NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
jmhga44
Oct 28, 2023Star
Need to open port 8081 for security camera access away from home network
I am trying to set up my laptop to access my security cameras when I am away from my home network and have found that my IP address is blocking port 8081 which I think is a needed port to access the cameras. I contacted my IP provider and they mentioned that I would have to work with my router since it's not provided by the IP provider. Is it possible with the RAX 50 router admin page to open port 8081 so that my IP address can see it and if so how would I do that?
13 Replies
Sort By
Yes, of course permitting your ISP does assign a public routeable IPv4 address to your RAX50 router. Your undefined security camera does listen on the LAN on port 8081/TCP?
If yes, look here: How do I add a custom port forwarding service on my NETGEAR router?
While talking, have an eye on your router user manual, and read into the chapter "Set up and manage Dynamic DNS" (on the Nighthawk AX6 6-Stream AX5400 WiFi Router Models RAX50 and RAX50v2 User Manual it starts from p.120) - likely something you need to be done to locate your router public IP address from the other Internet connected computer.
The "Manage port forwarding to a local server" is documented and starts from p.139 in the fine User Manual.
Last, assuming your security camera is getting it's IP address on the LAN from the RAX50, I suggest to reserve an IP address for your camera, as shown in the chapter "Manage reserved LAN IP addresses", p.62.
Regards,
-Kurt.
Kurt..thanks for replying. I tried the instructions in your first link to see if port 8081 would show as open from canyouseeme.org and it times out..Port 37777 (the port I'm using to get to the camera from my home network) shows as open. I'm thinking that port 8081 needs to be open too. On the instructions in your first link number 12 mentions the internal IP address. Is that the IP address of the camera?
8081/TCP can't how open before you have enabled the NAT forwarding for the port 8081/TCP (one to one NAT), the IP address on the LAN is the one the DHCP server assigns to the camera on your LAN, visible in the list of currently connected devices on your router.
Are you convinced the camera does listen on port 8081/TCP on the LAN?
Tell us more about the camera in question
jmhga44 wrote:
I am trying to set up my laptop to access my security cameras when I am away from my home network ....
What are these security cameras? You did not answer schumaku when they asked for that information.
Some cameras have no need for network tricks. Arlo, for example, has its own cloud interface for the job.
I should have mentioned that the system consists of a HD DVR and 4 HD cameras attached to it. I'm using the Smart PSS software to access the HD DVR from the home laptop. Whenever I'm trying to access the DVR when I'm away from the home network I'm using the same laptop/software. I'm going to contact the vendor of the Smart PSS software later this week to see if they can help with getting the remote entry on the software set up correctly.
Short investigation shows the ability to access the Smart PSP by a peer-to-peer system Smart PSP P2P Remote Access (usually much more secure [or obscure]) than exposing a port to the wild Internet. Alternate, they offer Smart PSP Remote Access Port Forward (undisputed there is something you have to configure on your router, too). Hope this helps. Happy Sunday jmhga44 !