A fiddly one - Appreciate your help

Discussion in 'Networking and Computer Security' started by ProcalX, Jan 31, 2011.

  1. ProcalX

    ProcalX all grown up

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    I'm trying to help a friends business out but am abit stuck. This is the scenario:

    The company has a set of hardware and software that allows the control and configuration of anything electrical within your motorhome, at the moment this is in the form of a working demo unit at their office. One of the extensions of this product is to be able to remotely (via an iPhone or Android application) control the settings.

    The Control Panel is connected to a Draytek Router 2910 via a ethernet wired connection. This is a wireless router which supports direct connection of a 3G Mobile Dongle (the idea being that the system is left connected online whilst you are away so that you can remotely connect).

    The first hurdle was to get the 3G Mobile Dongle to work, ie provide an internet connection to the router, as to put the system online. I have reflashed the draytek router and reconfigured it so that we have one of the 3G Mobile Dongles working, so the Control Panel is now online.

    What's the problem then? Well to connect to the Control Panel requires the user to know the IP address, the 3G Dongle utilises (like most things) Dynamic DNS. The only issue is that unlike most internet devices where an IP address is the same until you disconnect the connection, the IP address of the 3G Dongle changes EVERY time new data packets are being recieved/sent. I can only assume this is because the Dongle is connecting to a variety of "Cells" on the local mast.

    By the time I discover the IP and try to connect it has changed. To solve this we have setup a hosted DNS service which is supposed to allow the user to connect to their Control Panel by using a domain address (pub.hardwareforums.com etc), however it does not work.

    The facts are:
    - I have not been able to test PING as the IP address changes so regularly
    - I know the 3G Dongle has an internet connection as I have connected wirelessly to the router from a laptop and accessed the internet succesfully using the 3G Dongle that is configured on the router
    - This whole setup works perfectly if the mobile phone is connected wirelessly (ie on the same internal network IP) as the Control Panel

    I was considering creating a VPN from the phone to the router, the only issue with that is I require connection to the Control Panel, which I cannot do until the router connects to the DNS hosting service due to the IP change.

    Networking is not my forte so any help would be greatly appreciated.
     
  2. ProcalX

    ProcalX all grown up

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    If the IP address is constantly changing (every few seconds) will running a Dynamic DNS service work?
     
  3. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    me neither, but i'm learning as fast as i can
    as i understand it, yes, because that's what DDNS does to make things easier try exchanging the word "dynamic" with what it actually means, and that's "changing"

    i hope that makes sense to you because it does to me, just.

    BTW: I've yet to play with VPN
     
  4. donkey42

    donkey42 plank

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    no, the changing of IP's is DDNS's "world", that's what it was invented for

    BTW: researching VPN, will post again after researching VPN
     

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