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On 05/07/13 21:53, Martijn Grooten wrote: > On Fri, Jul 5, 2013 at 9:36 PM, bad apple wrote: >> This is so true... I've always thought it crazy that ISPs want to charge >> extra for a static IP. It's actually less work for them after all. > I've been wondering this for some time as well. Could it be that > changing the IP address every once in a while 'solves' a lot of > problems, from an IP address being blacklisted because your son had > spent an evening trolling the Internet, to your computer being > attacked because you confused a firewall with a welcome mat. > > Martijn. > The answer really has to be that historically, a static address was really the preserve of serious, expensive leased line type connections: everyone else was just hitting dial-up for a few minutes every couple of hours to sync their mail and check a site or two. Of course, when you're dealing with thousands of concurrent dial-up modems, you're going to stick them all in a DHCP pool and call it a day. But now, unless you live somewhere pretty rural (and I know some people on this list, being Devon/Cornwall residents have some truly awful internet connections even now, through no fault of their own) you're going to be permanently connected 24/7 with high speed DSL/cable/fibre. You would think that the modern scenario would incentivise the ISPs to simplify things by converting all these broadband systems to static and saving costs on staff and systems but... In the old world ISPs could charge you extra for that static IP, if you really needed one for your home business or something. Simply speaking, I wouldn't go quite as far as to call them greedy, but yes, I contend that DHCP is the norm these days purely so they can still chase down extra revenue from those who want a static setup. Even though thinking about it, that surely can't be a lot of money? A very small percentage of customers ever apply for a static and it's usually only a couple of quid a month anyway. I've never worked for a ISP, so I can't share any insider knowledge I'm afraid. Who knows? Maybe there is actually a really solid logical reason and we just haven't spotted it yet. Regards -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq