IP Address?

Are IP addresses static? ie is one's computer stuck with the same IP address forever if one stays in the same place/area? Or when one turns their computer off and then switch it back on again will I have a different IP address?

Public Comments

1. always the same
2. It depends upon where you get your IP from. If you have a home computer it will depend upon your ISP. Some use static IPs and others use dynamic IPs. The same applies at work. At my office we use static IPs but are moving to DHCP. You can probably find out by checking with your ISP. Also, look at the TCP/IP network settings on your computer.
3. The IP address that's allocated to you by your ISP are generally dynamic and can change each time you reconnect to your ISP to establish an internet connection. Static IP addresses are generally issued to servers that's visible to the public (webservers, DNS servers, etc.) and users that maintain his/her own server that's accessed by the outside world. There are some ISP that will issue you a static IP address if you request and willing to pay an additional service for that service. Computers networked on a LAN (Local Area Network) are often using Private IP space (e.g. 10-space and 192-space) and are invisible to the outside world. These can be handled manually such that the IP address is static or dynamically through the DHCP server and while this can be dynamic, typically the IP address is assigned to the same machine so long as its lease does not expired or gets renewed before expiration.
4. It depends. You can manually set the ip address to be static or if you don't mess with it it can change. Most IP addresses are "leased" from a DHCP server. The leasing last for 7 days but is renewed at 3.5 days. If you have a pc and move it to another place like a coffe shop to a hotel it will get a different IP address. A good book to start to learn this is Networking for Dummies. Enjoy
5. It depends on your ISP BTs are usually Dynamic (change with each connection)
6. There are mostly likely 2 different IP's address you care concerned about. You local IP is that of the computer in front of you. Typically that is 192.168.0.1xx or similar if you have a standard router. That address typically lasts a few days, and if you computer is active during that time it will renew the ip so it will not change, unless the router restarts and other computers power on and take the IP addres. The more important IP address is your EXTERNAL, that is the address your ip assigns to you. they can be anything from 1.0.0.1 to 255.255.255.255 (with some exceptions). To find out your EXTERNAL ip address goto http://www.ipchicken.com/ that address is the address of your home, and all the computers at your house share that number. Now, that number maybe static and never change, or may change when the modem/router restarts. Typically it doesn't change to often. Feel free to write down your ip and just check the site every few days to see if it does change.
7. It completely depends on your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Some will give you a static address which will be yours whenever you dial-up, whereas others will use a dynamic system to allocate a different address each time. With some providers you need to pay more for a static address.
8. IP address can be ''static or dynamic'' The reason why each computer is given an IP (Internet protocol)address, is that it makes it simple to organise a network and tell the location of the Host.