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jhurstcoxnet's avatar
jhurstcoxnet
New Contributor
4 years ago

Trying to reset my WAN IP address in 2021 and get a new IP

Was doing some research and found that my IP address hadn't changed in almost 30 days - very worrisome for security and privacy reasons.

I'm a RESIDENTIAL subscriber, not a business subscriber so I shouldn't have a static IP assigned to me at all times.

I've been trying to reset my IP address by rebooting my Internet modem - no dice. I've left it unplugged and not powered for 5-12 hours - still same IP.

Did Cox suddenly stop doing Dynamic IP configs? Are all customers just static now? I tried calling technical support about this and they weren't of any help, totally incompetent.

Are any Cox Communications technical support personnel able to verify or assist with my concerns? I do NOT want to retain the same public WAN IP address for any longer than 2 or 3 weeks. That's insane.

Thanks in advance.

internet
Ip Address
ipv4
WAN
WAN lease time
  • Superbigwaff's avatar
    Superbigwaff
    Contributor
    4 years ago

    Why do you believe having an assigned IP address which doesn't change for a period of time is a security and/or privacy concern?

    One way to possibly be assigned a new IP address is to turn off the modem and connect a different device to the modem. The MAC address of the device connected to the modem is passed to the network. So instead of your wifi router connected to the cable modem, connect your laptop. Turn on the modem and your laptop will possibly cause the modem to be assigned a different IP address because the laptop has a different MAC address than the router. However, even after turning everything off and connecting the router back to the cable modem, it may still be assigned the same IP address. 

    • jhurstcoxnet's avatar
      jhurstcoxnet
      New Contributor
      4 years ago

      Because it simply is one. Having a dynamic IP configuration grants users safety and security by obfuscating unique identifiers from outside parties. Having an IP follow a specific user for too long creates the risk of having them be identified and tracked by malicious or otherwise exploitive entities or third parties, such as scammers, DDoS, etc. It's part of the reason why many users will employ VPNs.

      In any case, I appreciate your comment.