Change Your Local IP Address

Your Public IP address is what identifies your computer when you to connect to the internet. It is assigned by yourISP and depending on the type of service you have subscribed to, your public IP may remain the same (Static IP) or is periodically updated (Dynamic IP). 

Basically if you want to change your public IP then the only way is to get in touch with your ISP or use a proxy service such as Tuxler or Hotspot Shield to hide/spoof your IP address. 

Each computer also have the local IP address. The local IP which is also referred to as Private IP address is used to identify computers on the local network (behind the same router) and it is managed by the operating system. If the need arises, the local IP of a machine can be changed via the router settings (refer to the manual provided with the router or check on the manufacturer's website) or via the Windows Control Panel. 

How To Refresh Your IP Address

IP address conflicts occur when two computers present on the same DHCP network share the same IP, but fortunately there exists a simple procedure to refresh your current IP address(es)in Windows. 

Click on Start > Run > type 

cmd 

and press Enter to open the Command Prompt. Next, type

ipconfig

 to view the current address. Type 

ipconfig / release

, followed by 

ipconfig / renew

. 

It should be noted that this procedure generates a "random IP" for each of the devices connected to the network (within the allowed range). 

How To Change Your Local IP Address

Open the Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings > Network Connections. A list of known connection will be displayed (Ethernet or Wi-Fi). Right-click on the desired connection and select Properties from the contextual menu. Under This connection uses the following items select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4) and then click onProperties: 


Select the Use the following IP address option instead of Obtain an IP automatically (default) and register the IP address (one within the pool of acceptable IP addresses and which is not already in use by another computer), Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS Server addresses: 


Click on Apply > Ok.