Home Computer Website

[IMNetUser]

I am working with an individual who has decided to setup a website on a home computer, BUT ....
Does NOT want to setup a server or pay money to a Hosting company (for reasons I will not get into here). The connection is a High Speed DSL DHCP connection (i.e. Dynamic IP Address).

After doing some searching and a little research, I may have came up with the best solution at WWW.No-IP.Com with different options from their Product Comparison Chart.

Has anyone had any experience using No-IP.Com and/or have any other recommendations ?

[Waggers]

"Does NOT want to setup a server or pay money to a Hosting company" - well they'll have to do one or the other, but I guess you mean they want to configure their home computer to act as a server.

I've no experience of No-IP although from their website alone (not always the best thing to go on) they look pretty good. My overall recommendation would be extreme caution though - the security risks would put me off such a venture.

It's worth checking what their ISP offer, and what the ISP's terms and conditions are. Most ISPs (certainly in the UK) offer webspace as part of the deal.

Another thing to check is the uplink connection speed - it's no good having a fast downlink but a slow uplink if you're contemplating using the connection this way.

Finally, there are <img src=/S/free.gif border=0 alt=free width=30 height=15> web hosts out there that may be worth looking at - although I had a jolly good look around when I was looking for a host for my own website, and didn't find one whose terms and conditions I could live with, so read the small print carefully! I ended up paying for a host, but I must emphasize the amount I pay is tiny (

[IMNetUser]

>> well they'll have to do one or the other, but I guess you mean they want to configure their home computer to act as a server.

Sorry - Should have been clearer. The computer will be hooked up to a seperate DSL Modem/Router ("Home" computers on a different DSL Modem/Router) with a 300GB NAS drive attached. The website will be on the NAS Drive which also has a built-in server for "Outside" access. Although I didn't recommend this setup, each DSL Modem/Router has a separate Dynamic IP Address and seems to be working.

>>My overall recommendation would be extreme caution though - the security risks would put me off such a venture.

Totally agree - which is partly why I made this post. I had already strongly recommended that a Hosting Company be used for this and other reasons (price, tech support, backup, online availability, etc).

There are a number of <img src=/S/free.gif border=0 alt=free width=30 height=15> sites available in the states along with numerous hosting options providing low monthly fee's. The ISP does offer hosting but is not the best choice price wise.

However, I found a major hosting company 1&1.Com that allows low cost options for Linux based Hosting or Microsoft Windows based Hosting. With current specials, prices range from $2.24/Month (Beginner) to $14.99/Month (Developer).

As for the uplink speed, he is using a local telephone company with an "Elite" package. The reported downlink is from 3.0 to 6.0 Mbps and uplink is 385 to 608Kbps. Slow in my opinion. BUT, over the past 4-5 weeks I have been doing upload tests to my online sever with some big files (several CD/DVD ISO files ranging from 20Meg to ~3GB) - over different times of days.

The worst case was just under 1.5MB uplink. Apparently the CO the DSL line is going to is on the edge of his property with a cable run of less than 60 feet. The ISP will not guarantee the uplink speed he is having, but apparently is not putting any inhibitors on the line. My concern is that if the ISP suddenly sees an extremely large amount of traffic on the line, inhibitors will be placed on the line to limit the uplink to his plans "Rated" uplink speeds.

This may become a non-issue in the near future. The individuals spouse works for a rival telephone company and might be telecommuting the majority of the time. If this happens, they are looking at getting the company to pay for a "Shared" T1 or ISDN line (max 5 users per line).

Thus, I am stuck with trying to setup the website on a home computer and "linking" to the internet for all to see - at least for now.

Obviously I have concerns and would rather go a more traditional route in lieu of me <img src=/S/hairout.gif border=0 alt=hairout width=31 height=23> !!!

Sorry for the long winded post but <img src=/S/thankyou.gif border=0 alt=thankyou width=40 height=15> for your response !