IP addresses are numerical labels to identify users within a network, within which there may be many users or devices connected or trying to connect, and in turn may not be able to communicate with the wireless network to establish a connection and create an IP address conflict; causing connectivity problems.
How to solve IP address conflicts?
When conflicts are generated within the IP addresses of a router, it is impossible to navigate the network, since two devices were assigned the same IP address to communicate. This causes one of the two computers to not be able to access the network, such that the first one is already connected with the same label; however, sometimes Neither of the two devices may be able to connect.
Reboot the router
To restart, the router in the traditional way, turning it off and on from its button, or with the second method that consists of entering its administration website with the IP address of the router, which you know through the ‘Windows Command Prompt’ , where typing the command ‘ipconfig’, you will see ‘Default gateway’ which is the IP of your router, its username and password can be found on the router label. Once inside, look for the ‘Management>Reboot’ option, and the router will automatically restart.
Change the static IP address
Let us remember that a device can have a dynamic or static IP address, being the static addresses the ones that do not change; In the event that your device is using a static IP address, to resolve the conflict it is advisable to change it, since the current one may be in conflict with the other IP addresses provided by the DHCP server.
Access the task bar and look for ‘Control Panel> Network and Internet> Network and Sharing Center’, there select the network to which you are connected and in the resulting dialog box click on ‘Properties’; there locate ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)’ and double click on it to open it, select ‘Use the following IP address’ and configure it.
To do the above, you must know the IP address of the router, the one with which access the administration websiteSo, the new IP address you assign must match the first 3 groups of digits, that is, if the address is ‘192.168.0.1’, you can assign the IP ‘192.168.0.2’. Next, assign the netmask which is usually ‘255.255.255.0’; save the settings by pressing ‘OK’ in all windows.
To achieve this, go to ‘Settings>Wifi’, there locate the network to which you are connected, click on ‘Advanced options’ and in IP settings, place ‘Static IP’, then assign the IP and netmask. Remember that, in the IP address you must assign the first three groups of the IP address of your router, you can only change the last group of numbers, that is, the digits after the last period.
Go to ‘Settings>Wi-FI>’i’ icon>IPv4 address>Configure IP>Manual’, there enter the private IP address, subnet mask and name of your router. Then, proceed to click on the ‘i’ icon that refers to the network information, and select ‘Renew Lease’; If it doesn’t work, and you haven’t been assigned the private IP address, you can delete the network settings.
Assign IP addresses to DHCP
Assigning IP addresses to DHCP is assign a dynamic IP offered directly by the server. To do this go to ‘Start>Settings>Network and Internet>Wi-Fi or Ethernet>Manage known networks’, there choose the network you want to change and then ‘Properties’, in the ‘IP assignment’ box press ‘edit’.
Next, edit the IP settings by selecting ‘Auto (DHCP)’, where the IP settings and DNS address are set directly by the router; end with ‘Save’ in all open dialogs, and you will have a DHCP IP address.
With the ipconfig /renew command
From the command console in Windows you can change the IP address of your device, this is possible if you have the assignment of dynamic IP addresses using DHCP (the previous step). Then go to start and type ‘cmd’ in the search bar, there select the application and right click on it to ‘Run as administrator’.
Once the command panel is open, type ipconfig and press Enter, there you will see the currently assigned IP addresses, then type another command ipconfig/release and then ipconfig renew; Both commands will work to release the IP address and then contact the gateway and request a new one with the DHCP protocol.
Update router firmware
To update the firmware from Windows manually, go to your browser to access the router settings; then enter the username and password of your router. Once inside the configuration look for the ‘System or configuration’ tab and look for ‘Update or Update Firmware’ Or use an app like Netgear’s Nighthawk.
How to expand my pool of IP addresses with routers?
A very easy solution is to expand the IP address pool, in case you have run out of available IP addresses to assign or connect to the router, and this is the fault causing the IP address conflicts; for this you can decrease the netmask number, which is usually 255.255.255.0 which allows 253 usable hosts, but if you change it to 255.255.254.0 you will now have 509 hosts available.
Why can an IP conflict happen and how to avoid them?
IP conflict problems can occur due to problems with the DHCP server, or when IP addresses are assigned manually without checking if it is being used by another device; that way you will not be able to connect to the internet, but, to avoid this, you must confirm the available IP address, assign IP addresses automatically and manage by DHCP server.