Remote Desktop is a feature of Microsoft Windows that allows a user to take control and access a remote computer or virtual machine over a network connection. Learn how easy it is to use Remote Desktop with the new my.noip.com in this support guide. This guide is meant for Windows 10 Pro users.
Step 1: Create an account.
To create an account with No-IP simply click the “Sign Up” link at the top of the page. Fill in the required fields on the new account form and click the “Free Sign Up” button at the bottom of the page.
Step 2: Confirm your account.
You will receive an email with a link to confirm your account, click that link.
Note: If you are using Hotmail or Yahoo mail, this email may end up in the bulk email folder depending on the level of your spam settings.
Step 3: Log In to your account.
Now that you have confirmed your account, you can log in to your No-IP account. On the top right of the page you should see Log In. Click Log In and enter your username and password.
Step 4: Add a domain to your account.
Note: If you’re using our free service, you can skip to step 5 below.
You should now be logged into the No-IP members section, as domains are not currently supported on my.noip.com. Here you can add a domain to your account by going to “Domain Registration”, then “Add Domain”. Follow the activation steps to the checkout area.
Step 5: Adding a hostname.
If you created a free account the hostname should already be created. If not, click on “Dynamic DNS” and then click on “Add Hostname” . Type in a hostname and select the domain you would like to use from the drop down menu. Then click “Add Hostname” at the bottom of the pop up.
Step 6: Making it dynamic.
Now that you have a host in your account, you will want to create an update client on the network. An update client can be either a router, a DDNS capable device or you can install our Dynamic Update Client which can be found by navigating to Dynamic DNS > Dynamic Update Client. The DUC is a free download. Please note that you only need one update client on the network and should you choose to use our DUC, this client will need to be install on a device that does not move from the network nor is shut off.
If you install the Dynamic Update Client, be sure to configure it with the email address and password you used to log into your No-IP.com account. The client will run in the hidden icons tray on found on the bottom right of your desktop window; you’ll need to press the ^ on the task bar. Be sure to open it and click “File”, then “Preferences” and enable the option “Start this application automatically when the user logs on”. This will allow the program to start automatically after the user logs in.
Step 7: Configure your computer to accept remote connections.
- Select Start > Settings > System > Remote Desktop, and turn on Enable Remote Desktop. There will be a PC name found at the bottom of the Remote Desktop page that you will also need to take note of.
- Leave your computer running and connected to the Internet.
- It should now be ready to accept connections from the outside.
Step 8: Configure your router.
Note: If you can already reach your remote desktop system by IP address, then you can skip this step. Also, if your computer is directly attached to the ISP’s cable/DSL modem you can skip this step because you do not have a router.
If this is a new setup you will have to open some ports on your router or firewall. You will need to open port 3389 (tcp) to allow the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to operate normally. Most router vendors refer to this as “Port Forwarding” or “Virtual Services”. You will want to forward port 3389 to the internal IP address of the Windows machine you are trying to access. The internal IP address will be something similar to 192.168.x.x.
Step 9: Run your Remote Desktop client.
With the above configuration in place you can now run your remote access services using your host and domain name to access them. You will no longer have to remember the IP address of the machine you are trying to connect to.
Simply open your remote access client (we’re using Remote Desktop Connection in this example), fill in your hostname and click “Connect”.
Note: Any computer systems accessible from the Internet should be configured to use a username/password to authenticate users (this is separate from your No-IP credentials).
You can learn more about No-IP and Remote Access here.