Every device connected to the Internet needs an IP address so that data can be sent to the right place. An IP address can be static (fixed, so it never changes) or dynamic (it can change).
Static IP addresses stay the same every time the device connects to the Internet, and a network manager sets them up by hand. This is useful for devices that other computers must find reliably, such as a web server that holds a school's website. Because the address never changes, other devices always know where to send their requests.
Dynamic IP addresses are given out automatically and can change. A dynamic IP address may change when a device reconnects to the Internet. For example, each time a smart TV in a cafe reconnects to the Wi-Fi, the network might hand it a different address. Sharing addresses out like this means a network can reuse a smaller pool of them, because not every device is online at the same time.
| Feature | Static IP address | Dynamic IP address |
|---|---|---|
| Does it change? | No, it stays the same | Yes, it can change on reconnection |
| Who usually has one? | Servers, printers, some business devices | Home broadband routers, tablets, smart TVs |
| Why use it? | So other devices can always find it | So addresses can be shared and reused |
Edexcel GCSE Computer Science · The Internet