DynDNS on pfSense: step-by-step setup
pfSense includes a flexible Dynamic DNS client with a custom-service option. With DNS Beacon your firewall stays reachable under a permanent hostname even when your WAN IP changes. Here's the setup.
Step by step
- Open the admin interface of your pfSense / OPNsense and go to Services → Dynamic DNS → Add.
- Enter the values below. Your username is your account email, your password is an API key from the dashboard.
- Save the settings. Your hostname now updates automatically whenever your IP changes — usually within a minute.
Settings to enter
Services → Dynamic DNS → Add
- Service type:
- Custom
- Update URL:
- https://api.dnsbeacon.com/nic/update?hostname=%h&myip=%IP%
- Hostname:
- myhouse.dnsfollowme.uk
- Username:
- your email address
- Password:
- your API key
- IPv6:
- Add a second entry with service type "Custom (v6)", using &myipv6=%IP% instead of &myip=%IP% in its update URL.
IPv4 or IPv6?
The values above update the IPv4 address (A record) — the normal case on connections with their own public IPv4. For IPv6 (AAAA record) the device sends the parameter &myipv6=<IPv6> in addition or instead. How to do that on this device is in the "IPv6" row of the table.
DS-Lite or CGNAT (many cable and fibre connections): the router then has no public IPv4, and the service rejects a private WAN address with "abuse". In that case send only myipv6 — or use the DNS Beacon client directly on the target device, which detects both address families itself.
Need a free hostname first?
Create a free DNS Beacon account, add a hostname and generate an API key — then come back and finish the setup above.
Create free account