What Is a Dynamic IP Address?

In the digital world, IP addresses are your digital code to confirm your device’s identification. But do you know what a dynamic IP address is? This post will introduce it to you and list its pros and cons. Let’s do it.

What Is a Dynamic IP Address?

Let me introduce an IP address to you. An IP address is also known as an Internet protocol address. Your computer cannot connect to the Internet without it, and every device that needs to connect to the Internet has its IP address. The IP address consists of numbers and periods.

A dynamic IP address is one kind of IP address, it changes over time, especially when the devices connect to the network or after a specified lease period every time. It is assigned to a device by a DHCP, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. The assigned destination depends on some addresses that are available from your ISPs or local routers.

Besides, a dynamic IP address is the opposite of a static IP address, the static one remains the same. The dynamic IP address is more convenient and cost-effective.

Related: Static IP vs. Dynamic IP Address: Differences Explained

How Does a Dynamic IP Address Work?

The dynamic IP address is an important aspect of the Internet infrastructure. If your devices don’t have one, these devices cannot be supported by the Internet every day. So dynamic IP address is an integral part of online life, let’s introduce how it works to you:

Step 1: Get an IP Address

The first step is getting an IP address. When your devices connect to the network, they will send a request to the DHCP server, this request means the device needs an IP address to join the network.

Step 2: DHCP Server’s Respond

When the DHCP receives the devices’ request it will manage spare available IP addresses and select one to assign to the device temporarily as a response.

Step 3: The Period of IP Address Lease

The IP address of your device is not permanent, the network leases to your device for a specific period. Depending on the network’s configuration, the lease time may contain several minutes or days.

When the period expires, the device can renew the lease and keep the same IP address or release the address, waiting for the DHCP to assign a new one.

Step 4: Dynamic Reallocation

As we mentioned before, the IP address lease time is limited. If your device disconnects from the network for a long time or an extended period, the DHCP server will reassign the IP address to another device within the network.

When your device reconnects to the network, it may receive a different IP address. This is a dynamic reallocation process.

Use a VPN to Change Your IP address.

Although a dynamic IP address can change your IP address, using a VPN can improve security and hide your changed IP address.

LightningX VPN is one of the best VPNs for protecting IP address security. It provides fast speed, a stable connection, and a friendly interface.

It offers more than 2,000 servers in 50+ countries, you can freely change anywhere you prefer to connect. When you connect to the VPN, it will encrypt your real IP address information and assign a virtual one.

Besides, LightningX VPN adopts advanced encryption protocol, cutting-edge AES-256, ChaCha20-Poly1305, and other powerful encryption algorithms. It is available for Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Android TV. You can connect up to 3 devices simultaneously.

Pros and Cons of Using a Dynamic IP Address

Here’s a piece of detailed information on the benefits and drawbacks of using a dynamic IP address.

Pros

Cost-Effectiveness:

The dynamic IP addresses are reused, and compared with a static IP address, it’s more cost-effective. The static IP address requires you to pay an additional fee. If you’re using these IP addresses for a small business with limited resources, it’s beneficial for you to save money. You don’t need to purchase new IP addresses for each device on the device.

Improved Security:

The dynamic IP address is changing over time, so hackers cannot track your specific devices’ locations. Besides, they cannot collect your online data and sensitive information, it provides a layer of security for your everyday online activities.

Moreover, continuous ad pop-ups are annoying too, using a dynamic IP address can protect you from harassment by online advertisers. When you doing an online purchase menu, a dynamic IP address is worthy to use to lower financial risk.

Simplify Internet Administration:

The dynamic IP address can simplify the network administration process. As a user, especially when you are not good at technical, you don’t need to spend a long time managing your IP addresses and can connect to the Internet easily.

An administrator can easily add a new device to the network without worrying about manually assigning IP addresses in a large network, such as a school or an office.

Cons

Not Compatible with Hosting Services:

The dynamic IP address cannot work with hosting services, such as websites, email servers, and gaming servers, they need a consistent IP address to run properly. It does not only affect the running process of these hosting services but also the performance of them.

For example, if you run a website with a dynamic IP address, because of the frequent change of IP address, the search engines need to index your website correctly every time which may affect your website rankings.

Potential Change Risks

As the IP address changes, there are interruptions during the users’ usage process, leading to an uneven result. Or the DHCP has trouble in assigning, assigning the same IP address to two devices, leading to an IP address conflict. When facing these problems, they can only be solved manually.

What’s more, although a dynamic IP address can lower the risk of hacker attacks, it’s limited. Hackers can attack you in other ways. A dynamic IP address cannot protect against advanced threats like phishing or malware.

Limited Remote Access:

Remote access can be difficult because of address changes, and establishing a stable connection can be harder too. You need to use a DNS tool to solve the problem, however, not all devices support dynamic DNS, making remote access difficult.

Conclusion

A dynamic IP address is an ideal tool for most users, but when you run some hosting services, it is not suitable. A dynamic IP address cannot protect your online security 100%. For better privacy, while using a dynamic IP address, using a VPN can be considered, LightingX VPN is the best option.