Another Computer Same Ip Address

[crooko]

Hi

Had trouble logging in to my Airlink WiFi Hotspot yesterday.  The message I got from memory was along the lines of another computer had the same ip address so see the admin.  As I was going to see the lady at my apartment building it let me login so that was that.   But  wondering if anyone knows why this happened, did someone hack in or something and how could I fix it when it happens again

    Cheers if anyway can help

[Rocco69]

Sounds like a case of lost in translation too me. Computers don't have an IP address, networks do

[Rocco69]

MAC address maybe?

[crooko]

Not a mac.  I am relaying the message from memory so could and probly is wrong.  Will take better notice if it happens again.  It is a wifi network with a password required to access but the page to login just would not load up

[max1970]

Usually you get an IP address from "the WIFI network". There is a thing called "DHCP server" that makes sure that everyone on the network gets a unique address. This address may change whenever you connect to the network again, it is up to the "DHCP server" to choose one for you.

 

On the other hand it is also possible for you to configure your own IP address, i.e. you choose one.

 

What most probably happened is that someone in the same network has configured an IP address, the DHCP server as not aware of this and gave you the very same address that this other person was using already.

 

Most probably no one hacked you. To get rid of it next time just turn off/on your Wifi network. You should get a new IP address then. There is also an option somewhere in your network setting that allows you to "renew DHCP lease". Not sure how it is called in Windows, but there must be one somewhere in your network settings panel. This basically asks the "DHCP server" to give you an other IP address.

[Rocco69]

max1970, great effort but I don't think the OP reads geek lol

[PepeLePew]

Sounds like a case of lost in translation too me. Computers don't have an IP address, networks do

 

Yes and no. Your connection will have an ip address, the very last number in that address will, or should, be different according to which device you are using. The router will designate those last numbers.

 

I think. I'm actually only technically qualified to use anything up to a toaster

[Kenjataimu]

Sounds like a case of lost in translation too me. Computers don't have an IP address, networks do

If your computer has no IP address it can't be on the internet. Every device on the internet has an IP address. Even if you're on an intranet and using TCP, you must still have an IP address, every device on a LAN that uses TCP must have an IP address. I am not sure if you're confusing your wording or misunderstand WAN/LAN topoglogy but that last sentence is incorrect. Perhaps you misunderstand the job of a router and how NAT works ?If you're on a Windows OS, open a command prompt, type ipcong /all and press enter and it will show you your IP address, amongst other things.

 

MAC address maybe?

. Short of MAC address spoofing, every networked device has a different MAC. They're assigned at a hardware level.As to the OP, I suspect you have a fixed IP on your PC and the DHCP server on the router you're connecting to has a assigned the same IP to another computer. It worked later because the IP lease time expired on the other computer. Unless you specifically need that IP eg for port forwarding, then just set your internet connection to auto and let the routers DHCP server handle the work. I suspect you don't or you wouldn't be asking this question but someone else may have set your IP for some reason.or it could be something else :)edit: DOH.. I see Max covered this... sorry for the repeat

[Buddy Edgewood]

There's probably nothing wrong with you PC.  This happens sometimes when you put your computer/laptop in sleep, hibernate or suspend mode and your public wifi provider gave your IP address to another machine while you weren't connected.  Try the following, open a command prompt (cmd) and type: 

 

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

 

As long as the Airlink wifi DHCP server is configured properly, it'll assign a new IP address to your machine.  If you still get the same error, try restarting your PC.  If you still get the error after a restart, contact Airlink because their DHCP server is likely not configured properly.

[crooko]

Thanks all for the responses.  Yes I am a little slow when it comes to some of the terminology and this problem is alittle beyond me.  Call it a feeling or whatever but I do agree that someone else is sharing the same ip address on the network and I am only allowed back on when they hop off.  Whenever my computer sleeps it is near on impossible to log back on.  Will try the command prompt thing next time.  Tr and To typed in ipcong /all and got a confused message so typed ipconfig / all and it showed it was set to autoconnect so I think I can assume someone else has configured there own ip address and that is messing with mine.  Will try the suggestion from Buddy Edgewood next time I am locked out.  Once again thanks all and feel free to offer more advice.  Need internet for work so it really is quite inconvenient.  Any suggestions on the best idea for a backup internet provider like truemove etc

[CyberPro]

I'd try a couple things. 

 

1. Execute these commands as has been suggested

 

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

 

2. If that doesn't work (and it will work if your provider's DHCP server is assigning "your" IP to someone else when your computer sleeps), try setting your computer to not sleep, as a test. 

 

You could also post some screen shots of what you see when you type ipconfig /all 

Blur the IP as a security measure. 

 

Misc info: 

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc958892.aspx

 

How do I check my IP lease time?

 

Directions are OS specific.

•In Windows XP, go to Start | Run and type cmd to open a command prompt window. Type ipconfig /all and review the information listed under the network adapter connected to your modem.

•In Vista & Windows 7, go to Start | Search and type cmd to open a command prompt window. Type ipconfig /all and review the information listed under the network adapter connected to your modem.

*All; be advised that if you are using a home networking router, you will see the LAN lease length that is being provided by the router's built in DHCP server and not the WAN lease length being provided by [internet Service Provider's] DHCP server. To see the WAN lease length, you can either connect a computer directly to the modem (you need to powercycle / reset the modem) and then issue that command or and / or in many router's you can see this info somewhere in its User Interface pages.

[crooko]

Hi thanks Cyberpro.  Sent you PM with configall info.

Tried the release renew command prompt to no avail.  Computer was not hooked up to internet at the time though and am reluctant to try while it still is in case I lock myself off the network.  The message I got was something along the lines of couldn't perform the task because media was not enabled.   In the meantime I have set the computer not to sleep so that should keep me online but if it is a case of 2 computers sharing the same ip then I feel bad for the other computer person who is now locked out so to speak.  It s a real pain to not be able to get on when you want and then once you are you just don't want to get off.  You don't trade currencies by any chance.  I notice in your interests after ethical hacking you have investing

[neo1011]

can you not just try another ip address?

go to Control Panel > (classic view) Network Connections > go to your connection and right-click, Properties, TCP/IP settings then Use the following IP address and enter all that info. Except for IP address, change the last part to 254. If it already is 254, then pick any random number below 254. 

[Buddy Edgewood]

Hi thanks Cyberpro.  Sent you PM with configall info.

Tried the release renew command prompt to no avail.  Computer was not hooked up to internet at the time though and am reluctant to try while it still is in case I lock myself off the network.  The message I got was something along the lines of couldn't perform the task because media was not enabled.   In the meantime I have set the computer not to sleep so that should keep me online but if it is a case of 2 computers sharing the same ip then I feel bad for the other computer person who is now locked out so to speak.  It s a real pain to not be able to get on when you want and then once you are you just don't want to get off.  You don't trade currencies by any chance.  I notice in your interests after ethical hacking you have investing

 

You'll want to be connected to the Internet when you try my suggestion.  When you type the commands I suggested, your computer will attempt to 'talk' with the DHCP server (the thing that assigns you the unique IP address).  In layman's terms, the first command basically tells the DHCP server you don't want the IP address anymore.  The second command tells the DHCP server to give you a new (and unique) IP address. 

 

Btw, just an FYI, when you get the error, the other PC with the same IP address receives a similar error - they're probably trying to figure out how to fix it too...

[CyberPro]

You'll want to be connected to the Internet when you try my suggestion.  When you type the commands I suggested, your computer will attempt to 'talk' with the DHCP server (the thing that assigns you the unique IP address).  In layman's terms, the first command basically tells the DHCP server you don't want the IP address anymore.  The second command tells the DHCP server to give you a new (and unique) IP address. 

 

Btw, just an FYI, when you get the error, the other PC with the same IP address receives a similar error - they're probably trying to figure out how to fix it too...

 

Next time you are online and see the duplicate IP message, go ahead and execute the commands Buddy Edgewood provided. All that will do is give up the IP you have now (which isn't working for you anyway), and get a new one. 

 

Something you might try is to check whether the contested IP is actually in use by another device. After you've recorded the IP you think you should have and obtained a new one, you can "ping" your old IP. If you get a return, that verifies that another device is using it. A device can be set to not respond to pings (microsoft.com as an example), but that's probably not the case here. 

 

Below probably WAY more than you want to know about the process. ;)

 

Currency trading: Done that, hope to do it again when I have enough disposable income I can afford to lose. If you have any dependable methods for trading, feel free to pass them along.  

 

https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/sag_tcpip_pro_ping.mspx?mfr=true

 

To test a TCP/IP configuration by using the ping command

 

1.

To quickly obtain the TCP/IP configuration of a computer, open Command Prompt, and then type ipconfig. From the display of theipconfig command, ensure that the network adapter for the TCP/IP configuration you are testing is not in a Media disconnectedstate.

2.

At the command prompt, ping the loopback address by typing ping 127.0.0.1.

3.

Ping the IP address of the computer.

4.

Ping the IP address of the default gateway.

If the ping command fails, verify that the default gateway IP address is correct and that the gateway (router) is operational.

5.

Ping the IP address of a remote host (a host that is on a different subnet).

If the ping command fails, verify that the remote host IP address is correct, that the remote host is operational, and that all of the gateways (routers) between this computer and the remote host are operational.

6.

Ping the IP address of the DNS server 

If the ping command fails, verify that the DNS server IP address is correct, that the DNS server is operational, and that all of the gateways (routers) between this computer and the DNS server are operational.

 

Note

•

To open command prompt, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt. 

•

If the ping command is not found or the command fails, you can use Event Viewer to check the System Log and look for problems reported by Setup or the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) service.

•

The ping command uses Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request and Echo Reply messages. Packet filtering policies on routers, firewalls, or other types of security gateways might prevent the forwarding of this traffic.

•

The ipconfig command is the command-line equivalent to the winipcfg command, which is available in Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, and Windows 95. Windows XP does not include a graphical equivalent to the winipcfg command; however, you can get the equivalent functionality for viewing and renewing an IP address by opening Network Connections, right-clicking a network connection, clicking Status, and then clicking the Support tab.

Used without parameters, ipconfig displays the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway for all adapters.

•

To run ipconfig, open the command prompt, and then type ipconfig.

•

To open Network Connections, click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.