IP Question and need some help

[iam4u2nv]

I think someone is using my @home ip address because when I boot up I get an error stating that my IP is in use. Is there a way to trace a hardware address on the internet. I only have the other systems mac address. @home stated that I can call them when the other system is online but I do not know how to tell when they are online.
Any ideas.

 

[Soybomb]

They are online when you boot and it says your ip is in use...

 

[Pastore]

how someone can "use" your IP is beyond me... i must not be reading something right...

 

[Soybomb]

I'm not familiar with at home, but I though that they were DHCP, so I'd say a release and renew from winipcfg would fix it but if he does have a static address someone else could be using it....

 

[Pastore]

but if @home uses a DHCP server then all of its users are gonna have dynamic IP's... they dont choose which users are gonna have dynamic or static IP's right?

 

[Pepsi90919]

Yes they do. The DHCP server assigns you an IP based on your network card MAC. Seriously -- change network cards and you'll get a new IP.

 

[Pepsi90919]

So yeah....try resetting your modem to see if it picks up something different, and a release/renew.

 

[shiznut123]

Another person might be using your IP on purpose. Matbe he has 2 computers and needs another IP.

 

[iam4u2nv]

Where I am there is no dhcp, I have had the same ip address for a year and a half. Only recently I started getting this error saying it was in use. The people at @home tech support said someone local to me setup multiple ip's at there residence and took mine. I want to know who and pay them a visit. I do not know how to find them and @home told me to let them handle. I say I will handle it my way if I find them but they will not tell me how to trace.

 

[Soybomb]

Hmmmmm interesting.......go watch hackers....do what they do.

 

[iam4u2nv]

Even with a little knowledge I could not hack like that.

 

[Rakkis]

In my are at least (Orange County, CA) Cox@Home uses "persistent" IPs (Tier 2 tech support, 2000). Pretty much that even though they use DHCP, the Ip assigned to you is the same unless they make big system restructuring. I've been using a manually set IP number for about a year now. What you CAN do, is ping the disputed IP number every couple hrs or so. Then call COX when you get a reply.

You can ping from any console or command prompt like this:

ping 123.456.789.123 <---insert correct IP number here

 

[bigshooter]

why don't they just assign you a new IP?

 

[iam4u2nv]

Update
Last night after my last post I again got bumped with the message that my IP was in use. So I call tech support right away and they do some more tracing then they tell me the whole thing is fixed and to change over to DHCP and my problem she is fixed. Well no it is not, I change to DHCP and it sits for like ten friggin minutes then tells me it can not find a DHCP server. I put in my old ip information and whammo I am back on the internet until I get bumped. I wish I could get a tech from there that would give me the right info. The problem in tracing via ip is that when I reboot my computer to get internet access it bumps off the computer that is sharing it and vice versa so when he/she reboots the other I am bumped so I can not trace via ip. I want to trace via mac address but I can not find a program to do that.

 

[kingink]

mac addresses are suppressed by routers. no ethernet broadcasts past the wan link on routers or modems. layer 2, datalink layer, uses MAC addresses and layer 3 where ip or packet switching occurs, uses ip addresses. if you knew that already, then disregard.

there are some brouters and switches that work at layer 3. It can get confusing.
kingink

 

[iam4u2nv]

Actually I did not know. If my computer read the IP conflict and gave me the offending MAC address then I thought there might be a way to trace via mac address. Thanks for the info. It really bothers me that someone is using my IP then @home tells me to switch to DHCP and that does not work. Now I have to spend another hour with them on the phone to get connected. Errrr :|

 

[guyver01]

Have @HOME escalate it to the NOC level.... they can find out from the routers who is obtaining that IP address and block the modem off the network until he &quot;cuts it out&quot; ..

If your tier 2 tech doesn't give you satisfaction... ask for tier 2.5 or a supervisor.