How can I whitelist my IP address for my company’s needs when my ISP provides with with a dynamic IP address?

networking dns static-ip dynamic-dns

5,707

In broad terms:

Create a dynamic DNS hostname for your home Internet connection. This will result in your having a DNS hostname (e.g. home.example.com) that resolves to the IP address of your home Internet connection. The dynamic DNS service will update the DNS entry any time your address changes.
Give the dynamic DNS hostname to your company's IT admin and have them whitelist your connection using the hostname. Since it will always resolve to your IP address, no changes will be required when your IP changes.

5,707

David Simon

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

David Simon over 1 year

I am working from home and my company needs to whitelist my IP. Obviously, my ISP’s assigned external IP changes as often as the sun comes up.

I am looking for a solution how to go around this. I heard about static IP addresses and Dynamic DNS but I have failed so far to get anything working.

I would prefer basic, cheaper solutions to be able to experience and make up my mind later.
- Ramhound about 5 years
  
  A dynamic DNS would not allow you to connect to the network at your company. It would allow people, outside of your intranet, to connect to your network. You should contact your IT Administrator to see what other employees do. Sounds like you should pay your ISP for a static IP address and then negotiate the costs to be paid by your company. This problem cannot be solved with a Dynamic DNS.
- Giacomo1968 about 5 years
  
  I would recommend contacting your ISP and see what their policy is on assigning static IP addresses. For all you know you just have to ask and then you are assigned a static IP address or just have to pay a small fee which—perhaps—your company can reimburse you for. Also, are you 100% sure your external IP address changes all the time? I have a cable modem and basic Internet and the IP address I use has only changed maybe twice over the years I have been at my current address. Doesn't matter if I cycle my modem on and off or even wait a few days. It’s pretty much the same all the time.
- David Simon about 5 years
  
  Thanks for both answers. My IP has changed 4-5 times in the last 3 months roughly. I have had my IP address whitelisted at my company and this is how I accessed the servers. Anytime something happened to the router, or once the Internet went down in the neighbourhood, my IP changed and had to whitelist again.
- I say Reinstate Monica about 5 years
  
  @Ramhound A firewall rule at the company set to Allow traffic with a source address of the OP's home Internet connection most certainly would work. Business class routers can do this by FQDN instead of IP address, making dynamic DNS perfectly viable.
- Ramhound about 5 years
  
  @TwistyImpersonator - The author has a dynamic IP address, they want to use a dynamic DNS domain, and whitelist that domain. I don't believe that is going to work. Which is why they should contact their IT Administrator for the way forward.
ivanivan about 5 years

Except many firewalls work on IP not hostname, since hostnames can point to multiple IPs (round robin DNS), etc.
I say Reinstate Monica about 5 years

I don't know of any business class firewall that doesn't support FQDNs in rules. It's up to the competent admin to determine if using them vs static IP addresses results in the desired security configuration. Keep in mind my answer requires the firewall rule to be made on the company's equipment where such a rule should be no problem to support.
ivanivan about 5 years

Oh I'm aware of that, but if we're gonna throw "competent admin" in there and possibly "under the bus" we may as well wonder why they aren't just having the questioner use a vpn connection....
David Simon about 5 years

The company's IT admin didn't like any of my solutions and I haven't received any recommendation or solution from him. Although I will mark this answer as the solution and thanks for all your help.