How to get a static IP address
What is a static IP address?
A static IP address is a unique numerical identifier assigned to a device or server that does not change and is unique to that server or device. Think about it being your unique postal address on the internet, if you want to receive mail then you need your own address so that people know where to send the mail to reach you.
Unlike dynamic public IP addresses, which are assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and can change at any time or are behind carrier grade NAT (many ISP customers sharing 1 IP address) a static IP does not change and so allows you to be reachable by other people on the internet.
A static IP address allows you to host your own websites, email servers, chat applications etc.
Why do I want a static IP address?
A static IP address allows you to repatriate your data, emails, messages and online life to your own server in your home or office. In an era of excessive surveillance and censorship on cloud platforms performed on an industrial scale, is your data safe on their servers? When your data is on another mans computer, is it really your data?
Servers have become very cheap and powerful so home users are able to host their own email servers, chat applications, file storage services all within their home without a cloud company selling their data to be used to train AI or handing it over to over zealous government department on a fishing expedition.
Businesses have also started to repatriate services to on site servers to save exorbitant cloud costs, have more control over their data, stop business information falling into their competitors hands or have a cloud platform use their data to compete directly with them. There are massive cost savings involved in having a on site server compared to cloud offerings.
Server hardware is affordable and easily available for home and small businesses but in order to host services and have a online presence then you need a static IP to network with the rest of the internet and have your services available.
What are my options to get a static IP address?
Ask your ISP for a static IP
Most ISP will provide a static IP address for a modest fee however its now considered the worst way to get a public static IP address.
- Most ISPs are difficult to deal with and many staff dont know what a static IP address is because its a rare request
- It costs a lot more than anywhere else
- You will need to configure your router and enable your firewall
- Most internet services block residential static IP addresses. Its almost impossible to send out email on a residential IP address
- You cannot move your server to a different location as your IP is tied to your ISPs connections
Use GetPublicIP
We provide static public IP addresses for use in your home or office. We offer many advantages over a ISPs static IP address.
- Our service is the easiest way to get a static public IP address
- Its cost competitive
- Its more secure, we block all ports by default, use our admin tool to open ports to your server
- You can move your server anywhere, our solution works over any internet connection. If your ISP goes down you can fail over your server to 5G and keep it online.
- We only deal in getting your server online, we can support and help you.
What is the best way to get a static IP address?
Use GetPublicIP to get a static public IP address delivered to your home or office. We make it easy and secure to get your home or office server online without the hassle of dealing with your ISP or paying for expensive cloud providers.
- Your traffic is delivered over a secure encrypted VPN tunnel.
- All ports are blocked by default, our admin panel makes opening ports easy.
- No fixed contracts, pay by month, cancel anytime.
- We provide many locations around the world so you can get a IP address close to you in order to reduce latency.
- This is all we do, our support team is knowledgeable and ready to help you get online.
- We do not terminate SSL / TLS connections. This means the SSL / TLS connection will terminate in your home or office. This is the most secure way to do it. When you configure your own SSL / TLS encryption it means that will not be in plain text over our infrastructure, it will be fully encrypted from the client to your server. No one else offers this level of privacy and security.
What are the downsides to having my own static IP address?
While a static IP enables you to take control of your data and host services in your home or office there are downsides to consider when undertaking this endeavour. You will have make sure the services you are hosting is secure and locked down. Patches will need to be regularly applied and when vulnerabilities get revealed in your services you will need to patch them straight away. There are strategies you can employ to isolate these services to themselves and from the rest of your home or office network. Data centre operators have expensive backup equipment in place to handle power failures and connection outages, but all factors can be managed by home and office users.
- You will need to make sure your server is secure and locked down
- Patch your server on a regular basis
- Monitor your server for vulnerabilities
- Make sure your server is backed up
- Isolate your server from the rest of your home or office network
- Protect your server from power failures and internet outages
- You will need to make sure your server is protected from physical theft