# Changing my IP address



## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

Since dial-up I was used to having a dynamic IP, but now that I'm on cable it's static. Someone told me that restarting the modem after a shut-off will give me a new IP, but it appears to be same one I had before. 

I'd like a dynamic IP. How can I change it?


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## Script Kiddie (Jan 30, 2003)

If you really do have a static IP then no amount of restarting the modem will change it. Usually you pay _extra_ for a static IP because of its value for remote access. Why do you want a dynamic IP anyway? There is nothing more or less secure about it...


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

Script Kiddie said:


> If you really do have a static IP then no amount of restarting the modem will change it. Usually you pay _extra_ for a static IP because of its value for remote access. Why do you want a dynamic IP anyway? There is nothing more or less secure about it...


I need a dynamic IP to browse more anonymously at certain sites. The IP may have changed when I restarted my modem because I didn't write down the number entirely during my last connection. I only took note of the first and last numbers, and saw them again when I restarted the modem. I'll try this again, after first jotting down the whole IP.


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## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

I have a feeling you likely have a dynamically assigned IP. Check your lease time.

Dynamic IPs on cable/DSL are more likely to stay the same over longer periods due to the way addresses are dished out to clients. With the service "always on", and a lease time normally of a few days or longer, it is more than likely that if you shut off your machine for the night, when it requests a new IP the next day, it is likely to get the same IP address in the lease again, as the MAC address of the cable modem, and the network card requesting the address match the lease server.

This aspect of using a dynamic IP to browse more anonymously to certain sites is a bit misleading too. Most always-on connections, as mentioned before, keep the same IP address for long periods. As far as the web hosts are concerned, they will only see a request coming in from a certain IP from an ISP. If you are concerned with IP attacks coming from the website, get a broadband router/firewall to protect yourself from inbound connections.
(Actually, get one regardless - hackers will try and log in to any open socket possible along any number of IP blocks that the broadband ISP carries)


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## Kosh (May 27, 2002)

MissGulch said:


> I'd like a dynamic IP. How can I change it?


Like the others, I highly doubt that your IP address is static as most cable ISPs use DHCP. Chances are the lease is just longer than you're used to. 

Generally, you can't change your IP address, your ISP is in control of that. Your ISP is control of whether you get a static or dynamic IP address and the lease time.


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## asylus (Oct 7, 2005)

MissGulch said:


> I need a dynamic IP to browse more anonymously at certain sites.


This isn't really the case. Most major ISPs keep detailed logs of information that can tie an IP address the the account and network device (computer, router, VoIP device, etc.) leasing the IP at a given time.

Of course, that kind of information would probably only go out with a warrant or subpoena, so I guess it comes down to what you need anonymity for...


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## Stephanie (Jul 21, 2004)

In my own experience, ISPs like Sympatico, using PPPoE, tended to change my IP address every couple days. And turning the modem (or router) off and on would be about a 50/50 chance of getting a new IP address immediately.

With cable ISPs however, even though they use DHCP, the IP address could remain unchanged for months, even years. I was with Rogers High Speed for about 3 years originally, and my IP address changed only once in that time. I have a customer who's been with Rogers for 3 or 4 years now and their IP address has changed only twice so far. 

A Rogers tech once told me that their IP addresses were 'pseudo-static'. I don't know if this is true today, but at the time, he said that they were basicaly static IP addresses since there was nothing in the system that would cause an IP address to change, short of physical changes to the DHCP servers in your area. That was certainly the case when I was with Rogers. The one time my IP changed was when they upgraded the equipment in the neighborhood.

-Stephanie


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## asylus (Oct 7, 2005)

Most large-scale DHCP solutions will favour the same IP to same MAC address, provided the MAC is still active (means less work server-side with changing DNS reverse lookups, new mapping/routings, etc.) Thus, with always-on service, dynamic plans typically keep the same IP for long periods.


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## MissGulch (Jul 20, 2005)

This is very interesting, and I'm learning a lot from your responses. My friend told me that the IP changes every time the modem syncs anew with the server, but I'll tell him it isn't so. 

I would like to mask my IP sometimes, as I surf a lot. I dump cookies every few days which helps a little, but I constantly get loan spams with my first name and age in the subject line. I get targeted advertising when I surf to a new page. I have nothing nefarious planned, but I'd like a little bit of privacy when I surf.


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## Labonza (Jan 11, 2005)

Apparently, turning your cable modem off for at least 8 hours will get you a new IP address. But not alway, it seems to be hit and miss.


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## TrevX (May 10, 2005)

MissGulch said:


> This is very interesting, and I'm learning a lot from your responses. My friend told me that the IP changes every time the modem syncs anew with the server, but I'll tell him it isn't so.
> 
> I would like to mask my IP sometimes, as I surf a lot. I dump cookies every few days which helps a little, but I constantly get loan spams with my first name and age in the subject line. I get targeted advertising when I surf to a new page. I have nothing nefarious planned, but I'd like a little bit of privacy when I surf.


Here is some information on surfing anonymously. It entails surfing through an anonymizer service, or a proxy server. Check it out:

http://tools.rosinstrument.com/proxy/howto.htm

Trev


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## Script Kiddie (Jan 30, 2003)

I think what you're looking for is "Private Browsing" option in Safari.


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## jicon (Jan 12, 2005)

Labonza said:


> Apparently, turning your cable modem off for at least 8 hours will get you a new IP address. But not alway, it seems to be hit and miss.


That will completely depend on your ISP, and how DHCP is configured on the server.

On Shaw's network, IPs are tied to the MAC of the cable modem, and the MAC of the router/computer requesting the IP. If the network in the area had a two day IP lease, leaving the modem unplugged for two days *might* get you a different IP, but you'd have to be sure no one else has requested a lease for your old address. When it comes to cable, that generally means new subscribers only.

So, either a new modem, new network card, or a new range of IP leased by DHCP will guarantee a new IP.


Of further interest, DHCP leases are renewed at intervals of 50% of the last request time.

So, a two day lease is renewed after 24 hours by the client. If there is no response from the server, another attempt will be made after 12 hours, etc.


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## Melonie (Feb 10, 2005)

I've never had the need for it, and don't really know what it's all about, but doesn't Safari have a "Private Browsing" feature? MissGulch, would this not serve your needs?

Mel


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## asylus (Oct 7, 2005)

MissGulch said:


> I would like to mask my IP sometimes, as I surf a lot. I dump cookies every few days which helps a little, but I constantly get loan spams with my first name and age in the subject line. I get targeted advertising when I surf to a new page. I have nothing nefarious planned, but I'd like a little bit of privacy when I surf.


This sounds to be less an IP-related issue, and much more so general spam. Spammers, etc. cannot get your name, age, or identity based on your IP address. Generally, such information is:


gathered/sold by software "companies" who ask you to supply information in order to download something
scraped from web pages/domain names (if you have either)
compromised from someone else's computer, where you are in their address book, and they are infected by spyware (sadly, Windows users)
I don't think masking your IP is going to help you with the problem you describe...


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## asylus (Oct 7, 2005)

The targeted advertising while surfing intrigues me - I don't even know how that would happen? Popups? Which browser/version are you using?


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## ranjana (Sep 24, 2013)

MissGulch said:


> Since dial-up I was used to having a dynamic IP, but now that I'm on cable it's static. Someone told me that restarting the modem after a shut-off will give me a new IP, but it appears to be same one I had before.
> 
> I'd like a dynamic IP. How can I change it?


Static ip address wont change at any situation.Contact your service provider to get the dynamic ip address.After getting the dynamic ip address you can check ip address is changing or not with the site Ip-details.com


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

ranjana said:


> Static ip address wont change at any situation.Contact your service provider to get the dynamic ip address.After getting the dynamic ip address you can check ip address is changing or not with the site Ip-details.com


I'm giving the benefit of the doubt here that as a new user you simply failed to check the dates on the thread. 

Date of postings is upper left for each posting.

Other than that we do need to add a Zombie emoticon to the choices.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

Correct me if I'm wrong... (gently!).... but even those of us who have dynamically-assigned IP addresses only have a variance in the final two numbers of the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (i.e., after the second period). The first three sets of numbers correspond to the ISP, which has a "block" of IPs which it is permitted to allocate to subscribers.

So even IF you have a dynamic IP, it's only dynamic within the subscriber base of your ISP (and likely narrowed down quite a bit further than that).


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## John Clay (Jun 25, 2006)

CubaMark said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong... (gently!).... but even those of us who have dynamically-assigned IP addresses only have a variance in the final two numbers of the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx (i.e., after the second period). The first three sets of numbers correspond to the ISP, which has a "block" of IPs which it is permitted to allocate to subscribers.
> 
> So even IF you have a dynamic IP, it's only dynamic within the subscriber base of your ISP (and likely narrowed down quite a bit further than that).


It depends on the kind of connection. If you're on cable, then pools of IPs are assigned to geographic areas within a city. If it's DSL, then pools of IPs are assigned from a much larger pool, based on the province (or larger area).


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