FAQ

What home domain should I pick in my HDA configuration?

We recommend a short domain. It's cute and it saves typing and electrons.

Do's and don'ts:

  • Don't use a dynamic DNS domain. These are really for use externally, not in your home network! (besides, you get a free, zero-configuration dynamic DNS address externally with your Amahi HDA install)
  • Don't use the same domain you get your email at*.
  • Don't use a long domain. Shorter makes your networking simpler.
  • Do feel free to use a vanity domain or one that does not exist on the Internet at large

Domains are restricted to containing letters, numbers, dashes and underscores.

We default to using home.com for your home DNS domain. That means your machines at home will be part of this DNS domain.

For instance, if you have an iPhone and a vaio computer, they will come up as iphone.home.com and vaio.home.com.

Note that this choice has no bearing with things as seen from the outside of your home network.

From inside, you will "own" that domain in your network and will not be able to see anything from that domain outside of your network. So we recommend you choose a domain that you

  • Don't care about seeing it from your network*, and/or
  • Does not exist

*There is one way for advance users to still see some machines outside of the network that use the same domain, by "punching a hole" in the DNS server.

Updated about 8 years ago

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