Network Access

Network Access — Without a Static IP

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Tesla Carview runs on your own server — but for it to be reachable from the internet (including from your Tesla), you need a stable, publicly accessible address. This page walks you through every option, step by step.

Not an IT expert? Follow this page from top to bottom. Every option includes precise instructions with no assumed knowledge.

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Which option is right for me?

Your situation	Best option
Home internet (IP changes daily)	Option A: Cloudflare Tunnel or Option B: DynDNS + Router
Cable / fibre — can't open ports (CG-NAT)	Option A: Cloudflare Tunnel
VPS / server at a hosting provider	Option C: VPS with static IP
You own a domain	Option D: Own domain + DNS record

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The problem with home internet

Your home internet connection gets a new IP address every day (or more often). This means the address you enter today is wrong tomorrow.

Dynamic DNS solves this:

• You reserve a fixed hostname (e.g. my-tesla.duckdns.org)
• A small program on your router or server automatically reports each new IP
• Your hostname always points to the current IP — no manual updates needed

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Are you behind CG-NAT?

Many cable providers (Vodafone, Virgin Media, and others) no longer give each customer their own public IPv4. Multiple customers share one IP — this is Carrier-Grade NAT (CG-NAT).

How to check:

1. Visit https://api4.my-ip.io/ip — note the IP shown
2. Open your router's status page — note the WAN IP there
3. If the two IPs are different → you are behind CG-NAT

With CG-NAT, port forwarding does not work. Use Option A (Cloudflare Tunnel) — it doesn't need open ports.

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Option A: Cloudflare Tunnel (Recommended)

Cloudflare Tunnel creates an encrypted outbound connection from your server to Cloudflare's global network. No port forwarding needed. Free. Works behind CG-NAT.

Requirements: A domain, or a free subdomain (instructions below).

Step 1: Get a free domain (if you don't have one)

Go to duckdns.org, sign in with Google or GitHub, choose a name → you get e.g. my-tesla.duckdns.org for free.

Or buy a cheap domain (~$1/year) at Porkbun, Namecheap, or inwx.de.

Step 2: Add your domain to Cloudflare

1. Register at dash.cloudflare.com — free
2. Click "Add a Site" → enter your domain → Free plan
3. Cloudflare shows you two nameserver addresses, e.g.:

   alice.ns.cloudflare.com
   bob.ns.cloudflare.com
   

4. Go to your domain registrar and enter these as the nameservers
5. Wait 10–30 minutes → Cloudflare confirms "Nameservers updated"

Step 3: Install and configure cloudflared

On your server (via SSH):

# Download and install
curl -fsSL https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared/releases/latest/download/cloudflared-linux-amd64.deb \
  -o /tmp/cloudflared.deb
dpkg -i /tmp/cloudflared.deb

# Log in (a browser link is shown — open it)
cloudflared tunnel login

# Create tunnel
cloudflared tunnel create tesla-carview
# Note the Tunnel ID shown!

Create config file:

mkdir -p /etc/cloudflared
nano /etc/cloudflared/config.yml

Content (replace YOUR_TUNNEL_ID and yourdomain.com):

tunnel: YOUR_TUNNEL_ID
credentials-file: /root/.cloudflared/YOUR_TUNNEL_ID.json

ingress:
  - hostname: tesla.yourdomain.com
    service: http://localhost:80
  - service: http_status:404

Create DNS entry automatically:

cloudflared tunnel route dns tesla-carview tesla.yourdomain.com

Step 4: Install as a system service

cloudflared service install
systemctl enable cloudflared
systemctl start cloudflared

Done. Tesla Carview is now accessible at https://tesla.yourdomain.com — with automatic HTTPS, no open ports, no static IP needed.

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Option B: DynDNS + Home Router

Important: Only works if you have a real public IPv4 address. Check for CG-NAT first.

Step 1: Register with a DynDNS service

Dynu (free, no monthly confirmation required):

1. Go to dynu.com → create account → DDNS → Add
2. Enter a name, e.g. my-tesla → you get my-tesla.freeddns.org
3. Note your hostname, username, and password (Control Panel → API Credentials)

DuckDNS (even simpler):

1. duckdns.org → sign in → choose subdomain → note your token

Step 2: Configure your router

FritzBox:

1. Open http://fritz.box → Internet → Sharing → DynDNS

2. Check "Use DynDNS" and fill in:

   Field	Dynu	DuckDNS
   Provider	User-defined	User-defined
   Update URL	https://api.dynu.com/nic/update?hostname=<domain>&myip=<ipaddr>	https://www.duckdns.org/update?domains=YOURNAME&token=YOURTOKEN&ip=<ipaddr>
   Domain	my-tesla.freeddns.org	my-tesla.duckdns.org
   Username	Dynu username	—
   Password	Dynu password	—

3. Click Apply → green checkmark = working

Other routers: Look for "Dynamic DNS" or "DDNS" in the internet/WAN settings.

Step 3: Port forwarding

So incoming traffic reaches your server:

FritzBox: Internet → Sharing → Port Sharing → New Port Sharing → Other Application

Field	Value
Name	Tesla Carview
Protocol	TCP
External port	443
To device	Your server's local IP (e.g. 192.168.1.100)
Internal port	443

Tip: Give your server a fixed local IP. On FritzBox: Home Network → Network → your device → Always assign this IP.

Step 4: SSL certificate and Tesla Carview config

# Set FRONTEND_URL in /opt/tesla-carview/backend/.env:
FRONTEND_URL=https://my-tesla.freeddns.org

# Get SSL certificate:
certbot --nginx -d my-tesla.freeddns.org

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Option C: VPS at a Hosting Provider

A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a small rented Linux server with a fixed, permanent public IP. No DynDNS, no port forwarding needed.

Price comparison (2025):

Provider	Product	Price/month
Hetzner	CX22	~€4.35
netcup	VPS 1000 G11	~€4.44
Contabo	VPS S	~€5.99

Setup (example: Hetzner):

1. Register → create server → choose Ubuntu 24.04 → note the public IP
2. SSH in: ssh root@YOUR-SERVER-IP
3. Run the setup script:

   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/KnevS/Tesla-Carview/main/deploy/setup.sh | bash

The script asks for your domain name and configures nginx + Let's Encrypt automatically.

Then point a domain at it → Option D

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Option D: Own Domain with DNS Record

If you have your own domain and a server with a fixed IP, create an A record:

What is an A record? It's a phone-book entry: tesla.yourdomain.com → 123.456.789.0

At Cloudflare DNS: DNS → Add record → Type: A, Name: tesla, IPv4: your server IP → Save

At Namecheap: Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS → Add New Record → A Record, Host: tesla, Value: your IP

At IONOS: Domains → your domain → DNS → Add record → A, Hostname: tesla, Destination: your IP

At Hetzner DNS (dns.hetzner.com): Select zone → Records → Add Record → A, Name: tesla, Value: your IP

TTL: Set 300 (5 minutes) initially — makes it easy to correct errors. Increase to 3600 later.

Verify propagation

nslookup tesla.yourdomain.com
# or online: https://dnschecker.org

Dynamic IP with your own domain

If your domain but no fixed IP:

CNAME → DuckDNS (router keeps DuckDNS updated):

tesla.yourdomain.com  →  CNAME  →  my-tesla.duckdns.org

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Decision Tree

Is your router IP different from what https://api4.my-ip.io/ip shows?
  YES (CG-NAT) → Option A: Cloudflare Tunnel
  NO:
    Do you have a server in a data centre?
      YES → Option C + D (VPS + DNS record)
      NO (home network):
        Do you have your own domain?
          YES → Option B (DynDNS) + Option D (DNS record)
          NO  → Option B with free subdomain (DuckDNS/Dynu)

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Common Problems

"Site not reachable" right after setup

DNS takes 5–30 minutes to propagate. Test locally first:

curl -I http://localhost

"Certificate invalid" / HTTPS errors

certbot renew --force-renewal
systemctl restart nginx

Router DynDNS update URL not working

Your router replaces <ipaddr> automatically — don't fill it in manually. Test the URL in a browser by replacing <ipaddr> with your actual current IP.

"My WAN IP starts with 100. or 10."

That's CG-NAT → use Option A (Cloudflare Tunnel).

IPv6 / no IPv4

Newer fibre connections use IPv6. It works the same — use a AAAA record instead of A in DNS. Your router keeps a fixed IPv6 prefix (no DynDNS needed for IPv6 on most connections).

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Useful Links

• Cloudflare Tunnel docs
• DuckDNS — free dynamic DNS
• Dynu DDNS — free, no monthly confirmation
• dnschecker.org — verify DNS propagation worldwide
• api4.my-ip.io/ip — check your public IP

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