Do My IP and MAC Addresses Change When I Use a Router?

F

fluoresce

New Member
Any answers to the following question will be much appreciated.

I use a router to connect to the Web. I just checked my IP address on one of those IP address websites and discovered that it's static. I then disconnected my router and connected to the Web without it. When I checked my IP address again, I found that it had changed to a dynamic one. I'm assuming, therefore, that when I use a router, my router's IP and MAC addresses are presented to the world, while when I don't use a router, my PC's IP and MAC addresses are presented to the world. Is that correct?
 
How do you connect to the web without a router? If you have a broadband/cable modem, it also acts as a router, so no, it's not your PCs addresses that everyone sees on the internet. Your PC's address is only visible to the world if you're connecting through a plain old dial-up modem.

Also, whether your connection is static or dynamic depends on your plan/ISP, not the device you're using to connect.

Now, when you use a different MAC address to connect to your ISP, it usually assigns you a different IP if it's dynamic, which probably explains why it changed when you connected with a different device.
 
hackapelite said:
How do you connect to the web without a router? If you have a broadband/cable modem, it also acts as a router, so no, it's not your PCs addresses that everyone sees on the internet. Your PC's address is only visible to the world if you're connecting through a plain old dial-up modem.

Also, whether your connection is static or dynamic depends on your plan/ISP, not the device you're using to connect.

Now, when you use a different MAC address to connect to your ISP, it usually assigns you a different IP if it's dynamic, which probably explains why it changed when you connected with a different device.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Hackapelite.

Yes, when I disconnect my router, I go online using my broadband modem.

I think I am beginning to understand this stuff now. Please tell me if the following is accurate.

In my house, I have a laptop and a PC, both of which connect to the Web via a router. The router is configured to use its default MAC address, which I presume means that it uses its own MAC address and not my PC's or my laptop's. The IP address assigned to my router by my ISP is static. When I disconnect my router and connect to the Web via my broadband modem, my modem's MAC address is used, for which my ISP assigns a dynamic IP.

If this is all correct, then I should be able to do the following. Please confirm.

When I use my router, I should be able to change my external IP address by changing my router's MAC address. I can change it twice: once to my PC's MAC address and once to my laptop's MAC address. As far as I'm aware, my ISP doesn't require MAC authentication, so I shouldn't lose my connection.

Any responses will be appreciated.
 
I now know that the above is incorrect.

Using my router to connect to the Web, and using my PC, I just checked my MAC address on one of those sites that provide such a service. It displayed the MAC address of my PC. Then, when I checked my MAC address using my laptop, still connected via the router, the same site displayed the MAC address of my laptop. It seems, therefore, that the MAC addresses of my computers are visible to the Web even though I use a router.

Anyone know what'll happen if I configured my router to use its Internet port MAC address? Will the MAC addresses of my computer's still be visible?
 
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