IP Address

[sherrardk]

What is an IP Address attached to - is it a particular computer or phone number? Thanks

[Richard1966]

Most IP addresses are floating. That is they are not fixed to a specific PC but are allocated by a router each time you access the internet. Thats the situation in very basic terms because it is possible to have a fixed IP address but these are used in specific networking situations. Again this is very simplistic.

[sherrardk]

Hi, Richard - we have a business and when I google it a little star thing comes up and box of information appears including our IP Address, however there is someone a little bit below us with the same IP Address - is this possible?

[Buenchico]

ISPs usually allocate IP addresses 'dynamically'. That means that they've got a bank of IP addresses allocated to them and, whenever you connect to the internet, one is randomly allocated to you. If you disconnect, that IP address becomes free and it will be allocated to someone else. (When you connect to the internet again you'll be given a different IP address).

It's possible to have a 'static' IP address (i.e. one that never changes) but you normally have to pay extra for the service. (Generally you don't need a static address unless you're hosting a web site on your own computer, rather than on a host's server).

If you Google your business, and your IP address is shown, it's likely that the address shown is simply one of the many which might have been allocated to your account over a period of time. Other internet users, with the same ISP, might well have the same IP address listed.

One of the problems with dynamic IP addresses occurs if someone has sent out lots of spam from an address which is later allocated to you. Spam-blocking services might then filter out any mail from that IP address, meaning that your own emails don't reach heir intended recipients.

To see your current IP address, simply click here:
http://whatismyipaddress.com/

Chris

[rojash]

Your original question wasn't very clear. I guess Chris assumed that you were talking about your Internet connection, whereas it seems you actually meant the IP address of your web site.

Most SME web sites are hosted on shared servers, so it's quite possible for a number of sites to have the same IP address. The actual web site then resolves to specific folder on the web server.