Airport Express: IP address changed in the last few hours:

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Level 5

4,566 points

Airport Express: IP address changed in the last few hours:

While logged into facebook, I noticed that in security, it showed that I was logged in from a city 60 miles away, with an entirely different I.P. Address.

I immediately checked the airport utility, and it is also now showing this "new" ip address.

I use iCal email reminders and checked the raw source/headers, and from yesterday , they were the correct IP address that I've had for years. Seems this "change" occured very recently...less than 24 hours.

I just sent myself 2 emails and of course, the IP address is now the "changed" one. FWIW, I am using an Airport Express 802.11 b/g compatible, (2005 or 2006, I think).

Channel says "automatic". (It always has).

Running Lion OS X, everythings up to date. I am wondering why this ip address has changed. Usually, the town will fluctuate from my town to the next town, but it never changes the IP address numbers.

Currently, it says that it is a city 60 miles away, and the IP address numbers are totally different than the ones I've had for years.

Should I be concerned? 😮

iMac

Posted on Mar 8, 2012 10:57 PM

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Answer 1

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boink boink

Level 2

281 points

Mar 8, 2012 11:13 PM in response to Cåts

i think you shouldn't be. your isp is the one controlling the ip distribution. possibly, a location based service was using that ip before it was allocated to upon the IP refresh.

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Answer 2

Cåts Author

Level 5

4,566 points

Mar 9, 2012 12:14 PM in response to boink boink

thanks for answering.

The thing that caught my attention is that the IP address has always been the same, for years. I decided to call my IS Provider a few minutes ago. When I inquired about it, they claimed that my IP address "ALWAYS" changes, daily. And that it is never the same. I know this is not correct, unless I'm totally missing something.

I did a little more digging and noticed that my IP is no longer "Static" but is now "Dynamic". I know that the latter is supposed to be more secure. My thinking is that my IS Provider didn't want to go into details to answer my question.

If my IP address changes daily or at every log in as the IS Provider claims, then I would have to wonder why, since yesterday, I have the same "new" IP address- I would think that it changes every login as they explained to me. Again, I could be totally missing something here. I guess I'm just wondering why they couldn't explain to me, as you did, what is going on. I believe they were upgrading the system to make it more secure but didn't want to say that. Thanks for your input. It's appreciated😎

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Answer 3

Mar 9, 2012 12:20 PM in response to Cåts

In my experience most ISPs use standard DHCP. Your modem gets it's worldly IP when it connects, and that will be unlikely to change for long periods unless you:

- reset the modem, or disconnect it for any appreciable time like a few days or weeks

- the ISP does some network service or reconfiguration that resets everyones IP on one or more network nodes.

My Time Warner cable IP will be static for weeks or months at a time, then some network service will occur overnight or sometime and it will reset.

I've never heard of an ISP randomly reassinging IPs daily - it would be really annoying for a lot of people!

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Answer 4

Cåts Author

Level 5

4,566 points

Mar 9, 2012 3:26 PM in response to Michael Black

I totally agree with you!! It would be unlikely to change unless the modem was reset or disconnected, etc. Everything you say is on target!! I didn't reset anything, but the ISP provider has been doing upgrades in my neighborhood! Yet, they tell me that it's going to change EVERY DAY? Lunacy.

I just got back from checking 2 neighbor's computers and..naturally, their IP addresses have been changed, also, to a location 60 miles away. I just with the ISP would admit they did the upgrade....It makes no sense to me that an ISP would be reassessing IPs daily...

Since mine was changed ...it has remained the same. I think they just don't want to admit that there were some kind of problems but to feed me a load of bull about what was done is pathetic. Thanks for your input! I appreciate it!😎

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Answer 5

Cåts Author

Level 5

4,566 points

Mar 9, 2012 3:25 PM in response to Michael Black

Not sure why it credited ME for YOU solving my question..I clicked that YOU SOLVED it...

How do I fix that?? I want to give credit where credit is due!!

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Answer 6

Mar 9, 2012 4:43 PM in response to Cåts

Thanks, but don't worry about the points, I don't. I wonder if what you were told was just a phone support person who knew the network or field techs were doing something to the system so they just spouted out something without really knowing what they were talking about. Would not be the first time - I've been told things by an ISP over the phone, then actually talked to the guys out at the curb and found out the phone people were basically talking out of their you-know-whats. The very first time I got DSL about 12-13 years ago, I knew I was all of about 1000yds from the DSLAM center so should have had absolutely optimal performance. But it sucked, and phone suppoet had me resetting modems and checking network settings on my iBook! It was only when I got a number for a local field engineer that he ran a quick test on my line, and sure enough, they had enabled my account on an older DSLAM miles away downtown, and not in the new center down the street.

I could see a situation were a company rewiring neighborhoods or adding switches and repeaters did have a period where things get reset frequently for a short while as they get the work completed. But it should go back to normal after the work is completed.

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Answer 7

Cåts Author

Level 5

4,566 points

Mar 9, 2012 5:14 PM in response to Michael Black

Thanks for understanding about the points. I felt bad about that.

Exactly: phone tech guy, 2 separate ones - (I called twice...) told me basically the same BS. Definitely blowing hot air out of their rear ends. I agree, the guys at the curb always seem to give the straight story. Wow..that is some story about your iBOOK and being that close to the DSLAM center.

And yes, they are rewiring everything in our neighborhoods, between 1 and 6 a.m. and we were all notified. It's just funny that, knowing this and then calling and asking them, they make up stuff. ::shakes fist:: I'm not having any problems with internet speed or anything, but it raised an alarm that maybe something was wrong, when I noticed that the IP address changed. I kind of got "attached" to my initial IP address. (which they told me was impossible to have had for 6 years, but I know for a fact that I had the same one!) Which iBOOK do you have? My first Mac was an iBOOK. I still have it. 9.36 gb total. But it's great. Kind of like an iPAD with a lid. A bit slow but it still runs. Have a Macbook, iMac, iPad 2 and iPOD Touch. Fun stuff 🙂 Thanks again!

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