Windows 8 Is you IP address tied to you location or your router?

MikeHawthorne

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Microsoft Community Contributor
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May 25, 2009
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Hi

Quick question.

As I mentioned elsewhere I was hit by lightning again.
It took out my router, and I have a new one.

Several sites have questioned my IP address since.
One said that someone was trying to log into my Guild Wars 2 account from a different IP address etc.

Is this because every router has it's own IP number?
I guess I always figured that my IP address had been the same for years.
I don't remember this before when changing to a new router.

Mike
 
Solution
There are 2 types of IP in every network. Within your home network, you call it LAN IP (Local area network, ex. 192.168.X.XXX) where IP addresses are assigned by your router (via DHCP) or can be manually assigned by the user. The IP that connects you to the rest of the world which is provided by your ISP is called WAN IP (Wide area network, ex. 99.237.XXX.XXX). This is the IP that is attached to your location. Your ISP probably assigned you a different WAN IP when they restored your broadband connection or the lease has expired and you were issued a new one.

WAN IP can also be used if you want to access, say, your NAS from your home to any part of the world.

To find out your WAN IP (that also tells your location, ISP and other info)...
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There are 2 types of IP in every network. Within your home network, you call it LAN IP (Local area network, ex. 192.168.X.XXX) where IP addresses are assigned by your router (via DHCP) or can be manually assigned by the user. The IP that connects you to the rest of the world which is provided by your ISP is called WAN IP (Wide area network, ex. 99.237.XXX.XXX). This is the IP that is attached to your location. Your ISP probably assigned you a different WAN IP when they restored your broadband connection or the lease has expired and you were issued a new one.

WAN IP can also be used if you want to access, say, your NAS from your home to any part of the world.

To find out your WAN IP (that also tells your location, ISP and other info) follow this link: wanip.info

Having someone asked you about IP issues with your online account is good. That means, a security procedure is in place. Just like credit cards. When I went out of the country one time and used my credit card, the credit card company contacted me to verify if a made a credit card transaction from somewhere else.


Cheers!



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Solution
The new router will have a different mac address than the old one and will be identified by your service provider as a new connection then given (by default) a new ip address. However they can if asked reset their reserved address list in order to assign you the old ip address again if it is making an issue.
 
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Hi

Thanks for your info.

Right after I posted the question, I logged into The Elder Scrolls Online and it made me verify my ID via an email, because it showed I was at a different address.

I've changed routers before but this is the first time I remember this happening.

Mike
 
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