: highspeed

Comcast SMC8014 Gateway Login

The new “bridge mode” configuration settings are for the SMC8014 gateway are as follows with selected screen grabs for the more important settings.

SMC8014 LAN Configuration

• LAN → IP Setup
  • Enable LAN DCHP: Unchecked
  • Assign DNS Manually: Unchecked

Note: DHCP and DNS will be configured in the Linksys WRT router.

Comcast Business Class: SMC8014 LAN – IP Setup

• LAN → Static Routing: No entries, all fields blank.
• LAN → Filtering: Enable Access Filter: Unchecked
• LAN → Switch Controls: Keep the default settings.

SMC8014 Firewall Settings

• Firewall → Firewall Options
  • Disable Firewall for True Static IP Subnet Only: Checked
  • Disable Gateway Smart Packet Detection: Checked

Comcast Business Class: SMC8014 Firewall – Firewall Options

• Firewall → Port Configuration → Port Forwarding: Disable all Port Forwarding rules: Checked
• Firewall → Port Configuration → Port Triggering: Disable all Port Triggering rules: Checked
• Firewall → Port Configuration → Port Blocking: Disable all Port Blocking rules: Checked
• Firewall → Port Configuration → True Static IP Port Management:
  Disable all rules and allow all inbound traffic through: Checked

Comcast SMC8014 Firewall – Port Configuration – True Static IP Port Management

• Firewall → Web Site Blocking: Enable Web Site Blocking: Unchecked
• Firewall → DMZ: Enable DMZ Host: Unchecked
• Firewall → 1-to-1 NAT: Disable All: Checked

Comcast Business Class: SMC8014 Firewall – 1-to-1 NAT

SMC8014 Gateway Network Summary

The WAN static IP address and /30 subnet block (CIDR) are shown on the Network summary screen.

• Gateway Summary → Network

Comcast Business Class SMC8014 Gateway Summary with Static IP Address

Remember, Comcast will assign the static IP address to the SMC8014 gateway for you.

Linksys Router Static IP Address Configuration

The Comcast provided static IP address, subnet mask and gateway must be configured on the Linksys WRT router to enable Internet access. The configuration is simple by flipping the Internet Connection Type from DHCP to Static IP through these steps:

1. Log into the Admin page of the Linksys WiFi router at: http://196.168.1.1
2. Go to the Setup → Basic Setup menu.
3. Select Static IP in the Internet Connection Type choice box.

Linksys WRT – Static IP Internet Connection Type

The screen will refresh and display the Static IP configuration parameters:

Linksys WRT – Comcast Business Class Static IP Internet Configuration

Fill in the Internet IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS fields in the screen above with the parameters specified in the e-mail from Comcast:

Static 173.xxx.yy.185 (Static IP address for my Linksys router)
Gateway 173.xxx.yy.186 (Static IP address of the SMC8014 gateway)
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.252

Primary DNS: 68.87.68.162
Secondary DNS 68.87.74.162

I opted for Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) instead of Comcast for DNS 1 and 2 as a matter of preference, and Comcast for DNS 3 for diversity.

Click Save Settings.

Linksys Router Dynamic DNS Settings

This next step assumes you have already created a DDNS Account with DynDNS and have a DDNS host configured.

Navigate to the Setup → DDNS menu in the Linksys WRT WiFi router and check the DDNS update status. The Internet IP Address is now the Comcast Static IP address 172.xxx.yyy.185 and the Status is ddnsm.dyn_good, which is a somewhat cryptic Java code value meaning “DDNS is updated successfully”.

Linksys WRT – DynDNS DDNS Setup with Static IP

SMC8014 Admin GUI Access

In the future, if you want to log in to the SMC8014 gateway, make sure your computer is on either the Linksys router WiFi or wired network LAN port and point your web browser to http://10.1.10.1 to log in to the SMC8014 Admin menu. You will not be able to access the SMC8014 Admin GUI if your computer is plugged directly into a SMC8014 LAN port because the DHCP is disabled and your computer won’t be assigned a 10.1.10.x IP address.

Remote Internet Access to LAN Clients

It is necessary to configure port forwarding on the Linksys router to access your LAN clients (computers, cameras, etc.) via the DDNS host name and port, e.g. https://myhost.homedns.org:443 or directly with the static IP address of the Linksys router, e.g. https://173.xxx.yy.185:443. For port forwarding configuration instructions, see this project.

Hope this helps,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How To Configure a Comcast Business Class Static IP Address appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This project illustrates how to install an “Old Work” Low Voltage Mounting Bracket for a RJ-45 Ethernet jack network connection.

“Old work” means it’s designed for cutting a new hole and fastened by swing clamps that grab the back of the wall panel. Low voltage mounting brackets are suitable for telephone, cable TV, home theater speaker & video, Cat5e/Cat6 Ethernet, home security and other wiring applications that typically operate at 30 volts or less – all that’s need is a different face plate and connectors. The open back of the low voltage mounting bracket makes it easy to reach in and pull through the low voltage cables and wires.

The low voltage mounting bracket must not be used for 120 volt electrical cables and receptacles because it is unsafe and violates the National Electrical Code (NEC) and local Building Codes. 120 volt residential wiring always requires an electrical box.

Old Work Low Voltage Mounting Bracket

This photo compares an old work PVC low voltage mounting bracket (green) to a PVC electrical box (white) as viewed from the back. The color of the PVC plastic is not important and varies with the manufacturer; blue, gray, black and orange colors are also common. The swing clamps – also called “speed clips” – are cleverly designed to automatically rotate away from the box to grab the back of the wall panel when the screw is tightened, pulling the clamp against the back of the wall to secure the box.

Old Work Low Voltage Mounting Bracket and Old Work Electrical Box

The old work electrical box (white) has built-in cable clamps as shown in the photo below. The clamps are very stiff and designed to secure 120 volt NM-B 14 or 12 gauge electrical cable used in residential home wiring. However, the plastic clamps are too strong and will pinch and displace the thin 24 gauge twisted pair wires in Cat5e/Cat6 Ethernet cable, potentially reducing performance and bandwidth. It’s OK to use the white electrical box for Ethernet wiring, but you’ll need to bend open or just break off the built-in cable clamps first. For easier wiring pulling and less fuss, the green low voltage mounting bracket is a better choice for low voltage wiring applications.

Old Work PVC Low Voltage Bracket and Old Work Electrical Box – Front View

You can buy old work brackets and boxes for less than $2 at most home improvement stores – look in the electrical supply section.

Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket Installation

Mark the Bracket Position

The old work low voltage mount bracket will be installed in a drywall panel for the new Ethernet jack between the 2×4 wall studs where I had already dropped a new section of Cat5e cable down from the attic. It was easy to locate the jack between the studs, using a ceiling light fixture as common reference for measurements in the attic and the office. I disassembled my combination square to use the bubble level because I was working in a tight space under the desk cabinets.

Hold the face of the bracket against the wall and verify it’s level:

Level & Mark the Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket on the Wall

The mounting bracket has four small reference holes at each corner to mark the position of the bracket for cutting the hole. Make pen or pencil mark in each of the four corners. (My finger and thumb are covering up the left side the reference holes.) Take care not to move the bracket while marking the position on the wall.

Mark the Position of the Low Voltage Bracket on All Four Corners

The metal ruler taken from the combination square is used to mark the outline of the mounting bracket on the wall by connecting corner reference dots:

Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket Installation: Connect the Dots

Progress thus far – now I’m ready to saw the hole in the drywall for the old work mount bracket:

Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket: Position Marked on Wall for Sawing

Cut the Hole in the Drywall

I used my Stanley FatMax® Jabsaw (also known as a keyhole saw) to cut the hole for the old work bracket. The sharp tip of the jab saw punches through the drywall with steady pressure while working the handle up and down to punch through. If you have wood paneling or other hard wall material, drill two pilot holes inside opposite corners to get the saw blade started. The edge of the pilot holes should just touch the red box outline.

Cut the Hole for the Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket

The Stanley FatMax® jab saw is designed to cut on the push and pull stroke. I sawed on the push stroke for two reasons:

1. To minimize the dust by letting it fall inside the wall cavity.
2. For a smoother cut with less tearing of the paper face of the drywall.

Sawing the Hole in the Drywall for the Old Work Mount Bracket

Hole sawn in the drywall for the old work mount bracket:

Hole Sawn in the Drywall for the Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket

Notice there are a few minor paper tears on the back face of the drywall, but the front face is undamaged by sawing on the “push” stroke.

Install the Old Work Mount Bracket

Insert the old work mount bracket into the hole and check it with the bubble level. The bracket was slightly high on the left side, which I quickly fixed by shaving a little off the left bottom of the hole with the jab saw. I reinserted the mount bracket and verified it was now level.

I reached inside the hole and pulled through the Cat5e Ethernet cable which I had previously dropped down from the attic.

Installing the Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket in the Drywall

The old work bracket is fastened to the wall by turning the mounting screw to draw the swing clamp against the back of the drywall. The swing clip automatically aligns itself against the corner guide rail as the screw is tightened. Tighten both screws to fasten the two clamps.

Fasten the Swing Clamps on Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket

The only trick here is do not over tighten the clamp screw – if you do, it will crush the drywall. Tighten the screw until the swing clamp is snug against the back of the drywall and the bracket face is seated flush against the wall. Should you happen to get carried away and crush the drywall, remove the bracket and rotate it 180 degrees so the clamps are in the opposite corners on undamaged drywall.

Swing Clip Tight Against the Drywall: Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket

RJ-45 Ethernet Jack Installation

The RJ-45 Ethernet jack is punched down as illustrated in this tutorial. Next the 4-port face plate and blank inserts are installed. I used a 4-port face plate for future expansion.

RJ-45 Ethernet Jack and Faceplate with Old Work Low Voltage Mount Bracket

Tip:

At this point, I always test the new RJ-45 jack by connecting it with an Ethernet patch cable to my laptop and running an Internet speed test to be certain the jack is punched down correctly. If there’s a problem, I snip off the cable and punch down a new jack.

The back of the Ethernet jack faceplate is embossed with the word “Top”; insert the RJ-45 jack so the “Cat 5e” stamped on the face matches the faceplate “Top” (or Up) orientation and snap in the keystone jack. Do the same for the blank inserts.

RJ-45 Ethernet Jack and Faceplate Ready for Mounting on the Old Work Bracket

Attach the Ethernet jack faceplate to the old work mount bracket with the two screws:

Old Work Low Voltage Mounting Bracket and Cat5e Ethernet Jack

Home Theater Cable and Wiring

The low voltage mounting bracket accepts a wide variety of face plates and connectors is great for organizing home theater wiring. Instead of punching down an Ethernet RJ-45 jack as illustrated above, there are HDMI snap-in jacks available for a professional HDTV installation. See the Home Theater & Cable Plates, HDMI Inserts by Datacomm Electronics for recessed low voltage media plates, ideas and installation manuals. You can find these items at Amazon.com.

Thanks for reading,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Install an Old Work Low Voltage Mounting Bracket appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This Roku XDS product review is continued from Part 1 which covered the Roku player hardware and setup. I’m ready now to relax and watch Netflix instantly on my HDTV!

Roku Netflix Watch Instantly Demonstration

The Roku will list the movies in your Netflix Instant Queue, which is nice because anything you add using the computer will reflect here. You can also find movies using the Roku remote control by clicking Search widget in the center of the screen.

Roku Video Player TV Menu - Netflix Watch Instantly

In this next image, I’ve paused the movie UP by Disney/Pixar. You can fast forward and rewind at slow/medium/fast speeds with the remote. The video and sound quality was excellent. However, many Netflix movies are not Dolby 5.1 surround sound encoded so you’ll get stereo instead.

Roku Netflix Player: "UP" by Disney/Pixar

Roku: Pandora Radio

Roku has a free Pandora Radio channel. A one time activation is necessary to link your Pandora account to the Roku player. We fire up the TV to select the Panadora radio station we want to listen to, then turn off the TV since only the home theater receiver needs to be on for music.

Roku Player: Pandora Radio

Roku YouTube Channel

Watching YouTube on TV is loads of fun! Add the YouTube channel to your Roku player by following these simple instructions at the Roku Support forum. The YouTube channel is free and will appear in your Roku channel lineup very shortly – in less than 1 minute in my experience.

Roku YouTube Channel

The Roku YouTube channel application is nicely organized with several categories for featured and most watched videos. Use the search option to find your favorite artists and videos. Here I’ve searched for Lady Gaga to display all of her videos:

Roku YouTube Channel - Search and Select Lady Gaga Videos

YouTube videos look great on TV with the Roku player. Here I’ve paused the video with the Roku remote control.

Roku YouTube Channel: Lady Gaga Poker Face Music Video

Vertical Green Line

The vertical green line down the left side of the screen is an alignment error where the image is shifted a few pixels to the right leaving an exposed area that displays as a thin green line or bar. I’ve tried adjusting the TV picture options and changed the Roku display from 1080p to 720p resolution, but the green line is still there. It’s an overscan or pixel mapping imperfection that’s easy to ignore. My next troubleshooting steps are to try the second HDMI port on the TV and/or 1080p component video cables. If I find a fix, I’ll post an update.

Roku Netflix Player – Two Thumbs Up!

Roku fundamentally changes the TV viewing experience by bringing streaming Internet video into the living room. I used to get bored because watching TV because “there’s 250 channels but nothing’s on” or I’ve already watched the Netflix CD’s received in the mail. Now I can surf the extensive Netflix Watch Instantly streaming video library, laugh at YouTube videos or simply listen to my favorites on commercial free Pandora radio.

For ease of use and value for the money, Roku is a winner!

Enjoy!

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post Roku Netflix Player Product Review – Part 2 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

I purchased a Roku XDS digital video player so the whole family could watch Netflix instantly on the high definition TV and I’m very pleased to write this Roku product review. Roku has opened up a whole new world of internet video entertainment on the flatscreen TV including YouTube, Hulu Plus, Pandora internet radio and several dozen other channels.  Roku has transformed my TV viewing experience and is the best $100 I’ve ever spent!

One way to watch Netflix instantly is to connect your home computer to the TV, however this a bother to configure and Microsoft Windows is often uncooperative. Watching TV should be frictionless and simple. The Roku digital video player solves this in a small and wonderfully easy to install and operate package!

Roku XDS Netflix Player Overview

From the moment you open the Roku box it comes across as inviting and uncomplicated. The setup instructions are a big card that says “Hi” and with 5-step Getting Started foldout card with lot’s of pictures. The Roku kit contents are:

1. Roku digital video player
2. Composite (red/white/yellow) audio/video cable
3. Power adapter
4. Getting Started guide
5. Remote control with two AAA batteries

Roku XDS Model 2100X Netflix Player

The 5-step Getting Started Guide is the best I’ve seen and clearly explains with pictures and minimal words how to connect your Roku to the TV, which are:

1. Connect to your TV
2. Power Up
3. Connect to your network (wired or WiFi)
4. Complete the Guided Setup to link it to your Netflix account
5. An overview of the remote control functions.

Roku Netflix Player and Getting Started Guide

The Roku remote control has very few buttons and is really more of a mouse in operation to navigate the on-screen widgets.

Roku XDS Audio / Video / Network Interfaces

The Roku player is offered in three different models as shown on the Roku product matrix that range in cost from $60 to $100 in round figures. I chose the top-of-the-line Roku XDS model because I wanted:

• An optical audio port for Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound through my Home Theater system.
  My home theater system doesn’t have an HDMI port, so I needed the optical audio (Toslink) for Dolby surround sound.
• 1080p HDTV signal
• Dual-band WiFi (not using dual band yet, future proof feature)
• USB port to play digital home video’s by plugging in a flash drive

Roku XDS Digital Video Player Audio/Video/Network Interfaces

The front of the Roku is solid black. A dim purple LED illuminates in the right corner when it’s powered on.

Roku XDS Digital Video Player - Front Panel

Until I got my Roku player, I wondered what the blue tag was on the left side – an antenna or some sort of authorization card? – it’s just a piece of fabric with the Roku logo for the designer touch. The remote control has the same fabric tag, too.

Roku HDMI and Optical Audio Cables

Roku doesn’t include an HDMI cable, so you’ll need to provide one yourself. I’m using the HDMI cable to connect Roku to my plasma HDTV and an optical audio cable to connect to my older home theater receiver to take advantage of Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The two 6-foot cables shouldn’t cost you more than $20 together from Amazon.com Basics.

Roku XDS - HDMI and Optical Audio (Toslink) Cables

Here’s the Roku HDMI and optical audio cables as connected to my TV and home theater receiver. The power cable is on the far right.

Roku XDS HDMI and Optical Audio Connections

My internet connection is WiFi (wireless) so the RJ-45 Ethernet port is not used.

Roku Setup

Roku displays a welcome screen when the unit is first powered-on to configure your network (wired or wireless), TV display settings and to create a Roku account. The Roku player is very small and unobtrusive as it sits below the flat screen TV as shown here:

Roku Welcome Screen

Roku requires a full time Internet connection to access Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Facebook, etc. and the network setup is very easy. I choose the wireless (WiFi) network connection option:

Roku Wired or Wireless Network Connection Menu

Roku will display a list of WiFi networks to choose from in your neighborhood. Select your WiFi network and enter your WiFi password so Roku can connect to your network. The password is saved so you only need to do this once.

Roku Wireless Network Connection Key (WEP or WPA) Password

When your Roku player first connects to the Internet, it will automatically download any software updates (cool!), restart itself and launch the Roku Home Screen for the 2nd phase of the setup process.

Link Your Roku Player

The 2nd phase of the setup process takes about 5 minutes to link your Roku player to your Roku account, select the TV display type and add channels – Netflix, YouTube, Pandora and so on.

The TV will display a six character “link code” with instructions to go to http://roku.com/link to link it to your Roku account. If you don’t have a Roku account, you can create for free.

Roku Player Link Screen (http://roku.com/link)

Roku will ask for a credit card number or Paypal account to make purchases for premium content from the Roku Channel Store. I added a 4-digit PIN number to safeguard against accidental or unauthorized purchases.

The TV will display a success message when your Roku player is linked to your account

Next, select the display type that best matches your TV. If you have an older standard definition TV, the 4:3 standard is best. I chose the 1080p HDTV for my flat screen TV.

Roku TV Display Type Selection (standard or high def)

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound Setup

Roku defaults to stereo sound output. Using the Roku remote control, go to the Settings menu and select Audio Mode then “5.1 Surround Sound” to activate Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. You must have an HDMI or optical audio cables to receive Dolby surround sound signals. The movie must be encoded with Dolby 5.1 to hear surround sound.

Roku - Configure Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Roku Channel Store – Netflix Activation

Select the Netflix icon from the channel from the Roku main menu. You will be asked to link your Roku player to your Netflix account to watch Netflix instantly. Follow the on-screen instructions to log onto your Netflix account and enter the activation code for your Roku player.

Roku - Netflix Channel Activation

After logging on to you Netflix account, enter the Roku activation code. The Roku player will display a confirmation message on the TV screen.

Roku: Netflix Activation (http://netflix.com/activate)

Now I’m all set to watch Netflix instantly on my TV with Roku!

This tutorial is continued in Part 2.

Thanks for reading,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post Roku Netflix Player Product Review – Part 1 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

This article explains how to configure the Network Time Protocol (NTP) service, recording to a memory card and the status LED indicator control.

Camera Network Time Protocol (NTP) Setup

Enter an Network Time Protocol (NTP) server host name or IP address to synchronize the camera’s date and time to within 10 milliseconds of the official time. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Internet Time Service has a list of NTP servers to choose from; I choose the time-a.nist.gov server. The date/time is important because the camera places a timestamp over each image.

NTP Server: time-a.nist.gov

Camera Color Night View

As a matter of preference, I enable Color Night View because color does so much to enhance an image. Try it both ways to see what you like best.

Panasonic Network Camera – Color Night View

Panasonic Network Camera Audio

Enable the camera audio output if you’re hooking up a set a external speakers.

Panasonic Network Camera Setup – Audio

SD Memory Card Formatting

The Panasonic Network Camera uses an SanDisk Standard SD™ memory card. A 2GB card will store about 24 hours of 640×480 high quality images saved at 1 image per second. The camera will also accept a 4GB SD/SDHC memory card. The number of images that can be saved to an SD memory card depends on the resolution and quality of the pictures. See this table for the number of images for a given memory capacity and image settings.

SanDisk Standard SD Memory Card – 2GB

Formatting a New SD Memory Card

A new SD memory card must be formatted first before the camera can record images. There are two ways to format a new memory card:

1. The camera’s on-board command located at Setup → Buffer/Transfer Trigger → Format
   or
2. Panasonic’s free formatting software utility for WinXP and Vista. The formatting program requires that your personal computer has an SD memory slot.

The SD memory card slot is located on the side of the camera under a rubberized dust cover. The SD memory card installation instructions by Panasonic are here.

Panasonic Network Camera – SD Memory Card Slot BB-HCM511A/BB-HCM531A

Recording Images to an SD Memory Card

After the new memory card is formatted and installed in the camera slot, you’re ready to configure how images will be recorded. I use a Timer Trigger to save an image each second the SD memory card.

To configure a Timer Trigger, click Setup → Trigger and click on a trigger number 2, 3, 4 or 5.

Setup Triggers to Store Images to Memory – Panasonic Network Camera

The Trigger Setting screen is displayed for the chosen trigger #:

Timer Trigger Setting – Panasonic Network Camera

Click the Next to button to display the Timer Setting screen (below).

On the Timer Setting screen, you can select the days, times and frequency the images will be written to the SD memory card. Here I’ve enabled 7×24 recording of one image per second at 640×480 resolution favoring clarity. The “No Transfer/Memory Overwrite” setting means the images are not transmitted externally (e.g. via e-mailed) and new images overwrite the oldest images when the memory is full.

Trigger Timer Settings – Panasonic Network Camera

Click Save to retain your settings. The camera is now recording images to the SD memory card.

Viewing Recorded Images

See the Panasonic User Guide for a wealth of information about viewing images and MPEG-4 videos.

To view images recorded to the SD memory card, click the “Buffered Image” tab on the main web menu.

Viewing SD Memory Card Images – Panasonic Network Camera

Use the fast forward and reverse scan buttons to choose a starting point in the recording history, choose the number of images to download and click Download. The images are saved in a proprietary .PNC file format. You will need the Network Camera SD Viewer utility to view and convert the .PNC files to .JPEG.

Stealth Mode – LED Indicator Control

The camera status LED is located on the lower right front of the unit. The LED will flash and/or change color to indicate various conditions. You can disable the status LED if you don’t want to attract attention to the camera, especially at night. (Or maybe it’s better to leave the LED so it will glow a steady green to let people know a camera is there to deter crime.)

To disable the LED, click Setup → Indicator Control and select the “Never turn indicator on” option, the click Save.

LED Indicator Control – Panasonic Network Camera

This series about the Panasonic Network Cameras covered several of what I consider to be frequently used features. Other things you can do with Panasonic cameras are:

• MPEG-4 video recording with audio. Video recording can be configured to run continuously or triggered when the camera senses motion by comparing changes in the picture image. See Setup → Motion Detection to adjust sensitivity and Setup → Trigger → No 1 Motion Sensing.
• Upload images to a web site or e-mail images. See Setup → Trigger.
• Configure Guest accounts for family and friends. See Setup → General User. I created an account for the Grandparents to be closer to the family activities.

Enjoy!

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Install a Panasonic Network Camera – Part 4 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

Now I’m ready to connect the camera to the network and configure the camera.

Panasonic Network Camera Customer Support

The Panasonic Global Support web site has the complete documentation and firmware for all Panasonic network cameras.

The Panasonic USA Support web site is also very helpful, but not quite as extensive as the Global Support site.

I recommend perusing both the Global and USA support web sites.

Panasonic’s Toll Free Phone Support at 1-800-211-7262 was a pleasure. My call was answered by a USA-based technical support rep. in only a few minutes who was very knowledgeable, knew the answer to my question and was patient with me on the phone. I was given a case number in case I needed to call back with a follow-up question.

Panasonic Network Camera Hookup

A printed copy of the Camera Hardware Installation Guide is included with the camera. The Installation Guide is well written and includes detailed illustrations showing how to connect the camera to the network.

My network has several indoor (model #BB-HCM511A) and outdoor (model #BB-HCM531A) cameras with Power over Ethernet (PoE) connections. I chose the PoE capable cameras to simplify the wiring because Cat5e cable provides both power and data. The indoor cameras are connected PC speakers for 2-way audio as shown here. (Click on the image for a full size view.)

Panasonic IP Camera Network Diagram

Proceed to the next step after the cameras are plugged into the network.

Tip: Bench Configuration

It’s a network camera so it doesn’t matter where the camera is plugged into the network. Don’t bother with installing new Ethernet jacks or climbing ladders to mount the camera. Just put the camera on the table next to you and plug it into the PoE ethernet switch with a 6 foot Cat5e cable. This way you can push the camera buttons, check the status LED and make cable connections with ease.

After you’ve bench configured the camera, it will retain it’s operating configuration when you unplug it and move it to its permanent location.

Camera Network Discovery & Basic Configuration

Follow the instructions in the camera Setup Guide to find the camera on the network, configure a login password and enable Internet access. The Setup Guide is easy to follow and I won’t repeat those instructions here. The Setup.exe program will run automatically when the Panasonic Network Camera CD is inserted in the disk drive.

Panasonic Network Camera Setup Program

Camera Audio: Web Browser Compatibility and Active-X Audio Control

The Camera Audio Notes, FAQ and Troubleshooting page at Panasonic Support is an excellent reference for using the camera’s audio features.

The Panasonic network camera is fully compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer and mostly compatible with Mozilla FireFox. Everything displays fine in FireFox, but the Panasonic Active-X audio control is only compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer. According to the FireFox Knowledge Base, FireFox does not offically support Active-X.

FireFox: No Audio

Panasonic Network Camera – No Audio in FireFox

Microsoft Internet Explorer: Audio Controls

Panasonic Network Camera – Audio in Internet Explorer

When you first access the camera with Internet Explorer, it should automatically download the Panasonic Active-X audio control. If you don’t see the audio controls, you can download the Active-X control here and install it by running the install.bat file.

Advanced Network Camera Configuration

At this point your network camera should be viewable over the local LAN and Internet. Next I will cover advanced camera setup topics like setting the time server, recording images to the SD memory card, port forwarding and configuring a static IP address. These topics are and much more are covered in the Operating Instructions on the CD ROM.

Panasonic Camera Dynamic DNS Configuration

Page 2 of the camera Setup Guide guides you through the free Viewnetcam.com Dynamic DNS configuration. I use Viewnetcam.com and it’s worked well for me. You cannot register for a Viewnetcam.com account directly, it can only be initiated by the Camera Setup menu; this ensures the service is used only by Panasonic IP Network Cameras.

If you haven’t already registered for a Viewnetcam.com account or want to use your own DDNS service, such as DynDNS.com or TZO.com, you can set it by clicking Setup → DynamicDNS.

Dynamic DNS Setup – Panasonic Network Camera

Checking the Viewnetcam.com radio button and clicking Next will take you through the setup wizard and forward you to the Viewnetcam.com web site to complete your account setup. When your Viewnetcam.com account registration is complete, your personal camera URL and Account Link is displayed in the camera menu.

Viewnetcam.com Dynamic DNS – Panasonic Network Camera

Configure a Custom Dynamic DNS Service

If you already have a DDNS account with DynDNS.org or another service provider, life can be simpler if you reuse that account. Note: The camera will reject web access attempts from a DDNS host name if it’s not configured in the camera as security measure with this error message:

Failed to access.

Try and access again with registered camera Host Name.

To configure a custom, or user-specified Dynamic DNS service, click Setup → DynamicDNS Setup → User-specified DynamicDNS and enter your DDNS account information.

Custom Dynamic DNS Setup – Panasonic Network Camera

If you need to create a Dynamic DNS account, see the DDNS instructions in this tutorial.

Static IP Address and Port Forwarding Configuration

If you’re having problems with the automatic network configuration and/or Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), configuring a static IP address usually solves the problem.

Choosing a Static IP Address

To configure a static IP address, first take a look at your router to select an unused IP address and port number. I have a Linksys WRT-54G WiFi router.

Login to the Linksys administrator web page. The default Admin page URL is http://192.168.1.1, however I’ve change my router IP address to 192.168.2.1.

Go to the Setup → Basic Setup web page to check your DHCP address range. Click on the image for a full size view.

Linksys WRT-54G – Network Setup

The DHCP dynamic IP address pool here is the range 192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.149.

Aside: The ending DHCP IP address is calculated by 149 = 100 (starting IP) + 50 (max # of users) – 1.

The static IP must be chosen outside of the DHCP range. I choose to assign the camera  192.168.2.253 as it’s well above the last .149 DHCP address.

Note: You cannot use the first (x.x.x.0) and last (x.x.x.255) IP addresses in an IP address range because these are the default host and broadcast addresses, respectively, for the subnet.

Go to the Applications & Gaming → Port Forward Range page. Enter the following values:

1. Name for the Application so you’ll know what this is for; e.g. NetCam1
2. Start and End Ports: 5000 and 5000
3. Protocol: Both
4. IP Address: 253 for the 192.168.2.253 static IP address we chose for the camera.

The static IP addresses and port numbers for the other cameras are shown here, too.

Linksys Setup – Port Forwarding to Camera Static IP Address

Write down the static IP address (192.168.2.253) and port number (5000) for the camera – or print the web page.

Click Save Settings and exit the web browser.

Camera Static IP Address Configuration

Next, open the network camera web page. Click Setup → Network (IPv4) → Static menus as shown here:

Panasonic Network Camera – Setup Static IP Address

The Static IP Address Configuration web page is displayed. Enter the static IP address and Port Number that were configured in the Linksys router.

Panasonic Network Camera – Static IP Address and Port Number

The Default Gateway and Primary DNS Server should already be set to the IP address of the Linksys router. I set the Secondary DNS Server IP address to Level 3 Communications at 4.2.2.1.

Click Save.

Confirm the camera’s static IP address by clicking on Maintenance → Status and confirming the Port No. and IP Address as shown.

Panasonic Network Camera – Status Page

Scroll down on the Status page to see the Camera IP Address and Viewnetcam.com Dynamic DNS URLs.

Panasonic Network Camera Status – LAN and Internet Access URLs

Test the Local Network Access URL and Viewnetcam.com URL to make sure both are working. The static IP address configuration is now complete. Be sure to bookmark each and write down the URLs, Static IP Address and Port Number.

This series is continued in Part 4.

Hope this helps,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Install a Panasonic Network Camera – Part 3 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

Network Camera Internet Access

The performance of the Panasonic Network Camera model #BB-HCM531A is quite good in a variety of lighting conditions. The camera is accessed and controlled via a web browser over the home network or Internet.

This is an indoor scene as viewed in a web browser (click on the image for a full size view). Notice the camera controls on the left for Pan/Tilt, Scan, Presets and image controls. The microphone and volume controls are the icons just above the image.

Panasonic Network Camera: Indoor View – BB-HCM511A

Camera tips:

• Clicking anywhere on the camera image will recenter the view.
• The Scan buttons will quickly swing the camera through a full range of motion to see what’s going on in the area.
• Click the microphone button to speak into a PC microphone and be heard through speakers connected to the camera.
• The “Multi” tab displays 4 to 16 cameras in a thumbnail grid.
• The “Buffered Image” tab displays saved images on the SD memory card.

Panasonic Network Camera Outdoor Performance

Outdoor images in full sunlight perform well as expected. Automatic contrast adjustment is quick when panning from sun to shade.

Panasonic Network Camera: Outdoor View – BB-HCM511A

Camera Image Comparison in Different Lighting Conditions

It’s difficult to judge a cameras performance by reading technical specifications about resolution, “Minimum Lux” and such. The following are images from day, evening and nighttime conditions that were saved using the “Snap Shot” camera feature.

Daytime (640×480):

Panasonic Network Camera: Daytime – BB-HCM511A

Nighttime with indirect lighting (640×480):

Panasonic Network Camera: Night with Interior Lights – BB-HCM511A

30 minutes after sunset on a clear evening (640×480):

Note the skyglow through the trees at civil twilight and the light from the street lamp shining on the wall.

Panasonic Network Camera: Dark – BB-HCM511A

Total Darkness (640×480):

The camera’s light sensitivity is rated at 0.2 minimum Lux in “Color View Nighttime Mode”. By comparison, the brightness of a full moon is 0.27 Lux. In this nighttime image, the house is completely dark and the yard is illuminated by the street lamp. The grass is green and the red hue of the front door mat is apparent.

Panasonic Network Camera: Total Darkness – BB-HCM511A

If the camera is positioned to cover an area illuminated by a motion activated floodlight, your nighttime images will be extremely good.

iPhone Network Camera Viewing

The Apple iPhone is the best mobile web device on the market today. It excels at remote web access to the Panasonic Network Camera. You can drag, pinch and zoom the display in the Safari web browser just like a desktop PC. Tapping on the image will recenter the camera at that location. All the camera controls work normally. You can do everything except listen the camera audio. Hopefully Panasonic will release an iPhone Camera App with 2-way audio (Panasonic – hint, hint).

The afternoon sun is streaming in the window after a rain shower making the camera image slightly over exposed.

iPhone View – Panasonic Network Camera

Use your thumb and finger to pinch and zoom the iPhone web display to full screen. In this photo, I’m not yet fully zoomed in to the full 640×480 camera resolution. Wow!

iPhone Zoomed View – Panasonic Network Camera

You can make a screen capture by holding down the iPhone Home and Power buttons together. The iPhone will make a camera shutter sound and the screen will flash. The camera image is now stored in the Photos app where it can be e-mailed or copied to your computer with a USB cable.

The camera setup and network configuration is covered next in Part 3.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Install a Panasonic Network Camera – Part 2 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

Panasonic Network Camera Review

The Panasonic IP Network Camera product line packs a lot of features into a small and affordable package. An “IP Network Camera” means the camera is controlled and viewed over the local LAN or Internet connection with any web browser, including an iPad tablet, iPhone, Android or other smartphone.

Panasonic IP Network Camera BB-HCM511A

Things you can do with a Panasonic Network Camera are:

• Remotely see what’s going in real-time with a web browser via the Internet.
• Pan, tilt and zoom the camera image using a web browser.
• Listen and talk to people through the camera – a one-way video conference with two-way audio!
• Review saved images for the past 24 hours or even days at up to 1 frame per second.
• Integrate the camera with your home security system and home automation system. For example, when the front door is opened, the camera will turn to that direction.
• Have the camera e-mail or upload pictures to a web site on a regular schedule or in response to an event, such when a motion sensor is triggered.
• Give family or friends a unique login to watch things while you’re away or to participate in special occasions, like a birthday. They can listen in and talk to you, too!
• See if the dog is lying on the couch again and tell it to get off. (OK – my dog doesn’t listen.)
• Unplug the camera, move it another location, plug it back into the network, and it just works with no reprogramming!

IP Camera Network Diagram

The following network diagram illustrates how the camera is connected to a home network and accessed via the Internet.

Panasonic IP Camera Network Diagram

The camera itself has two connections:

• Power over Ethernet (PoE) via a standard Cat5e cable connected to a PoE port on an Ethernet switch. I use a Netgear FS108P, 8 port switch with four PoE ports. Any PoE switch will do equally well. The PoE connection provides power and data, greatly simplifying installation.
• Standard 1/8 inch PC speaker jack/cable to a pair of amplified (i.e. externally powered) personal computer speakers. The speakers must be externally powered because the camera doesn’t output enough watts to drive the speakers directly. The purpose of the speakers is to broadcast your voice when talking through a microphone connected to a personal computer.

At the far end, a Personal Computer with internal speakers allows you to listen to what the  camera’s internal microphone hears. The camera’s onboard microphone is very sensitive and you can hear everything! With a microphone connected to the personal computer, you can speak and be heard through the PC speakers connected to the camera.

The ability to talk to people through the camera has endless possibilities; suppose you see a criminal in your house and call the police. As the police walk up to the front door you broadcast into the room “Hey luser! The police have you surrounded! You’re going to jail!”

More commonly, I check that my teenagers arrived home from school safely and ask “Hi! How was your day!”.

Panasonic Network Camera Product Comparison

Panasonic offers a variety of network cameras with different features, applications and price points. When evaluating cameras, I narrowed the selection to seven cameras in the Residential and Commercial product family. After studying product specifications at length, I created the following feature comparison chart to sort out the major points. Click on the chart for a full size view.

Panasonic IP Network Camera – Product Comparison Chart

I choose the indoor BB-HCM511A and outdoor BB-HCM531A cameras for my application. Both are identical except for the outdoor approval rating on the -HCM531A model. This tutorial focuses on the -HCM511A installation.

Choosing a Network Camera

My criteria for selecting a Panasonic IP Network Camera are:

• Web browser access via the Internet.
• Power over Ethernet (PoE) – only one Cat5e cable for power and data. Makes installation simple because there’s no need for an electrical outlet and power supply.
• Pan and Tilt – does the job of several cameras because you can look in many different directions.
• Color camera.
• Good low light capability.
• Good resolution – to clearly see faces and details.
• On-board memory card – to save and review images for at least 24 hours.
• Support for a microphone and speaker.

I choose the Panasonic BB-HCM511A (indoor) and BB-HCM531A (outdoor) cameras because both met my requirements and are identical except for the outdoor rating.

The high resolution (1280×1024) model BB-HCM515A is attractive, but at significantly higher cost.

Panasonic BB-HCM511A Network Camera

The BB-HCM511A is packaged in a cardboard box about 10 inches in size.

Panasonic Network Camera Box – BB-HCM511A

The inside flap illustrates the kit contents:

• CD-ROM and printed documentation.
• Mounting screws, safety wire
• Flexible stand
• Camera unit

Panasonic Network Camera Box 2 – BB-HCM511A

The kit contents:

Panasonic Network Camera Kit – BB-HCM511A

Closeup of the back side of the camera:

Panasonic Network Camera Rear View – BB-HCM511A

Slightly different angle so you can see the Video Out, Audio Out and Microphone jacks at the bottom right of the camera:

Panasonic Network Camera Rear View 2 – BB-HCM511A

Bottom view and mounting hole:

Panasonic Network Camera Bottom – BB-HCM511A

Side view of the SanDisk memory card cover:

Panasonic Network Camera SD Memory Slot – BB-HCM511A

The side cover opens to reveal the:

• Function button
• Reset button
• Factory Reset button
• San Disk memory slot and card

SD Memory Card – Function and Reset Buttons – BB-HCM511A

The 2GB SanDisk is purchased separately and installed by the user. The memory card is required to save images on the camera for later review or downloading. A 2GB card holds 24 hours of 640×480 color images at 1 second intervals. A single card can hold weeks or months of images if you save an image only once every several seconds, minutes or hours. When the memory card is full, the newest images overwrite the oldest images.

Panasonic BB-HCM511A SD Memory Card

This is continued in Part 2.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Install a Panasonic Network Camera – Part 1 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

Final Ethernet Jack Assembly

The blank port cover is unsnapped from the wall plate and the newly wired RJ-45 jack snapped into place. Remember to label the cables as shown – I used a permanent marker and masking tape. Also take make gentle bends in the Cat5e cable as you push the cables into the wall box to screw on the face plate. A pinched cable can displace the twisted pair wires, lowering the noise immunity and overall performance.

Ethernet Jack Inserted into the Wall Plate

The wall plate is screwed onto the wall box. The PoE jack is marked in red, the new Ethernet jack is on the right. If you’re doing this for the first time, the back of the wall plate is marked showing which way is “Up” for mounting.

Ethernet Wall Plate with New RJ-45 Jack

Fishing Ethernet Cable Inside the Walls

My big challenge is figuring out way to fish the Ethernet cable from the attic to the basement three (3) floors down. I needed to find an existing pathway in the walls. My solution was to run the cable along the natural gas pipeline from the basement to the attic furnace. A PVC condensation pipe runs parallel to the natural gas line, making for extra room.

My improvised tool for fishing the cable is a small crescent wrench and construction string:

Cresent Wrench and Construction String

Working in the attic, I removed the insulation from the opening in the wall by the gas line and condensation pipe and lowered the crescent wrench into the hole. The crescent wrench acted as guide to find the openings on the 2nd and 1st floors that looked like this one here in the attic. A bit of bobbing the string up and down at each floor level was needed to drop the wrench the each opening.

Dropping a line from the Attic to the Basement

This is how the yellow string looked as it dropped through the 1st floor into crawl space above the basement ceiling.

String Exiting the 1st Floor to the Basement

Crescent wrench and string in the crawl space between the 1st floor and basement ceiling.

Crescent Wrench and String on the Basement Ceiling

The Ethernet cable is duct taped to the construction string to pull the cable up through the walls to the attic.

Ethernet Cable Taped to the String

The Ethernet cable is pulled up to the attic from the basement. Sufficient cable is pulled to the reach the across the attic and down the wall to the new jack.

Ethernet Cable Pulled to the Attic

The Ethernet cable is pulled from a 1000 feet box.

1000 Feet Box of Ethernet Cable

This article is continued in Part 3.

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to Install an Ethernet Jack for a Home Network – Part 2 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.

6: Update ISY-99i Configuration on the Network Diagram

Update the ISY-99i entries on network diagram with your values for the following parameters:

ISY-99i

Static IP Address: 192.168.2.200
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.2.1 (IP address of the Linksys router)
DNS Server: 192.168.2.1 (IP address of the Linksys router)
HTTPS Port: 5275

Local LAN Access URL:

http://192.168.2.200

Secure Internet Access URL:

https://myisyhostname.homedns.org:5275

Your network diagram should now be complete and look like this (the colors correspond to matching values for both devices):

ISY-99i Static IP Address Network Diagram

7: Change the ISY-99i IP Address and Port Number:

Login to the ISY-99i Admin Console and click Help → About. Write down the My URL IP address, e.g. 192.168.2.102.

ISY-99i - Help About with DHCP IP address

7a: Configure the ISY-99i Static IP Address

For Windows XP or Vista, click Start → Run and type telnet. The telnet DOS window is displayed. Open a session to the IP address given in the My URL, e.g. 192.168.2.102. The static IP is configured using the CT command. The following is the telnet session log. Your inputs are highlighted in red per the network diagram. Note that all ISY command are UPPER CASE.

Welcome to Microsoft Telnet Client

Escape Character is 'CTRL+]'

Microsoft Telnet> open 192.168.2.102
Connecting To 192.168.2.102...

Please Log in

Username:admin
Password:********
Hi!
Welcome to ISY Shell
CT - Configure TCP/IP
CWP - Configure Webserver Ports
CWT - Configure Webserver Timeouts
CL - Configure max log size
CR - Configure Max Retries
LS - List files/directories
SU - Show external url
SM - Show memory utilization
ST - Show system time
DT - Disable telnet
DI - Disable internet access
XS - Exit the shell
RS - Reboot the system
RL - Reset login to admin/admin
FR - Factory reset
MN - Menu
VE - Display Version
DBG - Debug [0|1|2]
CME - Configure Maximum Emails per minute
SMR - Max Retry Before Client Is Considered Offline

http://192.168.2.102>CT

IP Address [0.0.0.0]: 192.168.2.200
New IP Address : [192.168.2.200] OK? (Y/N)Y
NetMask    [0.0.0.0]: 255.255.255.0
New NetMask    : [255.255.255.0] OK? (Y/N)Y
Gateway    [0.0.0.0]: 192.168.2.1
New Gateway    : [192.168.2.1] OK? (Y/N)Y
DNS Server [0.0.0.0]: 192.168.2.1
New DNS Server : [192.168.2.1] OK? (Y/N)Y
Save Changes (Y/N)Y
                   Rebooting ... please wait!

Goodbye!

Connection to host lost.

Press any key to continue...

Keep the telnet session open for the next step.

7b: Configure the ISY-99i Web Server Port

Note that the ISY-99i LAN IP address is the static IP address you configured in the previous step, e.g. 192.168.2.200 in this example. Use the CWP command and your network diagram to configure the web server ports.

Telnet session log – your inputs are in red:

Microsoft Telnet> open 192.168.2.200
Connecting To 192.168.2.200

...

Please Log in

Username:admin
Password:********
Hi!
Welcome to ISY Shell
CT - Configure TCP/IP
CWP - Configure Webserver Ports
CWT - Configure Webserver Timeouts
CL - Configure max log size
CR - Configure Max Retries
LS - List files/directories
SU - Show external url
SM - Show memory utilization
ST - Show system time
DT - Disable telnet
DI - Disable internet access
XS - Exit the shell
RS - Reboot the system
RL - Reset login to admin/admin
FR - Factory reset
MN - Menu
VE - Display Version
DBG - Debug [0|1|2]
CME - Configure Maximum Emails per minute
SMR - Max Retry Before Client Is Considered Offline

http://192.168.2.200>CWP

Current HTTP Port [80] (range 1-65536): <press enter - no change>
Invalid port specified
Current HTTPS Port [443] (range 1-65536):5275
Trying to remove existing port forwarding rules from your
Internet Gateway/Router

Port forwarding rules were successfully removed

New HTTP Port [80]
New HTTPS Port [5275]
Trying to re-enable Internet Access for Port [5275] on your
Internet Gateway/Router
Looking For an Internet Gateway

Rebooting ... please wait!

Internet access re-enabled for Port [5275]
Goodbye!

Connection to host lost.

Press any key to continue...

Microsoft Telnet>quit

8: Confirm the ISY-99i Static IP and Port Number

Check Help → About dialog in the Admin Console:

ISY Static IP - Help About with Static IP

My URL now reflects the static IP address and the Internet Access URL shows your ISP dynamic IP address with the new port number.

9: Verify LAN and Internet Access

Test Internet HTTPS access using the DDNS service and port forwarding, e.g. https://myisyhostname.homedns.org:5275.

Click “Add Exception”, “Get Certificate” and “Confirm Security Exception” to view the My Lighting web page. The next time you’ll have SSL certificate saved and will go directly to the My Lighting login page.

ISY Add Security Exception

Next, open a web browser and enter the My URL (i.e. the local LAN IP address), e.g. http://192.168.2.200 to verify you can get the to My Lighting web page.

That’s it! You now have Internet access to the ISY-99i using a static IP address and port forwarding. This method has proven very reliable for me.

I recommend you save a copy of the network diagram with your configuration parameters in a safe place in case you make network changes.

Take care,

Bob Jackson

Copyright © 2013 HandymanHowTo.com   Reproduction strictly prohibited.

The post How to configure a Static IP address for the ISY-99i Home Automation Controller – Part 2 appeared first on HandymanHowto.com.