This topic

Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 13:34:47 GMT

Hi, I have a LuxHome CCTV System and it work fine relaying to my phone then about two years ago it stopped working on WAN wide area network now only works on LAN local area network. I have reset and reboot it with no luck.

I now believe I have to create a Port Forwarding to allow the internet to communicate with the cameras.

I have created a Port Forwarding on the BT Smart Hub but not sure of the settings ie External Ports, Start and End, Internal Ports, Start and End numbers and if it is TCP or UDP Protocol ?

Anybody with any advice would be grateful

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 13:42:49 GMT

You will need to refer to your camera documentation as to which port(s) it uses. Once you have that information, the internal and external port(s) will be the same. If only one port, start and end will be the same number. If more than one contiguous ports, then first will be the lowest number, last the highest number. If non-contiguous, create a rule for each port. Select TCP and UDP.

You will also need to use a Dynamic DNS service such as NoIP to track your public IP address which will be dynamic.

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:23:19 GMT

Hi thanks for you quick reply, in the BT set up it refers to 80 as a default Start and End for External and Internal Ports I tried these numbers Start 80 and End 80 but it does not seem to allow the traffic through.

Is there a particular number I have to enter? I can't see any specific port number on the camera instruction?

Thanks again, Ray

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 14:32:47 GMT

Port 80 is a standard port for HTTP, i.e a web browser.

Do you use a web browser to view the camera within your LAN or a dedicated app?

Different applications use different ports, there are a number of common ones but you need to know which port(s) your camera uses.

Which exact make and model camera is it, somebody might have the same camera and know which port it uses.

When you try to access the camera using your public IP address, do it via 4G rather than your hub wifi as not all hubs support NAT loopback.

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 16:32:38 GMT

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 16:42:16 GMT

Hi thank you for your time, the CCTV system is a LuxHome LHK110EK 4 camera system wireless to a monitor in our living room which we can view and it then relayed to my phone on a dedicated app.

As I say it worked fine for about 3 years then it won't connect to my phone via WAN only LAN.

I looked at BT help and I managed to find the system to open up a port hole on the BT router and thought I had succeeded but it still dose not connect externally?

I'll try again

Cheers Ray

Re: Port Forwarding

Les-Gibson — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:16:00 GMT

Are you using a free DDNS service provided by the camera manufacturer? these are often limited to a number of years and then stop working. You may need to sign up for a free DDNS service from (e.g) No-IP

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:26:16 GMT

Hi Les thank you for your reply, when I installed the system it worked well for about three years so as you say the company must have changed or disable the connection.

I would be grateful if you could give some more advice about DDNS services and No-IP as I am a novias and I seem to be getting into deep water.

You may be able to see the system I have on Amazon

Luxhome LHK110EK

Cheers Ray

Re: Port Forwarding

Les-Gibson — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:35:12 GMT

No probs.

You can sign up for a ddns service at www.noip.com and several other ddns providers.

Most of them will allow you to sign up for a free account but they will remind you to confirm that you still require the service every 30 days in order to avoid tying up their resources on unused services. Alternatively they also provide a paid for service which you don't have to confirm every 30 days.

Have a good read of the website and the help files on there to ensure you understand how to complete the form whichever service you choose

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:41:30 GMT

@rayhewitt wrote:

I looked at BT help and I managed to find the system to open up a port hole on the BT router and thought I had succeeded but it still dose not connect externally?

You can't just open/port forward any random port, it needs to be the port that the system is expecting a connection on.

Think of it like this. Your public IP address is the dialling code, the local IP address of the device is the phone number of the switchboard and the port is the extension number.

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 07:23:24 GMT

Hi Les thank you for the information, I'am still learning, I had a feeling the number 80 wouldn't open but I tried it, no success. Is there anyway I can find the port number? I can't find anything on the monitor/hub or in the specification leaflet. I.ll ask my son to see if he can have a look at the system.

Thanks again

Ray

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 07:50:19 GMT

I had a look at the online documentation for your system but couldn't find any information regarding the ports used.

I'm wondering if port forwarding is a red herring and isn't required anyway as you said the system was previously working. Presumably nothing in your setup had changed so either the correct port forwarding was already in place or it wasn't required.

Port forwarding is only needed for unsolicited incoming connections to your devices, not outgoing. I don't have any cameras but I believe some systems upload to the manufacturers servers/website and the app just accesses that rather than accessing the camera directly.

One piece of information I did spot in the online manual was that external access wasn't possible at the same time as the cameras being viewed on your console.

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 08:23:05 GMT

Hi thank you for your reply, yes I did read about if the user is on the monitor it locks out internet for a short time but then it should resume connection which it use to work fine, but as you say I think the manufacturers have stopped supporting the system and I was try to get the system working myself.

Thanks again for the info.

Ray

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 08:32:29 GMT

What Les (not me) was suggesting was that perhaps the manufacturer had stopped supporting a free DDNS service. That would have required port forwarding to have been configured on the hub to work.

A slight variation of that theme is it might be that they supported a free service such as the one I described in my previous post that has now stopped working.

If the hub didn't have any port forwarding configured before things stopped working, it won't need port forwarding now.

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 18:49:57 GMT

Hi thanks for the info, I have now registered with NoIP and set up a DDNS it is still asking for the port number but I don't know the number, nothing in the leaflet and the manufacture is in Tialand, anybody know how the get the correct port forwarding number.

LuxHome CCTV LHK110EK

By most grateful

Ray hewitt

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 19:05:55 GMT

Ok, to verify that port forwarding is required to see the camera externally you can put the camera in the DMZ. Only do this temporarily as it effectively forwards all ports to the device, i.e you don't need to know the port number. If that works, we can then think about trying to find the correct port number. If it doesn't work, port forwarding isn't the solution.

To put your camera in the DMZ, go to Advanced settings > Firewall > Configuration Change the DMZ button to On, select your camera in the device list and save the changes.

Once you have carried out the test, turn the DMZ off again.

Re: Port Forwarding

rayhewitt — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:39:35 GMT

Hi, tried the DMZ in the ON position but no joy? ( reset now to OFF) Ray

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 21:11:37 GMT

Ok, the problem isn't port forwarding then.

As suggested previously, it could be the app accesses the manufacturers server to retrieve the images the camera records and the subscription has expired. I really think you need to speak to the camera manufacturer.

Re: Port Forwarding

Les-Gibson — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 22:12:22 GMT

@rayhewitt

The port number is a must have if the device isn't in the DMZ.

I don't know this particular system but I'm guessing that the control panel has a built in web server which you will be able to access by typing the IP address (of the control unit) into a browser, you should be able to find the port number in the network settings section in there

Re: Port Forwarding

licquorice — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 07:00:47 GMT

@Les-Gibson if it doesn't work in the DMZ its not a port forwarding problem and an open port is not needed.