How to Obtain a Public IP From Time Warner

There are two basic types of IP addresses used by Internet service providers (ISPs) to provide customers with Internet service: a dynamic, or DHCP, address and a static IP address. A static IP, as the name suggests, uses the exact same IP to go online every time. A DHCP IP configuration uses a "stack" of available IP addresses; anytime a modem comes online and requests an IP address from the ISP's network, it simply grabs the first available IP address off of the stack. The DHCP IP configuration, then, makes it very simple to obtain a new public IP address from your ISP at any time.

Instructions

1. Unplug the power cord from the Time Warner cable modem. Count a full 30 seconds and plug it back in.

2. Allow the modem to reboot for up to five minutes. During this time, it will run through its boot cycle, connect with your ISP's network and request a dynamic IP address.

3. Navigate to your computer's IP configuration manager. For most versions of Windows, the easiest way to do this is to open the "Start" menu, click "All Programs," and then choose "Command Prompt" from the "Accessories" menu (for later versions of Windows, you may need to right-click on the "Command Prompt" icon and choose "Run as Administrator" in order to give yourself sufficient privileges to view the computer's IP information).

4. Determine the computer's IP address by typing "ipconfig" and pressing "Enter." Among the command output, look for numbers printed next to "IP Address," "IPv4 address" or "IPv6 address." The number printed is the public, DHCP IP address that the modem obtained from the Time Warner network.