Remote Connection Setup Guide

For ImageBank to work over a remote connection such as 3G or EDGE, you first need to make your computer accessible over the Internet.Since you're using ImageBank, you most likely have a wireless router connected to the cable or DSL model provided by your Internet Service Provider.  Your computer is pretty much not available (at least to ImageBank) because your router acts as a gatekeeper.  We need to open up a pathway, or a port to your computer so that ImageBank can request and receive images from your computer.

To do this we need to setup 2 things:
  1. Port Forwarding : This is configured on your router, and allows your computer to send and receive data directly from/to the ImageBank app.
  2. Dynamic DNS Hostname : Once you make your computer available on the Internet, the next step is to be able to find your computer.  This is done by using your "public" IP address given to you by your ISP.  The problem is that most users don't have a "static" IP address - the IP address given to you by your ISP changes periodically.  You'd have to manually check your public IP address periodically - this isn't something you'd necessarily want to do all the time.  Fortunately, there's a free service through dyndns.com that allows you to use a hostname that automatically maps to your IP address, even if your IP address is changed by your ISP.

Once this setup is done, you can choose the "Add a Server Manually" option in ImageBank, and manually enter the hostname and port to access your photos remotely.  Detailed instructions are as follows:

Port Forwarding (Airport Base Station/Mac OS)
  1. Find out your IP address in your home network. On your Mac, go to System Preferences -> Network.  Click on "AirPort" on the left pane and you should see it under the Status message. ("AirPort is connected to <your wireless network name> and has the IP address <your IP address>")
  2. Run the Airport Admin Utility (in /Applications/Utilities)
  3. Select your Base Station from the Base Station list.
  4. Select the "Port Mapping" tab.
  5. Click the "Add" button to add an entry.
  6. For "Public Port", enter 42111 (this is the default port used by ImageBank - if you changed it, enter the port number here)
  7. For "Private Address", enter your IP address you got from step 1.
  8. For "Private Port", enter 42111 (this is the default port used by ImageBank - if you changed it, enter the port number here)
  9. Click "OK".
  10.  Click "Update" for the settings to take effect.

For routers of other manufacturers, (Linksys,Netgear, etc) go to portforward.com for instructions on how to do port forwarding for your router.  The basic idea is to forward the port ImageBank Server is using (42111 by default) to your computer's IP address.

Dynamic DNS Hostname

  1. Go here: http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/
  2. Click "Create Hostname" to create a hostname.
  3. Enter your own hostname of your choosing.
  4. Click on the "Your current location IP address is.." link to populate the IP address
  5. Under "What do you want to use this host for?", choose "remote file access"
  6. click "Add to Cart".
  7. Note that this service should be completely free so you shouldn't have to pay for anything unless you've selected more options than listed above.
  8. You will be prompted to create an account and complete the host creation process.
  9. Download and install the DynDNS Updater Client for your Mac/PC:
    http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/dyndns-updater-guide-mac.html (Mac)
    http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/windows.html (Windows)
  10. This keeps your IP address in sync with your hostname.

Add the Server in the ImageBank App

  1. Tap on ImageBank on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap the "+" button to add a server
  3. Tap the "Add a Server Manually" item
  4. Enter a Server Name of your choosing
  5. Enter your newly created hostname you created with DynDNS above.
  6. Enter 42111 for the port number.
  7. Tap "Add Server"

..and you're done!  You should be able to access your photos from anywhere now.  For added security, you should password-protect your server by specifying a password in the "Settings" tab of ImageBank Server.