How dynamic and static IP addresses differ
A dynamic IP address changes from time to time. It is how most ISP and corporate networks assign IP addresses to their customers. It’s easy to manage for internet users because it doesn't require any additional setup or network configuration.
A static IP address, however, never changes and can be assigned to a specific device. It allows you to host applications that can be accessed remotely. You must manually add static IP address settings into your network properties.
AT&T Wi-Fi can support PCs with fixed or static IP addresses, although in some cases these do require configuration changes. Some applications such as VPNs (Virtual Private Network) and routers may require a static IP address provided by AT&T Wi-Fi in order to gain access to the internet. An AT&T Wi-Fi provided static IP is only available in meeting rooms.
When a static IP might be useful
A static IP is useful for consumers and many small businesses that have minor needs such as:
- Hosting a web, mail or FTP server
- Accessing a corporate network remotely
- Hosting a webcam for video streaming
- Using video conference applications
Number of static IP addresses available
When you buy a block of static IP addresses, three will be used right away. These will be for the network base address, your Wi-Fi gateway, and your broadcast address. See the table below for specifics.
Block Sizes
| Total Block Size | Usable Addresses |
| 8 | 5 |
| 16 | 13 |
| 32 | 29 |
| 64 | 61 |
How multi static IP addresses work
When you connect to the AT&T network, you’ll get a Dynamic WAN address. It acts as a gateway for the static IP addresses to reach the network. AT&T doesn't automatically assign static IP addresses to devices connected to the Dynamic WAN. In order to use your static IP addresses, you will need to
contact us to have your equipment set up.
Static DSL IP to static Internet IP
If you change internet services, you’ll have to change your static IP address. Internet static IP addresses are taken from a different pool. You may be able to add a generic reverse DNS service to all internet static blocks like DSL as well as establishing a delegation of authority for DNS. Please
contact us to discuss your options.
Additional Help
Many static IP address issues can be resolved by
AT&T Customer Support, including the following:
- IP address changes
- IP address cost
- Lost IP addresses
- Gateway is missing static IP addresses