You will need to set up port forwarding so that incoming connections from the internet are forwarded to your Mac running SecuritySpy.

This setting is sometimes called "port mapping", "application sharing" or "virtual server", and the precise setup steps unfortunately vary quite significantly between different router models.

Open your router’s settings by typing its IP address into a web browser (e.g. Safari), or by launching the AirPort Utility if you are using an Apple router. Find the settings page related to port forwarding. Here are some examples of what this setting could look like:

Your router’s settings may not look exactly like this, but the options available should be similar:

Private port

Enter the port that the device you are forwarding to responds to. By default, SecuritySpy uses port 8000, and most network cameras use port 80.

Public port

This is the port (or range of ports) that will be accessible from the internet. If you are setting up remote access to SecuritySpy, this should be the same as the private port (8000), unless you are confident about using a different setting.

Web browsers operate on port 80 by default, so enter port 80 as the public port if you want the device to be accessible from a web browser without having to specify a port number. However, some ISPs block port 80 so this may not work.

If you want to make multiple cameras or SecuritySpy servers on the same LAN available from the internet you must choose a different public port for each one. This will allow you to access each device independently, even though they may use the same private port.

Port type

This should always be set to TCP.

Private address

Sometimes called the host IP address, as in the illustration above. Enter the LAN IP address of the device you are forwarding to (i.e. the Mac running SecuritySpy). Make sure that this LAN device is set to use a manual IP address, and is not using DHCP - see Setting up your Mac.

If you are having trouble working out how to set this up for your particular router, the very helpful portforward.com website provides setup guides for most routers and should be able to guide you.

Accessing from the internet

Once you have set up your example.viewcam.me DDNS name (see Setting up your Mac), and configured your router's port forwarding settings, you will be able to access your SecuritySpy server from the internet using an address like this:

example.viewcam.me:8000
example.viewcam.me

— if you have specified port 8000 as the public port, or
— if you have specified port 80 as the public port.

Note that these public addresses may not work from within your network (this requires "loopback" in the router, which many do not support). To access your SecuritySpy server from within your network, use your Mac's LAN IP address instead.