Toshiba Phone System

Will your Main Comcast IP address change when you move or transfer service?

I have lived in 2 different apartments in the last 7 years, has my ISP IP address changed when I moved ? Or do they give me the same ISP IP address ? I did not transfer my service last time I moved, I canceled from my old place then after being in my new place I called Comcast to get Internet,cable and phone. So did they have my old ISP IP still in their system ? If I switched from Comcast to AT&T would I get the same ISP IP ? So say if I joined Youtube or another website would they still see my ISP IP address from when I lived in my other apartment and know I was already signed up with them ? I'm moving again and just wondering if my main ISP IP changes as I move and if these websites know Iam the same person lol. Im talking about the main IP , not the internal one that you can change. Would websites still know it is me by my MAC Address ?

Public Comments

1. IP addresses aren't even permanent when you stay put. IP addresses are assigned through a protocol called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and IP's are given out from a pool of addresses on a lease basis. Leases can be from a few hours to a few weeks. It is very unlikely that your IP address will be the same when you move. What does stay the same is your network interfaces MAC address. It's burned into your network interface card. Your ISP will lease you an address that resolves to your machines particular MAC address for a specific amount of time.
2. Do you have a Static IP? If you don't then you IP address will change whenever your ISP makes it change even if you stay at the same physical address. If you pay for a static IP and move but stay with the same ISP, you can request that they keep your IP address. But if you change to a new ISP, you'll have to get a new IP address, each company has its own allotted range of addresses so you can only get within the range that they have. Most sites don't use IP address to remember you. Most sites use cookies. So it is possible that they'll remember you. If not all you have to do is retype in your user name and password. Also, I wouldn't worry about your IP address with youtube. You want the same IP address if you're connecting to a computer remotely. It just prevents having to reconfigure your network all of the time.