4.1 Configuring Port Forwarding
In order to access your camera from the Internet, you will need to configure your router for port forwarding. If your router supports UPnP™ (Universal Plug and Play), the camera and router can communicate with each other and set port forwarding automatically. This can be done during initial configuration (as explained in the Setup Guide), or by following one of the procedures below.
There are two methods you can use to configure port forwarding via UPnP™.
Using the [Internet] tab (recommended)
Using this method, the camera’s current port number may change. The camera will be assigned a port number that is not currently used by another device on the network. If port 80 is unavailable, the camera will be assigned the first available port number between 50000 and 50050.
Using the [UPnP] page
Using this method, the camera’s port number will not change.
Note
If your router does not support UPnP™, you need to configure the router’s port forwarding feature manually. See Configuring port forwarding without using UPnP™.
If your router’s UPnP™ feature is turned off (most routers have UPnP™ turned off by default), you need to turn it on in order to configure port forwarding automatically. Refer to the operating instructions included with your router and the Panasonic Network Camera website (http://panasonic.net/pcc/support/netwkcam/support/info.html) for more information.
If you have a PPPoE or PPTP connection to your Internet Service Provider, disable your router’s maximum idle time setting. Refer to the operating instructions included with your router for more information.
UPnP™ features are available when using the camera in IPv4. The camera does not support UPnP™ for IPv6 connections.
Enabling [Auto Port Forwarding] using the [Internet] tab
1.
Click the [Internet] tab.
2.
Under [Auto Port Forwarding (IPv4)], select [Enable].
3.
Click [Save].
A notice is displayed informing you that the camera’s port number may change.
4.
Click [OK].
[Router configuration in progress to allow access from the Internet.] is displayed.
If you want to register with Viewnetcam.com (visit http://www.viewnetcam.com for details), select [Register with Viewnetcam.com] before clicking [Save]. Click [Go to Viewnetcam.com Registration page] when this button is displayed. The Viewnetcam.com website will open in a new window. Follow the on-screen instructions to register with Viewnetcam.com.
When [Setup completed] is displayed, the addresses for accessing the camera over the LAN and over the Internet are displayed.
5.
Click [To Single Camera page].
6.
Confirm that port forwarding was configured correctly (see Confirming that UPnP™ port forwarding is configured correctly).
Note
If you have multiple cameras connected to the same network, only one of the cameras needs to be registered with Viewnetcam.com. All cameras connected to the network can be accessed from the Internet using your Viewnetcam.com URL (for example, ***.viewnetcam.com) and adding the desired camera’s port number after the URL. Example: http://***.viewnetcam.com:50000, http://***.viewnetcam.com:50001, etc. Note, however, if the camera that is registered to Viewnetcam.com is turned off and your ISP-provided global IP address changes, you will not be able to access any of the cameras.
To disable Viewnetcam.com service for this camera later, access the Viewnetcam.com website (http://www.viewnetcam.com) and cancel your registration.
If auto port forwarding is enabled or disabled on this page, it is also enabled or disabled on the [UPnP] page.
Enabling [Auto Port Forwarding] using the [UPnP] page
1.
Click the [Setup] tab.
2.
On the left side of the screen under [Basic], click [UPnP].
3.
Under [Auto Port Forwarding], select [Enable].
4.
Click [Save].
When setup is complete, [Success!] is displayed.
5.
Confirm that port forwarding was configured correctly (see Confirming that UPnP™ port forwarding is configured correctly).
Note
If auto port forwarding is enabled or disabled on this page, it is also enabled or disabled on the [Internet] tab.
Confirming that UPnP™ port forwarding is configured correctly
To confirm that the UPnP™ port forwarding has been successfully configured, follow the procedure below.
1.
Click the [Maintenance] tab.
2.
On the left side of the screen, click [Status].
3.
Under [UPnP], confirm that the status is [Enabled].
If [Enabled] is not displayed, refer to the UPnP™ related items in 1.3 Camera Setup Issues and 1.4 Camera Access Issues in the Troubleshooting Guide.
Configuring port forwarding without using UPnP™
If your router does not support UPnP™, you need to configure the router’s port forwarding feature manually.
1.
Click the [Setup] tab.
2.
On the left side of the screen under [Basic], click [Network (IPv4)].
3.
Under [Connection Mode], click [Static].
4.
Make a note of the IP address and port number displayed here. You will need to know these settings when configuring the router for port forwarding.
5.
Click [Save].
6.
Click [Restart].
7.
While referring to the operating instructions included with your router, configure the router’s port forwarding feature.
When configuring port forwarding, store the camera’s IP address and port number that you noted above.
8.
Register the camera to use a Dynamic DNS service, such as Viewnetcam.com (see 4.2.1 Configuring the Camera to Use Viewnetcam.com).