Last updated on December 8th, 2022 at 02:53 pm
What is the IP 169.254 and how to solve the network error that prevents you from connecting a PC to the internet because the IP starting with 169 is assigned
These days the internet connection is really essential, not only for playing games or watching films but also for working, studying, attending conferences and online lessons. If the connection doesn’t work properly, it can also have serious consequences.
In some cases, internet connection problems are caused by a misconfiguration of the IP address assigned by the router. Trying, in fact, to check the connection data (by pressing the internet icon near the clock and then going to properties or launching the ipconfig command in a command prompt window), an IP address can be indicated that starts with the number 169.254 , which is never correct.
What is the error with IP address 169.254?
The IP 169.254 is automatically assigned to a computer when it cannot communicate with the DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) server. With this address, however, the PC is unable to connect to the internet. This IP starting with 169 is not random; in fact, the class of link-local addresses that are used to make the PC communicate within a local network and not communicate with the router and the outside world, i.e., with the internet.
When the connection does not work and the IP 169.254 appears, it means that the internet has problems that may depend on us, on our configuration, or the network provider or network administrator in the case of an office. The solutions require making sure that both the computer and the DHCP communicate without problems. Below, therefore, we see everything we can do to solve the IP 169.254 problem.
1) Reconnect your modem or router: immediately try to turn off and on the network devices and reconnect the cables. In fact, it may be just a random problem of not assigning the IP to navigate.
2) Use the Network Troubleshooter: Sometimes, the problem with IP assignment is computer-related, and in Windows 10, you can use the automatic network troubleshooter. To do this, open Settings, go to Network and Internet, and press on the right side on Troubleshoot. The computer will automatically detect the network error and fix the problem. After finishing the troubleshooting, restart your PC and try to reconnect to the router or modem.
3) Reconfigure the IP address: To resolve the IP 169 address, if it does not correct automatically, you might as well do it manually by asking for a new IP address for the computer. To do this, press the Search key or press the Windows-R keys on your keyboard together and search for cmd, right-click on it to open the command prompt as administrator, and run the following commands, pressing enter after each.
- netsh winsock reset catalog
- netsh int ip reset reset.log
- ipconfig / release
- ipconfig / renew
Finally, restart your computer to fix the IP address error 169.
4) Restart the DHCP service: To restart the DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol), that is the service that communicates with the server to assign a valid IP to the PC, press the Windows + R keys together type the command services.MSC and start the service editor. Scroll down the list until you find DHCP Client and press Restart. Also, make sure it is automatic.
5) Reinstall the network adapter: To reinstall the network card, press the Windows-X keys together to open Device Manager, right-click on the wireless adapter icon or Ethernet card, and press Uninstall device. By restarting your computer, you will automatically get the network card reinstallation.
6) Reset IP address and subnet mask: If DHCP doesn’t work, you can set the IP manually. To do this, open the network connections window (looking for ncpa.CPL from the Start menu ). From here, right-click on the connection used to surf the internet and click on Properties. Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP / IPv6) and double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP / IPv4). Now, try to manually set the IP 192.168.0.1 and the Subnet mask to 255.255.255.0, leaving the Default Gateway field blank. Press OK and save the change.
You could also manually configure the network, but you need to know if the IP class is correct. To do this, find out the IP of the router (which, for example, can be 192.168.1.1) and then give the PC an IP such as 192.168.1.22 , writing the IP of the router in the Default Gateway field.
