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Dynamic DNS
Many small businesses prefer the greater control and privacy of self-hosting their websites, emails and VPNs instead of relying on third-party cloud providers.
However, not all of them have access to static IP plans. For this niche, self-hosting requires Dynamic DNS (DDNS), which can keep their digital services available even under the dynamic (changing) IPs offered by standard broadband connections.
This article explains Dynamic DNS, covering its mechanics, key benefits, and use cases while providing practical setup and troubleshooting tips.
Contents:
- What is Dynamic DNS (DDNS)?
- How Dynamic DNS works
- Benefits of DDNS
- DDNS business use cases
- Setting up business DDNS
- Troubleshooting DDNS
What is Dynamic DNS (DDNS)?
Dynamic DNS (DDNS) is a technology that lets businesses self-host services like websites, VPNs, and remote storage on their servers without the need to pay for a static IP address (a constant location).
These static IPs must be assigned (at a cost) by your broadband provider, but they are not always available, preferable, or affordable. The default is for all business broadband connections to receive a dynamic IP address, meaning their internet address constantly changes.
Broadband providers assign dynamic IP addresses to more effectively manage their limited pool of IPs. However, this makes self-hosting challenging because the internet location of self-hosted services changes every time a new IP address is assigned.
Dynamic DNS solves this challenge by prompting routers to broadcast your business’s real-time IP address to a third-party DDNS provider that automatically updates your company’s DNS records (where your ‘official’ address is kept) on your behalf.
In simpler words, it ensures the internet location of your self-hosted website, VPN, or storage is always up to date, even when your business broadband provider changes it multiple times a day!
Note: If you’re unfamiliar with DNS, we recommend you read our simple guide to DNS.
How Dynamic DNS works
Dynamic DNS (DDNS) keeps your self-hosted services accessible, even when your broadband provider changes your IP address. It automatically updates your DNS records whenever your IP changes, ensuring your domain always points to the correct address.
Let’s break down the process in more detail:
1. Dynamic IPs
Your broadband provider will periodically assign your connection with a new IPv4 address based on availability and demand.
2. DDNS routers
In a DDNS setup, your business broadband router is responsible for notifying your DDNS provider whenever your public IPv4 address changes. When the router detects an update, it triggers a secure DDNS request, formatted according to the provider’s API, and transmits it using HTTPS. This ensures your DNS records remain accurate without manual intervention.
3. DDNS Providers
DDNS providers are third-party services that host and manage your DNS records, ensuring your domain always maps to the correct IP address so your services remain accessible.
Unlike cloud hosting providers, which store and process your data, DDNS providers only handle DNS records and do not have access to your hosted services or sensitive data. Their role is solely to update and distribute the correct IP information across the internet.
DDNS IP Mapping
Putting it all together, here’s how your router and DDNS provider work together to keep your DNS records accurate in real time:
- The router detects an IP change from your broadband provider.
- The router sends an HTTPS request to your DDNS provider with the new public IP.
- DDNS provider verifies the request using API keys or authentication tokens.
- DDNS provider updates your DNS records on its authoritative servers.
- DNS changes propagate quickly to DNS resolvers worldwide, minimising downtime.
- Global DNS resolvers update their caches, ensuring uninterrupted access to your services.
And just like that, your domain name stays linked to the correct IP, ensuring no downtime for visitors or customers accessing your self-hosted services.
Benefits of DDNS
DDNS plays two key roles for UK small businesses:
- Self-hosting of digital services like websites, VPNs, email and storage.
- Self-hosting without paying for a static IP plan to do so.
Let’s look at the benefits of each of these roles:
Benefits of self-hosting for businesses
DDNS lets businesses self-host their services, providing total control over privacy, security, costs and capabilities:
- Privacy and security: Businesses don’t need to trust third-party providers with their data, giving them full control over privacy and cybersecurity.
- Lower cost: The costs of self-hosting are lower than those of cloud hosting when you already have the necessary hardware (e.g., servers, firewalls, network switches, load balancers, etc.) and experience.
- Customisation: Self-hosting gives businesses total flexibility in how to configure their services. Cloud solutions are less customisable.
- Provider independence: Self-hosting avoids the risk of vendor lock-in, price hikes, or sudden service changes for all the cloud services they avoid and eases any friction caused by switching business broadband provider.
- Great LAN performance: Hosting services on-site reduces latency for employees working within the same local area network.
Benefits of self-hosting with DDNS over static IPs
Static IPs are not always available, affordable or flexible enough:
- Residential broadband hosting: Home-based businesses often rely on cheap home broadband, which rarely offers static IP plans. DDNS allows self-hosting on any broadband connection, independent of the provider.
- Low cost: While static IP plans and DDNS are both low, simple DDNS services for one hostname are free without affecting your privacy.
- Flexibility: Static IP addresses are tied to your business broadband plan. With DDNS, you can change provider, location, or infrastructure without re-configuring your services.
- Independence: Businesses can set up DDNS independently without requesting (or waiting for) a static IP assignment.
DDNS business use cases
The benefits of both self-hosting and static IP avoidance offered by Dynamic DNS (DDNS) open up a variety of niche business use cases:
Simple and secure remote access
Small businesses can set up a secure VPN supported by any broadband connection, allowing trusted employees to securely access office storage, printers, etc., from anywhere without needing a third-party VPN.
Home-based businesses
Static IP plans are rarely available for residential broadband plans, leaving DDNS as the main alternative for freelancers, consultants, and niche businesses working from home to self-host their services.
Remote security for retail stores and small offices
Retailers and small offices can use DDNS to remotely monitor their CCTV feeds, manage alarm systems, and network access without investing in a static IP plan or cloud hosting.
Managed service provider support
Setting up DDNS at your business is an efficient and safe way to grant your managed service providers the access they need to manage and monitor your network, including your self-hosted services and broadband cybersecurity.
Self-hosted VoIP
Companies running self-hosted business VoIP phone systems, UCaaS, and other VoIP integrations can use DDNS to access these services from anywhere while maintaining high VoIP security by taking full control of privacy and network security.
IoT device management
IoT-driven businesses can use DDNS to remotely access their IoT devices without relying on cloud services or more expensive solutions. Examples include smart meters, smart heating, plugs, and smart locks.
Hosting private websites and development environments
Software developers can use DDNS to host private websites and test environments without investing in external hosting. It provides a stable, accessible domain name for locally hosted services, which can also be accessed remotely via VPNs.
Self-hosted email and cloud storage
Businesses that prefer not to rely on Gmail, Office 365, or Dropbox can run their email and cloud storage servers. With DDNS, they retain full control over data privacy and security policies while avoiding vendor lock-in and subscription costs.
Hosting multiplayer game servers
Gaming startups, esports communities, and independent developers can set up private game servers for testing or competitive events. With DDNS, they can run these servers without investing in a static IP, providing a flexible alternative for hosting online matches.
Setting up business DDNS
Now that you know how DDNS works and its main benefits, let’s look at how to set it up for your business.
Note: While the process is relatively simple, you can streamline it further by working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP). An MSP can set up and manage your self-hosted solution, making DDNS viable even without technical expertise.
Here’s the step-by-step process:
1. Acquiring a router with DDNS
All small business broadband connections come with a default router. Most modern routers support DDNS natively, but not all do, so confirming DDNS support is important before signing up.
Note: Business mobile broadband (4G/5G) and business satellite broadband routers do not support DDNS or static IPs due to Carrier-Grade NAT (CGNAT), which prevents direct public IP mapping. For these cases, alternative solutions like VPN tunnelling or cloud relays are required.
2. Subscribing to a DDNS service
Once you have a DDNS-compatible router, the next step is to subscribe to a third-party DDNS provider such as No-IP, DynDNS, or Cloudflare DDNS. Many offer low-cost subscriptions or free plans when bundled with DNS resolution services.
Setting up your DDNS service is simple:
- Register a hostname with your chosen DDNS provider (e.g., yourbusiness.ddns.net).
- Log into your router’s settings (typically via 192.168.1.1).
- Enter your DDNS account details (username, password, or API token).
- Save the configuration. Your router will automatically update your DNS records whenever your public IP changes.
Testing DDNS
To verify that DDNS is working:
- Check your current public IP address. It is often displayed in broadband speed tests or can be found by googling “What is my public IP address?”
- Ping your DDNS hostname (yourbusiness.ddns.net) from the command line: “ping yourbusiness.ddns.net”. If it returns your public IP, DDNS is working correctly.
- Simulate an IP change (restart your router or force a reconnection).
- Check if your DDNS provider updates your IP within a few minutes.
Troubleshooting DDNS
Here are some tips on how to troubleshoot DDNS, whether you’re setting up DDNS for your home office or trying to understand how your Managed Service Provider (MSP) is resolving an issue.
Common DDNS issues
If your self-hosted services are inaccessible or pinging your DDNS hostname returns an outdated IP address, consider these possible causes:
- Router misconfiguration: Your router may not update the DDNS provider with new IPs. This often happens after a router reset (manual or ISP-triggered). Check the router’s DDNS settings, re-enter your credentials if needed, and restart the router.
- Incorrect DDNS credentials: Your DDNS provider may have prompted you to reset your credentials due to a security update or periodic authentication changes. Verify your username, password, and API keys, then update them in the router’s DDNS settings.
- DDNS provider is down: If your DDNS provider’s servers are down for maintenance or experiencing technical issues, your hostname won’t resolve correctly. Check their status page or temporarily switch to an alternative DDNS provider.
- DNS cache issues: If your hostname still resolves to an old IP address, your local DNS cache or ISP’s DNS resolver may not have updated. Try flushing your local DNS cache or use whatsmydns.net to check if updates have propagated globally.
- Conflicting DDNS clients: Conflicts can occur if multiple devices (e.g., a router and a NAS) run DDNS updates. Only one device should handle DDNS, preferably the router. Disable DDNS on other devices.
- Firewall restrictions: If you recently updated or installed a new firewall, it may block DDNS traffic. Ensure your router’s port forwarding settings allow inbound traffic for the self-hosted service. Check your router or DDNS provider logs for errors.
- Provider port restrictions: Some broadband providers block key ports (e.g., 80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS, or 3389 for RDP) to enhance security. If you suspect port blocking, try using alternative ports (e.g., 8080 instead of 80) or contact your provider.
When to seek a Managed Service Provider
If you lack technical expertise or repeatedly run into DDNS issues, a third-party service provider can help by:
- Diagnosing and fixing DDNS setup problems, ensuring seamless remote access.
- Handling security configurations, such as firewalls and port forwarding.
- Ensuring cybersecurity compliance by setting up a secure, self-hosted environment.
- Provide ongoing network monitoring and management so you don’t have to troubleshoot DDNS.
Many small businesses bundle DDNS setup with other managed network services, such as:
- Small business VoIP
- Leased line business broadband with failover (for high-performance applications).
- Cyber Essentials certification.
- Starlink or wireless leased line integration for rural broadband.
FAQs – Dynamic DNS
Our business broadband experts answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding DDNS for UK businesses.
Can I get DDNS without a supporting router?
Yes, you can run DDNS on a local device within your network, such as a computer, NAS, or server running a DDNS client. However, this is usually a workaround for older or legacy routers that lack built-in DDNS support. Note that outdated routers may pose cybersecurity risks due to missing security updates.
Is DDNS secure?
DDNS itself is not a security risk, but exposing internal services to the internet can be. To improve security: use strong passwords and 2FA for DDNS provider accounts, set up a VPN instead of exposing ports directly for remote access and use firewalls and intrusion detection to prevent unauthorised access.
How often does my broadband provider change my public IP?
It depends on your broadband provider. Some providers change IPs every few hours or days, while others use “sticky” dynamic IPs that remain unchanged for months.
Is DDNS different to DNS?
DDNS is a specific type of DNS (Domain Name System). DNS translates domain names (e.g., www.google.com) into IP addresses so users can access services.
DDNS focuses on the hosting side of DNS, ensuring that services remain reachable even when the host’s IP address changes. This makes it ideal for self-hosting websites, email, VPNs, and emerging AI-powered services like DeepSeek AI Agents.
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