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A camera when connected to a DHCP Network receives an IP address. Using IP lookup I find the IP address of the camera. Then I type the camera IP address in a browser - it shows a website (index.html)

I want to eliminate the process of finding the camera IP address, then typing it. I like to type something like mycamera.com or http://mycamera which is easier to remember and doesn't require to use a tool to find the camera IP.

Now camera IP address is also not static. It is DHCP and receives new IP every time it connects to the network. Static IP is not an option.

So how can I do that - connect to the device by typing some sort of domain name rather than IP address?

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  • To give more help we'd need to know your DHCP server (its make and model if it is a little SoHo router).
    – Law29
    May 30, 2016 at 20:39

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The way to do this (for any equipment) is recognize that the MAC address of the camera is static even if the IP is not, and to act on the DHCP server.

It may be possible for the DHCP server to update DNS with the new IP address, recognizing the equipment either by MAC or some more complicated protocol with a login/password. I would probably not recommend even investigating this.

The normal, usual way is to ask the DHCP server to always assign the same "static" IP to the MAC address of the equipment. This is possible for most, maybe all DHCP servers, even the ones in all of the smallish home DSL routers I have worked with. In the DHCP server configuration you certainly have fields for the IP address range and for the nameservers to hand out, look for "static IP assignments" or something similar. Once you have a static IP, you update the DNS with that IP and the name you choose.

Hope this helped!

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    After doing this, you can then put the new (effectively) static IP in DNS, if you want some name to access the camera by.
    – Henrik supports the community
    May 28, 2016 at 9:03
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    If the device gives a name as part of the DHCP request then the name is automatically included in the DNS servers of most SoHo routers. You just need to apply the domain suffix (and if you specify one, don't be tempted to use .local as it's reserved and can cause havoc.)
    – James Snell
    May 28, 2016 at 13:53

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