If you’ve ever tried to find your public IP address, you may have noticed that it changes from time to time. This is called a dynamic IP address because it can change at any time. Most ISPs assign dynamic IP addresses to their client clients for a variety of reasons. If you need a static IP address, you will usually have to switch to a business account if available in your area.
Assigning dynamic IP addresses to consumers actually has little history, and the original reason for using dynamic IP addresses is not quite the same as it is now. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a dynamic and static IP address assigned to your Internet connection? In this article, I will explain the reasons why ISPs currently use dynamic IP addresses.
Advantages of static and dynamic IP addresses
First, let’s look at the real advantages and disadvantages of static versus dynamic. The main reason most people get dynamic IP addresses, and it doesn’t really matter to them, is that they don’t need clients to establish incoming connections to their computers. Static IP addresses are required by users who host services from their servers or computers. Here are a couple of examples:
– FTP server
– Web server
– Game server (XBox, PlayStation)
– Virtual Private Network (VPN)
– Email server
– VOIP
– Remote Desktop
For most people, this is not what they plan to configure and therefore no static IP address is needed. Many ISPs also actively discourage and prevent users from hosting servers from home. With a static IP address, it is much easier to set up your mail server and start sending spam all over the world than if you are assigned a dynamic IP address. It’s also much easier to set up P2P servers where users can share large collections of copyrighted movies, music, etc. This ends up causing more problems and hurting people who don’t abuse the network.
History
Remember the days when you had to wait a full minute while your computer was connected to the Internet? After you finished, you also had to disconnect so you didn’t use up all your bandwidth in a month. At the time, you were probably only connected to the Internet for a few minutes to a few hours a day.
It would be prohibitively expensive to assign a static IP address to a user who only connects for a short period of time. Instead, when one user disconnected and another connected, it was much easier and cheaper to simply assign that IP address to the new connected client. So in a sense, for historical reasons, ISPs assign dynamic IP addresses, not static ones. However, this is no longer the main reason.
Maintenance / Configuration and IPv4
When a user is assigned a static IP address, it means they will have that one IP address all the time. This requires additional work on the part of the ISP as it requires additional configuration to set a static IP address. Moreover, if you decide to move to another area where you have the same ISP, you will probably need the same IP address, which will also require additional configuration.
Another problem arises when hardware needs to be replaced or upgraded. When replacing the router, the static IP address must be manually configured on the new router. A router with a dynamic IP address can be replaced and will function normally without additional IP address setting.
Also, if everyone gets a static IP address, it will be extremely inefficient. For example, if someone turns off their computer at home and is not using an Internet connection, then that IP address is still blocked for that user. ISPs only have certain blocks of IP addresses that they can work with, so the more IP addresses they can reuse, the better.
There is currently a shortage of IP addresses in the IPv4 system. This is also the reason why your local network uses private IP addresses that start with numbers like 10.0.x.x or 192.168.x.x. If you tried to assign a static IP address to every Internet-connected device in the world, it wouldn’t be possible because the actual IP addresses aren’t enough.
This is where IPv6 should come in and solve the problem. IPv4 addresses are 32 bits in length and therefore can only support about 4.29 billion addresses. IPv6 uses 64 bits and therefore can support 340,282,366,920,938,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 addresses! This is such a huge amount that I don’t even know what to call it. You can read more about IPv4 and IPv6 at Mashable.
ISP Pricing Structures
Another reason ISPs don’t provide everyone with a static IP is because they can make more money by charging for a static IP. As I mentioned above, there is a lot more you can do with a static IP address. Of course, you can always set up a so-called dynamic DNS that tracks the dynamic IP address change and allows you to connect using the DNS name and not the IP address, but this is definitely more complicated and not as easy as a static IP address. the address.
Some ISPs, like mine, AT&T, charge a monthly fee to provide you with a semi-static IP address. I say “semi-static” because this is just a DHCP server reservation, which means it will not change unless extreme circumstances arise. I believe it will be $ 15 a month with a 5% off and from there it will grow. Other ISPs charge more or less fees depending on the circumstances. Some don’t even offer it in residential areas.
Safety
Last but not least, dynamic IP addresses provide more security than static IP addresses. When a static IP address is assigned, it is much easier to carry out long-term repeated attacks against that IP address. There is less security risk for users with dynamic IP addresses as the IP address changes and therefore you are less susceptible to repeated attacks.
Plus, static IP addresses are easier for companies or hackers to track down. Most websites are already trying to track your browsing habits in order to show you more personalized ads, and with a static IP address this is even easier.
On the client side, the user can make the network less secure or less stable by using a static IP address for nefarious purposes. While most ISPs limit the amount of bandwidth a single user can use, someone with a static IP address can indirectly consume a lot of bandwidth. For example, if someone hosts a website from their home using a static IP address and hackers decide to launch a DDOS attack on that site, the ISP will be flooded with traffic that could slow down or cause disruption to other customers.
Hopefully this article has given you an idea of ??why ISPs assign dynamic IP addresses to users, and some of the advantages and disadvantages that this entails. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave comments. Enjoy!
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