Device IP Address Keeps Changing — step-by-step DHCP & static IP fix
Joe B.
Expert ★★★★★ 27,853 satisfied customers
Specialities: Home networking, Wi-Fi routers, modems, Windows/macOS internet issues, DNS & IP configuration, ISP setup
Fix device IP address keeps changing — dynamic IP, DHCP lease, static IP & IP conflicts
Technician
• Is this about the local IP address on your home network (for example 192.168.x.x), or your public IP on the internet?
• Which device is affected — Windows PC, Mac, NAS, printer, camera, something else?
• What exactly breaks when the IP changes — port forwarding, remote desktop, file shares, or just your scripts/shortcuts?
• Do you know if your router is using DHCP to hand out dynamic IP addresses, or did you try to set a static IP address on the device itself?
With those details, I’ll walk you through checking the current IP, the DHCP lease, and then either creating a DHCP reservation in the router or a proper static IP so the address stops jumping around.
Technician
By default, most routers use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to give each device a temporary, dynamic IP address. When the DHCP lease expires, or the router reboots, or you switch from Wi-Fi to Ethernet, the router can hand out a different IP. That’s why your device IP address keeps changing on Wi-Fi or Ethernet even though nothing “looks” wrong.
For normal browsing, that’s fine. But for things like port forwarding, remote desktop, game servers, media servers, printers, and NAS devices, you usually want a static IP address or a DHCP reservation so the device always gets the same address on your LAN.
We’ll first confirm how your PC is getting its IP (DHCP vs static), then we’ll set up a fixed IP using either a router reservation or a static address on the device so your rules stop breaking.
ipconfig earlier and it said IPv4 address 192.168.0.105 one day and 192.168.0.117 after a restart. I think it said “DHCP enabled: yes”.
Technician
Step A — Check current IP, gateway, and lease
On the Windows desktop:
1) Open Command Prompt and run
ipconfig /all.2) Note the IPv4 Address, Default Gateway (router IP), and DHCP Server — they should all be in the same subnet, like 192.168.0.x.
3) Look at Lease Obtained and Lease Expires. If the lease is short (like 1–2 hours), that can make the IP change more often.
This confirms exactly who is giving out addresses and what range it’s using. Next, we’ll log into the router and either reserve the current IP for that PC and NAS, or pick new addresses outside the busy part of the pool so they stay fixed.
ipconfig /all. IPv4 is currently 192.168.0.117, default gateway and DHCP server are both 192.168.0.1. Lease obtained and lease expires are about 24 hours apart. So it’s definitely using DHCP. The NAS shows 192.168.0.120 on its status page. Both are inside a DHCP range I saw in the router: 192.168.0.100–192.168.0.199.
Technician
The cleanest way to stop a device IP address from changing on a home network is to use DHCP reservations in the router:
Step B — Create DHCP reservations for the desktop and NAS
1) Log into your router’s web interface (192.168.0.1) from a browser.
2) Look for a section called LAN, DHCP Server, Address Reservation, or DHCP IP reservation (names vary by brand).
3) You’ll see a list of connected devices with their MAC addresses and current IPs.
4) Add a reservation for the desktop: choose its MAC address and assign it a fixed IP, for example 192.168.0.50 (or keep 192.168.0.117 if the router allows reserving that).
5) Add another reservation for the NAS with a different IP, like 192.168.0.51.
6) Save/apply, then reboot the desktop and NAS or run
ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew on the desktop so they grab their reserved IPs.After that, the router’s DHCP server will always give those devices the same local IP address, so your port forwarding and remote desktop rules can reliably point at those fixed IPs.
Technician
For your phone IP address changing, it depends what you’re using it for:
• When you move between different Wi-Fi networks or mobile data, the IP is supposed to change — each network gives you its own IP via DHCP.
• Even on your home Wi-Fi, phones and tablets usually get a dynamic IP address that can change without causing any problems for normal apps or browsing.
• If you’re using the phone as a remote-control target (for example, casting, parental controls, or a smart home app), you can give it a DHCP reservation too so its LAN IP stays the same.
The bigger distinction is between your local/private IP address (192.168.x.x) and your public IP from the ISP (what websites see). Public IPs also often change because most ISPs use dynamic IP addresses on the internet side. That’s normal unless you pay for a static business IP or use a dynamic DNS (DDNS) service to track it.
Technician
Modern phones often use randomized MAC addresses on Wi-Fi for privacy. Every time they reconnect, they may present a new MAC, so the router sees them as a “new device” and gives out a fresh IP. That breaks DHCP reservations that rely on a fixed MAC.
Step C — Turn off MAC randomization for devices that need a stable IP
• On Android: in Wi-Fi settings, tap your home network > Privacy or MAC address type and switch from “Randomized MAC” to “Phone MAC”.
• On iPhone/iPad: in Wi-Fi settings, tap the ⓘ next to your network and turn off Private Wi-Fi Address if you want a consistent MAC for that network.
• Then update or recreate the DHCP reservation in the router using the phone’s real hardware MAC.
Once the MAC stops changing, the router can reliably give that device the same IP address every time. While we’re here, it’s also worth making sure you only have one DHCP server on the network (usually just the main router) so IPs don’t bounce between two different DHCP servers and cause conflicts.
Technician
A couple more tweaks to keep everything rock-solid:
• On the router, consider extending the DHCP lease time (for example 24 hours or more) so everyday devices keep the same IP for longer and don’t churn addresses.
• Keep using DHCP reservations for important gear (desktop, NAS, printers, cameras) instead of setting static IPs directly on devices. That way the router retains control and avoids accidental IP conflicts.
• If you do set a static IP manually on a device, make sure it’s outside the DHCP pool (for example, router 192.168.0.1, DHCP 192.168.0.100–199, static devices 192.168.0.2–.50) so the router never hands out the same address to someone else.
With those in place, your local IP addresses should stay constant, and if you ever see one change, you’ll know exactly where to look first.
Technician
One last tip: if you’re ever accessing your network from outside (VPN, game server, remote desktop via the internet), remember that your public IP address can also keep changing because most ISPs use dynamic public IPs. To work around that you can:
• Ask your ISP if they offer a static public IP as an add-on.
• Or set up dynamic DNS (DDNS) in the router so you can reach your home using a name like myhome.example.net instead of memorizing the raw IP that keeps changing.
Internally though, with DHCP reservations and proper static IP planning, you’re in great shape. Your desktop, NAS, and other key devices should now keep their IP addresses even after reboots, power outages, or router restarts.
Technician
Summary: When a device IP address keeps changing, check whether it’s using DHCP, remove extra DHCP servers, turn off randomized MAC where you need a stable address, then use DHCP reservations or static IPs outside the pool to lock important devices to fixed addresses. If you ever get stuck again — IP keeps changing, port forwarding breaks, or you’re unsure about DHCP vs static — you can start a chat with an expert and we’ll map it out live with you.
Quick answer: the accepted fix
Accepted fix when a device IP address keeps changing: confirm the device is using your router’s DHCP server, turn off extra DHCP on old routers, disable randomized MAC for devices that need stable addresses, then create DHCP reservations or set static IPs outside the DHCP range for key devices (PC, NAS, printer). This keeps LAN IP addresses stable so port forwarding and remote access don’t break after reboots.
Why device IP addresses keep changing (DHCP, lease time, Wi-Fi, ISP)
Most “IP address keeps changing” problems are not hacks — they come from how DHCP and dynamic IP addresses work. Your router leases a local IP to each device for a limited time. When a lease expires, the device reconnects, you move between Wi-Fi networks, or you restart hardware, the router can assign a different address from its pool, especially if several devices are joining and leaving the network.
On top of that, phones and laptops may use randomized MAC addresses on Wi-Fi, which makes the router think they are new devices each time. And your ISP usually assigns a dynamic public IP that can change when the modem or router reconnects. Separating these layers — local IP vs public IP, DHCP vs static IP, MAC randomization vs real MAC — makes it much easier to stabilise the addresses you care about and ignore the ones that are supposed to change.
How to check whether the problem is local IP, public IP, or device settings
To troubleshoot a device IP address that keeps changing, start by deciding which IP you care about:
First, on the device, check the IPv4 address, gateway, and DHCP status (for example with ipconfig /all on Windows). If the address is in a private range like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x and says “DHCP enabled: yes”, then the router is supposed to manage it dynamically. Log into the router to see the DHCP range and any reservations. If only one device has issues, it may have a misconfigured static IP or random MAC; if many devices’ IPs jump around or collide, check for multiple DHCP servers or a too-small address pool. If websites and external checks show your public IP changing, that’s handled by your ISP and best solved with static IP service or dynamic DNS.
Device IP address keeps changing — quick troubleshooting tips
Stabilise local IPs with DHCP reservations, static IPs, and one DHCP server.
Fast path: confirm your devices show DHCP enabled → log into the router and check the DHCP range and lease time → disable any extra routers running DHCP → create DHCP IP reservations or static IPs outside the pool for PCs, NAS, printers, and cameras → turn off MAC randomization on devices that must keep the same IP. For external access, remember your public IP from the ISP can also change and consider using a static IP or dynamic DNS instead.
Disclaimer: This information is AI-generated and intended for general guidance only. For advice specific to your router model and ISP, please consult a verified expert on Whizz-Tech before making decisions.
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FAQ
Why does my device’s IP address keep changing on my home network?
On most home networks, the router uses DHCP to assign dynamic IP addresses. Each device gets a temporary address from a pool, and when its lease expires, after a reboot, or when switching between Wi-Fi and Ethernet, it can be given a different IP. Phones that use randomized MAC addresses and networks with more than one DHCP server can make IP changes and conflicts happen more frequently.
How do I stop my computer’s IP address from changing?
The two main options are to create a DHCP reservation on your router for that computer, or to configure a static IP address on the computer outside the DHCP range. With a reservation, the router always gives the same IP to that device based on its MAC address. With a static IP, you manually set the IP, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS on the computer itself so the address does not depend on DHCP leases.
Is it normal for my phone’s IP address to change all the time?
Yes. When you move between different Wi-Fi networks or mobile data, your phone is expected to get a new IP on each network. Even on a single home Wi-Fi, dynamic IPs can change periodically without causing problems for normal use. If you need a stable IP for parental controls or smart home apps, you can turn off MAC randomization for your home network and create a DHCP reservation for the phone in your router.
What’s the difference between local IP changes and public IP changes?
Your local (private) IP is the address your router gives your devices on your home network, like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. Your public IP is the address your ISP assigns to your connection on the internet side. Local IPs are controlled by your router’s DHCP and can be stabilised with reservations or static settings. Public IPs often change because most ISPs use dynamic public IP addresses; to control that you generally need a static IP from the ISP or a dynamic DNS service.
Sources
- WhatIsMyIPAddress — Does your IP address keep changing?
- Microsoft Q&A — The local IP keeps changing, I need to keep it constant
- TP-Link — How to configure Address Reservation (DHCP reservation)
Filed under: Internet & Wi-Fi Troubleshooting
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