DDNS Service -- Which is best?

[JohnD5000]

I want to setup a VPN server. I understand that a DDNS service is required. In the DDNS tab in the WAN section of Merlin, there are 13 preset DDNS services to choose from and a custom.

WWW.ASUS.COM
DOMAINS.GOOGLE.COM
WWW.DYNDNS.ORG (3)
WWW.SELFHOST.DE
WWW.ZONEDIT.COM
WWW.DNSOMATIC.COM
WWW.TUNNELBROKER.NET
WWW.NO-IP.COM
WWW.ORAY.COM
WWW.NAMECHEAP.COM
FREEDNS.AFRAID.ORG

Is there thread on the pros and cons of each service (I searched but could not find one).

If not, which one is the best to use? Is the Asus one OK, or is another better?

Thanks

 

[RMerlin]

I like afraid.org because it's free, and it's been around for ages.

 

[eibgrad]

I like afraid as well. And they don't bug you every 2-3 weeks requiring you to verify your DDNS domain name (which is often only for the purposes of upselling). IIRC, it's a least 6 months, maybe even longer.

 

[JohnD5000]

Thanks, I signed up with afraid.org. Is there a good tutorial on how to setup & use afraid.org with Merlin? They sent me a Signup IP And Signup Date. The Merlin page has Internal/External (which do I choose)? And Hostname. Is that the signup IP they sent me?

I just want to setup a VPN server and be able to login to my system and grab files off my attached HD when I am away from home.

Thanks

 

[BreakingDad]

 

[elorimer]

I use afraid.org at one site because it is the only free service available on Cisco Comcast Business routers. For the Asus routers I use asus's own.

 

[QasusAnon]

That is so cool. I've used afraid.org for years. Didn't realize how popular it was to members on this site. Since I've upgraded to Merlin 386.1 annoying that the Let's Encrypt Certificate is in "Status: Authorizing" for several days.

 

[eclp]

No problems here with selfhost.de, I switched there after my account at dyndns.com expired. I had problems with the Asus DDNS service. So now selfhost.de ...

 

[QasusAnon]

And Hostname. Is that the signup IP they sent me?

My Hostname is [username].chickenkiller.com << I don't recall if Afraid.org picked *.chickenkiller.com out or if I did, I always did find it amusing though.

 

[JohnD5000]

Thanks, I think I have it set up OK

 

[JohnD5000]

Actually I have one question.
There is a setting "Forced update interval (in days)" that defaults to 21 days. Does this mean that the router is checking if the public ID has changed every 21 days? If so, should this be changed to a lower number?

 

[eibgrad]

Actually I have one question.
There is a setting "Forced update interval (in days)" that defaults to 21 days. Does this mean that the router is checking if the public ID has changed every 21 days? If so, should this be changed to a lower number?

It's updating unconditionally, change or no change.

 

[JohnD5000]

It's updating unconditionally, change or no change.

I don't understand the reply. Updating what? Why is it 21 days, shouldn't it be updating every few hours or so?

 

[XIII]

My Hostname is [username].chickenkiller.com

The set of (only) weird domain names is one of the reasons I would not pick them, if there weren't so many smart people on this forum who use their service.

Still I wish my domain name registrar offered an API, so I could use Lexicon to prevent using a DDNS service.

 

[bluepoint]

Actually I have one question.
There is a setting "Forced update interval (in days)" that defaults to 21 days. Does this mean that the router is checking if the public ID has changed every 21 days? If so, should this be changed to a lower number?

That's the default and fine. You don't want to spam the server frequently unnecessarily as your IP will not change until your WAN drops. If that happens and the WAN renews, it will force update on its own.

 

[heysoundude]

I had a website that I distinctly remember registering my domain for with an ICANN registrar; that website has been down for 2yrs...can I use that .com for my ddns with someone like tunnelbroker?
If so, how can I (re)claim the domain from the former hosting company? or is this the incorrect question to ask?

 

[eibgrad]

I don't understand the reply. Updating what? Why is it 21 days, shouldn't it be updating every few hours or so?

It's updating the hostname from your DDNS provider w/ your current WAN ip. Normally you only need to update when there's an actual change to the WAN ip. So NO, you wouldn't normally expect it to be updating every few hours. Not unless your WAN ip is in fact changing every few hours. The force option says to do the update EVEN WHEN THE WAN IP HAS NOT CHANGED! Sometimes that's beneficial because if your WAN ip remains the same for an extended period of time (e.g., several months), the concern is your DDNS provider *might* think you've abandoned the hostname and place it back in the pool for others to use. You prevent that by picking some arbitrary number of days/hours in which you will *always* do the update, whether actually required or not. But as others have mentioned, do this *too* often (e.g., every 2 hours) and the DDNS provider might consider it abuse! 21 days was chosen arbitrarily because it seems reasonable.

 

[JohnD5000]

It's updating the hostname from your DDNS provider w/ your current WAN ip. Normally you only need to update when there's an actual change to the WAN ip. So NO, you wouldn't normally expect it to be updating every few hours. Not unless your WAN ip is in fact changing every few hours. The force option says to do the update EVEN WHEN THE WAN IP HAS NOT CHANGED! Sometimes that's beneficial because if your WAN ip remains the same for an extended period of time (e.g., several months), the concern is your DDNS provider *might* think you've abandoned the hostname and place it back in the pool for others to use. You prevent that by picking some arbitrary number of days/hours in which you will *always* do the update, whether actually required or not. But as others have mentioned, do this *too* often (e.g., every 2 hours) and the DDNS provider might consider it abuse! 21 days was chosen arbitrarily because it seems reasonable.

Thanks, this makes sense now.

 

[Mike S]

Asuscomm.com is down today, which is causing me a LOT of grief. Is this common? Is afraid.org more reliable?

 

[JSinFCVA]

I like afraid.org because it's free, and it's been around for ages.

And for me its been rock-solid for years.