Most users seem to know what an IP address is and what it is used for. But sometimes situations arise when a change of address is absolutely necessary. Read about how to change the IP address in different ways and why you need it.
What is an IP address?
So, before covering the main issue, it is necessary to give some theoretical information about understanding the term itself. What is an IP address? This is a unique identifier that is assigned to each machine or mobile device when connected to the Internet, local or virtual network.
As for the Internet, such an identifier (now we are talking about an external address) can even be considered as a kind of pass to the World Wide Web. Why is such an identifier unique? Yes, only because in the world today there is not a single duplicate address. Thus, any computer that connects to the Internet can be determined precisely by this address (especially since it is tied to the physical location of the user terminal in the sense of regional affiliation).
Address Types
Let us leave aside the question of how to change IP, but look at the main types of addresses. There are only two of them: static and dynamic.
Static addresses assigned by a provider to a specific computer remain unchanged during Internet surfing (quite often this approach is also used in local networks). But dynamic addresses change, but only in different sessions. This means that with a single session of access to the Internet, the address remains unchanged. And when reconnecting, it already has a different meaning. And all the same, the addresses are not repeated, since the address of one user is assigned to another, and vice versa.
Why might you need to change the IP?
But why then change the address if almost all the functions of organizing access to the network or the Internet are assigned to the provider or system administrator?
There can be a lot of situations, but among the most common ones, one can distinguish such as:
- unable to connect to the internet;
- the user is "banned" on some site;
- you must remain unrecognized in the network;
- Access to the Internet resource is limited or blocked.
How to change IP on Windows?
Finally, we turn to the main question. Just want to reassure all novice users that there is nothing particularly complicated here. Just follow the instructions below, and the problem of how to change the IP address of the computer in different situations can be solved in a couple of minutes.
And first, let's see how to perform such an operation using Windows. First of all, you need to enter the section of the "Network and Sharing Center" using the "Control Panel" or the PCM menu on the connection icon in the system tray.
Here you need to go to change the settings of the network adapter, and then use the IPv4 protocol settings. Typically, the provider or network administrator sets the automatic reception of addresses (dynamic type). However, if it is not possible to establish a connection, you can specify a static address yourself by entering a combination, usually starting with 192.168, after which additional identifiers are entered, the values of which are in the range 0-255 (although the first numbers can take different values). Further, the question of how to change IP is solved quite simply: enter the desired combination and save the changes. Please note that with a wireless connection this method does not work.
How to change the IP address of a computer using browser add-ons?
Now a few words about the recently become popular technologies, called VPN (virtual private networks). Their use helps to change the address of any machine, for example, in order to remain unrecognized on the network or to gain access to sites that you can visit only in a certain region or country. Any anonymizer in the form of a proxy server on the Internet or a VPN client changes the external addresses of computers so that the server on which the inaccessible resource is located perceives the user terminal as if it was really geographically located in the region or country where the host is located request server.
In principle, the question of how to change IP in browsers is solved quite simply. To do this, in most of them you need to install an additional extension such as a proxy or VPN (Hola, ZenMate and others). In this regard, Opera, which has a built-in VPN client, looks very interesting.
Simply activate it in the settings, after which a corresponding switch will appear on the main panel to the left of the address bar. In active mode, the address will change automatically. If you need to make manual settings, you can also select the country yourself.
Using third-party programs
Another option that allows you to completely solve the problem at hand (how to change IP) is to use third-party programs. One of the most interesting is the Tor browser. Yes, indeed, this is a web browser. But the browser is very unusual, since it itself is a VPN client and uses the network of the same name to change the user address or access blocked resources.
Other applications include programs like Hotspot Shield, SafeIP, and many others. Unlike browser extensions that work only in browsers, such programs can change addresses if you have applications on your computer that constantly require access to resources that are not available in your area.
How to change the computer IP in another way? You can turn to online resources like "Chameleon", which for the most part are anonymous proxy servers. In some cases, it is advisable to install programs on the computer to automatically search for such servers on the Internet, and then connect using them. However, a solution can be found for each specific case. If you only need secure Internet surfing, you can use regular VPN clients in browsers, but if you need to change the address when trying to access installed programs to blocked resources, it is better to install additional applets mentioned above.