How do Cogeco IP addresses work and how do I find mine?

Any device connected to the Internet has an IP Address. An IP address is a numerical label assigned to each device to help identify its location within the network.

IPV4 and IPV6 Protocols

Cogeco is currently using two protocols to assign IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6.

IPv4 is the most widely deployed Internet protocol.  It uses 32-bit addresses, allowing for a total of 4.3 billion addresses.  With the growth of the Internet, the IPv4 pool of available addresses has run out.

IPv6 is being deployed to fulfill the need for more Internet addresses and address the IPv4 address exhaustion.  IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses in order to provide approximately 340.3 undecillion IP addresses.

Dynamic and static IP addresses

• Residential customers: Cogeco uses a cable modem technology that works with a DHCP server. The server assigns residential clients a dynamic IPv4 and IPv6 address that changes periodically. Cogeco also supports the allocation of multiple IPv6 addresses through a process called Prefix Delegation.
• Business customers: Business clients can obtain a permanent IPv4 address or a permanent block of IPv6 addresses (through Prefix Delegation) depending on their package.

Finding your IP address

You can find your IP address at any time on specific websites such as http://www.whatismyip.com or whatismyv6.com.

Good to know: If you use a router, this procedure will provide you with the IP address of the router, not the one used to access the Internet.

About changing your IP address
Residential customers cannot change their IP address. Residential IP addresses are dynamic, so they automatically change without notice. This is normal and does not affect your Internet service.

Some people think that changing their IP addresses helps protect their computers against hackers. Unfortunately, hackers can often track IP address changes. To protect your computer from malicious users, we recommend downloading Cogeco Security services, available at no cost for Cogeco Internet customers.