Cameras and recordings not accessible on app away from home

[Jared14h]

Evening everyone

Im looking for a bit of support on the correct setup of my new cctv system to allow me to view recordings and live view from my iPhone when I’m not home.

I’ve got an Oyn-x DVR, 4 x Cognito cameras, DMSS phone app on iPhone 12.

side question - do I need to add the cameras to the app as hardware? Currently have just the DVR which shows all 4 cameras when I’m home but wondered whether this contributed to the inability to see anything when not connected to home wifi.
Cheers

 

[The Automation Guy]

The best way to do it is to create a VPN server (usually on your router/firewall) that you can connect to while you are away from your home. These types of VPNs are free and the most secure way to access your network from outside. Otherwise you have to open unsecure ports on your router which anyone in the world can find and try to exploit.

Here is a good thread on how to get started. VPN Primer for Noobs

 

[Jared14h]

The best way to do it is to create a VPN server (usually on your router/firewall) that you can connect to while you are away from your home. These types of VPNs are free and the most secure way to access your network from outside. Otherwise you have to open unsecure ports on your router which anyone in the world can find and try to exploit.

Here is a good thread on how to get started. VPN Primer for Noobs

Thank you - I’ll have read!

 

[Jared14h]

Any other short term suggestions please? Can see the VPN route could take a while and surely it shouldn’t be THAT difficult to be able to connect to the cameras remotely?

 

[The Automation Guy]

Any other short term suggestions please? Can see the VPN route could take a while and surely it shouldn’t be THAT difficult to be able to connect to the cameras remotely?

There really isn't a good short term option. Anything else requires that you open unsecure ports on your router/firewall that will be open to the entire world.

Honestly while VPNs can be very intimidating, they are actually very easy to implement. I went years without setting up a VPN because I thought it was going to be too hard. After doing it, (multiple times now for different locations), I realize how silly that was. Sure the first one was a little rocky and it didn't work the very first time I tried. The good news is that it is pretty hard to mess anything up however. If you don't succeed on the first go round, just delete to server and try again. My issue was that I was trying to overcomplicate the connection by adding a "extra" layer of security really meant for large corporations (because I am using a more robust firewall solution that many companies use and the "How-to" guides I was looking at included this step). Once I tried just the simple VPN connection (which is very secure by itself) it was easy to get working.

 

[wittaj]

OpenVPN is simple, but we make it way more difficult than it needs to be lol.

I was there too once with OpenVPN...tried to do all this research to find directions and got to the point I said screw it and just enabled it and kinda of followed what it was asking and it worked. Only takes a few minutes.

You will need a DDNS as your WAN IP address is subject to change at anytime by your ISP (although most do not change often) or you are paying for a static IP address. You can use your router to set up a DDNS or use the free one here.

Just log in to your router and enable OpenVPN and see what it says - probably asks you to create a user/PW, DDNS name, encryption method, and create certificate. Then email that certificate to you and save the certificate on your mobile device (or copy it and move it to your device). Then install the OpenVPN app and select the certificate and then connect and you are on your home network.

It really is simpler than our minds make it out to be.

OpenVPN on a Asus router

Sept 2021 Turned off comments because of ads July 2021 Bought a new Asus router, an RT-AX86U. Loaded it right away with Merlin firmware, s...

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