How do I update IP addresses if an updater client isn't an option?

[relztrah]

I supervise several networks for my organization. The employees all use laptops and move among the various locations with their separate networks, so an updater client won't work since our laptops log on to different wireless networks depending on where the employee is working.

I would like to use the OpenDNS web filter feature on all our networks and I would gladly pay the $28/yr. for the professional umbrella package if there were a way to upate IP addresses, all of which are dynamic. Is there an alternative to the updater client--perhaps a setting on the router itself--that would allow this?

[mattwilson9090]

You aren't clear if the networks your employees move amongst are ones that you control or if they belong to 3rd parties. If they are networks you control and own you could do the IP address updates on the router instead of on a PC. In fact there should only be one device on each network that does these updates anyway.

Whether or not your router is capable of doing the address updates depends on the router itself and the firmware that is loaded on it. Many recent consumer and SOHO routers are capable of doing the update directly to OpenDNS, or more commonly to DNS-O-Matic (an OpenDNS company/service) that can then update OpenDNS and many other services for you.

I'm not sure what your organization is, but it most definitely is not a home or family, so you'll need to pay for OpenDNS anyway.

I believe that the business versions of Umbrella all allow you to use an updater client to update the address to protect an entire network, basically the same as works with the free home product. For devices that connect to some other network, such as free WiFi at a coffee shop or even their home network many operating systems have an Umbrella agent available to them. It's not an IP updater, but rather is a way to make sure that mobile devices get the settings they are supposed to have, regardless of what network they are connected to.

Without knowing more about your organizations, or the types of devices we're talking about I can't really get more specific, but I'd say a combination of doing address updates from routers to protect the networks you control, and running the Umbrella agent on devices that leave the network (note the agent is only available for some operating systems) should do the trick for you. Try contacting OpenDNS sales for more information and accurate pricing since pricing does vary by the number of users you are supporting.

[relztrah]

Thank you for your prompt reply. All networks are part of our organization. We operate transitional housing and have several living facilities, all with wifi, plus two separate offices which have wifi as well. I oversee all networks and I'm able to change settings on all routers. However, our employees (fewer than ten) float among the different locations and connect to different networks. That's why I was hoping to find a solution that is not dependent on the updater client installed  on a laptop. 

I'll contact sales and inquire about a commercial umbrella package. Thank you again for your help.

[mattwilson9090]

It doesn't sound as if any of your facilities or offices have any permanent equipment other than routers. In that case you'll need to get the routers to do the address updating for you. Whether or not they can do that depends on router model and installed firmware, and like I said you might need to use DNS-O-Matic to do that. That will protect all devices on the network when you get Umbrella rolled out.

Have the umbrella client installed on the laptops will give you additional capabilities. I think you could do it without any sort of IP address going on, but then the only devices protected/filtered on your network would be what has the client installed. Meaning anything else on the network, including your tenants, or mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets would not also be filtered.