An IP (Internet Protocol) address is as unique as a phone or social security number. These numbers are assigned to our devices by our ISP (Internet Service Provider), helping us identify each other on the internet. Imagine every connected device in the world: everyday gateways (routers) for our homes, small to large business firewalls (advanced routers), smart phones and smart devices, each requiring unique IP addresses. Currently, the IP address we use is called IPv4, which consists of 1-3 numbers divided by a period.
With that in mind, just as the name states, a dynamic IP address is a changing public IP address. Normally, the dynamic public IP address is leased to us anywhere from 1 week to 1 month. This varies so it is hard to know exactly. This is more prevalent for big Internet Service Providers. I have seen dynamic public IP addresses last up to a year and some last few hours. When your router looses temporary connection to the local hub, the first connection of your internet provider, a new dynamic public IP address is assigned next time you regain connection. Unlike the dynamic public IP address, your ISP gives you a static public IP address. A static public IP address never changes when you first sign up for this service. Normally static public IP addresses cost you a monthly fee that is outside your normal internet connection fee. Because of this, many internet service providers do not give away static IP address easily. Since the number of IP address assigned to them is limited, everyone gets a dynamic public IP address.
When you make a phone call, one requires the other contact’s unique phone number for an immediate connection. What helps us sustain the phone call communication is a series of cellar towers or phone lines. The world-wide network works the same way. A router helps to establish a local connection by connecting all of our devices with private IP address; these can be dynamic or static. Unlike a public IP address, these connections are usually very private and localized. From there the router is connected to a local hub run by the Internet service provider. When you go to a website your PC private IP address connects to your local router’s gateway, which is usually different than your public IP address. Then the router’s public IP address communicates with the website’s gateway, starting a series of handshakes. You might be saying to yourself, “but the website I am visiting has a name (for more please read DNS).” This is true in sense, because the website you are visiting is made easy for by assigning a name to a public IP address. This called DNS or Domain Name Service. This is done because it is easier to remember a name rather than a number.
There are many misunderstandings about static public IP addresses. Static public IP addresses can be assigned to local or internal devices. These internal devices are normally handled by your router. Many of the calls I receive entail, “why am I not receiving the camera feed on my security camera system?” In this scenario, you might have purchased a single static public IP address. This number is usually assigned to the router’s gateway and it is the first IP address that helps you connect to the web. You cannot assign this lone static public IP address to your security camera system. One must purchase a range of static public IP address, which are then correctly scripted into your router by the Internet service provider; otherwise, your additional static public IP address will be locked or blocked by your router.
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