Overview

A public static IPv4 address can be used to make sure your equipment always has the same address. If you don't have a static IP address, then your address is randomly assigned from a pool of IP addresses. This can cause disruptions to particular services if the IP changes.

Business and Enterprise

A static address benefits businesses that need to run specific services from their office or create connectivity between two locations. You may sometimes need several static IP addresses for running multiple services.

More advanced business needs may require an IP range (a dedicated subnet) of IPs. With a dedicated subnet, no other subscribers are in your broadcast domain.

It is advised to consider how many total IPs you will need for now and in the future. This is because we can't typically expand a dedicated subnet after the fact, and we may not have any more IPs from the same subnet range for non-dedicated subnets. We cannot mix subnets on the same equipment interface. If you lease a few IPs and then need more down the road, we usually have to unassign your existing IPs and assign an entirely new subnet or range of IPs. This can cause disruptions to business services.

Residential

A static address can also be helpful for residential customers who are running specific services from their homes or need to create a site-to-site VPN for their work. Most VPNs you utilize for work are client VPNs and do not require a static address. A static address can be used instead of manually updating the IP if it changes or utilizing a service like dynamic DNS to update it automatically. 

Most ISPs don't offer the ability to lease a static IP address as a residential subscriber, but United Fiber is one of the few that will!

Remember that you must still abide by the Terms & Conditions of your service with United Fiber.

Getting a static IP

Static IPs are assigned by our Network Operations Center (NOC) team. Please call the support line 800-585-6454; we would happily set you up with a static IP. There is a recurring monthly cost per IP or range.