CCTV - Static IP help?

Hi I'm with Plusnet and have a Static IP, however moving to EE Broadband and they don't offer a Static IP to Residential which I think is stupid because more people have CCTV's and they told me not many have those, only the WIFI cameras, I said I have those but the CCTV is a better one and records even when no internet access.

Anyway I can't get a Static IP, someone said to set one up in DHCP or something just wanting to know is there a way of getting a Static IP at all? obviously not through EE I'm just wondering if its possible to get my own?

The usual solution is to use a dynamic DNS service. You setup dynamic DNS and it creates a domain for your IP address and when the IP address updates it updates the domain to point to the new address.

The only slight gotcha is if you plan to use the EE home hub. I discovered when I moved to EE that their home hub does not have a dynamic DNS client which many routers have. So, to be able to run dynamic DNS you would need another device that can run the client and is always on to be able to do the updates. Alternative is to use a different router.

as ian has said you can use Dynamic dns
and if you look at your cctv nvr settings there should be an option to set up a dynamic dns update client

PM me if you need further help

How were you previously accessing your CCTV remotely? If you're doing a port forward to a four year old Chinese DVR then now is a good opportunity to up the security levels a bit.

There is a suggestion that you can get a Static IP ... have a read of:

https://www.purevpn.com/uk/blog/ee-broadband-cgnat-s...

They can do it - just, as I understand, needs higher level approval.

That looks like generic SEO content. I've never heard of anybody getting a static IP on a residential BT/EE service.

That’s a interesting read, not sure it would work for me though

Plusnet and I have a Static IP with them but just been told they Plusnet no longer supply static ip addresses now

Yes I use my own router I have a ASUS Rog Gaming Router

In reply to a post by MapooUK:

Yes I use my own router I have a ASUS Rog Gaming Router

Asus routers have a built in DDNS service which you can use to connect to your router via xxxx.asuscomm.com
Completely free. You chose the xxxx name and they do the rest, both ipv4 and ipv6. It automatically checks if your WAN IP changes and updates this DNS address.


I've used it for >10 years. Under WAN, DDNS tab menu.
I use it with the VPN service as I don't like opening ports on my router. If you do use the VPN service, choose a non standard port for connections, to avoid the bots trying to hack in.

Edited by wiggsc00 (Wed 15-Jan-25 20:45:26)

I’ve always had a static ip, wish they’d just people one it would be a lot easier, Didn’t really want EE as cheaper with Plusnet but because we got sim only’s with EE they knock some money off the phone.

Just worried incase it doesn’t work for our CCTV

I use https://tailscale.com - works great and it's free.

On IPv4 there aren't enough IPs to support all the users to have static. There aren't even enough to support all the users with dynamic which is why some of the newer ISPs have had to use CGNAT.

It's different on IPv6 but the world is just not rushing to do the migration as most people can live with the pains of IPv4 and doing all the work to fully move to IPv6 would take some effort.

In reply to a post by ian72:

On IPv4 there aren't enough IPs to support all the users to have static.

That's not the reason. Providers like Sky, BT and EE do dynamic addressing for IPv6 too.

The reason is it makes the network routing simpler to have a large pool of addresses routed to each BRAS. Then whenever an end-user connects to the network, they get an IP address from whichever BRAS they hit, and the core network doesn't need any sort of routing update.

I've never had a static ip. Dynamic DNS makes it irrelevant
Use the Asus DDNS service and you will never need a static address again

you cannot declare people will not need static ips without knowing the full reason they have a static ip.

In reply to a post by pyarwood:

you cannot declare people will not need static ips without knowing the full reason they have a static ip.

Suggest reasons for residential requirement for a static IP that cannot be satisfied with either Ipv6 OR DDNS

If you manage internet-connected systems where access is limited to a small selection of permitted IP addresses, would be one use case.

However, a static IP is not needed for remote access of CCTV. A DDNS service would work, but personally I'd want to set up a VPN rather than leaving something like that exposed to the internet.

What he said 👍

In reply to a post by jpm:

If you manage internet-connected systems where access is limited to a small selection of permitted IP addresses, would be one use case.

However, a static IP is not needed for remote access of CCTV. A DDNS service would work, but personally I'd want to set up a VPN rather than leaving something like that exposed to the internet.

Very niche requirement which would likely be satisfied by a business type service with a range of static addresses, for most residential use cases I can't see the need when other options exist,
I wholeheartedly agree you. using a VPN for accessing CCTV remotely, which is precisely how I have my own CCTV and other services setup.

I never said it was a common requirement, and I'm not suggesting that it's even a good way to do things (VPN would be preferable), but you can't always control what your clients use or their ability to configure things.

You asked for a use case where DDNS wouldn't work, and I have one.

In reply to a post by jpm:

I never said it was a common requirement, and I'm not suggesting that it's even a good way to do things (VPN would be preferable), but you can't always control what your clients use or their ability to configure things.

You asked for a use case where DDNS wouldn't work, and I have one.

Yes, I did. To be clear I was not being argumentative, I'm just fairly direct in my approach, intent is never to be inflammatory, apologies if it seemed so. Thanks.

As noted, static IP (just for remote access into a residential network) has been left behind somewhat both from a cost and security perspective.

There are far better alternatives that won’t have an ongoing cost (like renting a fixed IP from an ISP mostly does nowadays) you will also have a more seamless and secure experience as you won’t need to poke holes in your network from outside.

Possibly not what you wanted to hear, but sometimes it’s better to look at what other (better) alternatives are now available.

Good luck 🤞

That article is flawed!

1. Principally there is no CGNAT on EE Fixed BB, only mobile.
2. Personal EE BB a/c's can't get a static public IP. You might be able on business a/c's.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Fri 17-Jan-25 10:54:59)

I’ve looked into a business account as they told me a Static is available on those accounts but to have a business account you just show proof of a business you have et .

Where could you rent a static from?

From the ISP that provides your service. Many (if available) will typically charge around £5 pcm to provide a static IP.

A&A will sell you an L2TP service for a tenner a month.

As said. There’s other approaches which have zero ongoing cost.

Edited by Pheasant (Fri 17-Jan-25 11:14:43)

just because YOU CANNOT SEE THE NEED doesnt mean it doesnt exist

Are you with EE? Pheasant.

Gettin myself on edge abit now as someone said EE was very bad his cameras didn’t work so moved to virgin now works good. I have no Virgin here and Plusnet don’t wanna Discount anything..

Yes I have EE FTTP.

I run CCTV but mine record to a local Synology NAS, which has its own cloud-based remote access. My other remote access and site-to-site connectivity is all done via ZeroTier.

Edit - to be fair the CCTV cameras I use also have their own independent cloud connectivity - both Reolink and HIK-Vision have cloud based viewing / control apps. So I have two (or three ways) I can see / access any of those cameras.

Edited by Pheasant (Fri 17-Jan-25 23:58:31)

The guy who installed our CCTV Cameras and the DVR said the cameras should work on dynamic IP. I just hope they do so I can look on the camera app. I’ve phoned EE no end of times and they just tell me same stuff ‘we don’t give static to residentials, I said but more people are having CCTV not just businesses.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Yes I have EE FTTP.

I run CCTV but mine record to a local Synology NAS, which has its own cloud-based remote access. My other remote access and site-to-site connectivity is all done via ZeroTier.

Edit - to be fair the CCTV cameras I use also have their own independent cloud connectivity - both Reolink and HIK-Vision have cloud based viewing / control apps. So I have two (or three ways) I can see / access any of those cameras.

How do you find EE? What’s your views on it?

EE residential don’t offer static IP. That is a certainty.

As noted fixed IP addressing is *not at all* a firm requirement for either remote access or remotely viewable CCTV / monitoring or for that matter many mass market smart home services or devices in this day and age.

There’s many many examples I could quote, but probably the most obvious is Ring type smart doorbells. How many millions of those are installed and working on all manner of connections.

You don’t need and shouldn’t need to have static IP for this purpose.

For a mass market ISP, I’ve found the service fine and the performance is fine too.

Well I have a 14 day cooling off period so at least I can test it when it’s active. Sadly Plusnet so longer do Static IP for new customers so I wouldn’t be able to return to them I’d have to look elsewhere for Fibre with Static IP addresses.

As for service I can’t grumble at Plusnet so EE should be the same as they are sisters.

In reply to a post by MapooUK:

I’ve phoned EE no end of times and they just tell me same stuff ‘we don’t give static to residentials, I said but more people are having CCTV not just businesses.

Again, you do not need a static IP to view home CCTV cameras.

Edited by jpm (Sat 18-Jan-25 21:51:17)

In reply to a post by jpm:

In reply to a post by MapooUK:

I’ve phoned EE no end of times and they just tell me same stuff ‘we don’t give static to residentials, I said but more people are having CCTV not just businesses.

Again, you do not need a static IP to view home CCTV cameras.

I've given up commenting as this has been said multiple times on both threads the OP started and he's not heeding (or even acknowledging) the advice being provided by multiple users.