Each device connected to a WiFi network is assigned an individual IP address by the router. However, for a certain length of time, your device’s IP address is only leased out. Your device must renew its lease after the period expires.
If your device asks you to “Renew Lease”, it means that the router must issue a new IP address to your device since the one it was previously assigned is no longer valid.
In order to do this you will need to reset your device’s WiFi connection or select the “Renew Lease” option in your WiFi Settings.
What is a WiFi lease?
A router’s WiFi lease is a mechanism for keeping track of all the devices connected to the network.
When a device connects to the router, it is given a local IP address by the router using a service known as DHCP.
DHCP is an acronym that stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. First defined as a standards-tracks protocol in 1993, DHCP eventually became a critical part of device networking.
Essentially, DHCP is a network protocol that’s predominantly used on IP servers. Its main job is to automate the IP address administration process, allowing every host on a network to communicate efficiently with other endpoints.
The protocol dramatically simplifies connecting devices and removes much of the complexity involved with early networking.
When the router connects to a new device, it looks up the MAC Address of that device in its database. The router will then assign the same IP address to it every time it reconnects because of this.
A MAC Address (Media Access Control address) is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network layer.
MAC addresses are used to differentiate devices on the Local network, and they are used in the process of routing packets to their destinations.
IP information is only valid for a limited amount of time, referred to as the lease.
Once that period is over, the IP is released, and the client can’t use it anymore. As a result, all communication stops. The DHCP manages the lease to free up addresses for the pool.
Not only that, but it can take care of lease extensions to avoid interruption.
If you have connected to a WiFi network, but now you’re receiving a “Renew Lease on WiFi” message, it means that the IP address that was reserved for you is now being used by another device.
If you’re having trouble getting on your wireless network, try turning WiFi off on your device and then reconnecting, or go to Settings > Network settings on your device and choose “Renew Lease.”
Most of the time, your device will automatically request a new IP address from the router and you will be able to connect to the network.
How to Change local network IP address
If you are still having difficulty connecting to the network.
You can use the following methods to force your devices to change IP addresses:
- In your device’s network settings choose “Forget Network” and then reconnect
- Turn off your router for 30 seconds, when you turn it back on your router will assign new IP addresses to all devices.
Static IP address
A static IP address is an IP address that is assigned to a device and does not change. This means that the device will always have the same IP address and will not have to renew its lease.
If you have a static IP address, you can configure your devices to always use the same IP address when connecting to the network.
It’s possible that you accidentally linked two devices to the same IP address. You’ll most likely get a WiFi lease expired warning and neither device will be able to connect to the internet if this happens.
On Windows, an “IP Address Conflict” notice will appear next to your network adapter.
To fix this, make sure that your device is using automatic DHCP instead of static, or you could try manually entering a different IP address.
How to set a static IP address
If you have a static IP address, you can configure your devices to always use the same IP address when connecting to the network. This can be helpful if you want to always be able to connect to a specific device on your network.
Windows 10
1. Open Control Panel and go to Network and Sharing Center.
2. Click on Change adapter settings.
3. Right-click on your active network adapter and select Properties.
4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
5. Select the Use the following IP address option and enter your static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.
macOS
1. Open System Preferences and click on Network.
2. Select your active network adapter from the list and click the gear icon.
3. Select Manually from the Configure IPv4 drop-down menu.
4. Enter your static IP address, subnet mask, and router information.
iOS (iPhone/iPad)
1. Open Settings and tap on Wi-Fi.
2. Tap on the i next to the network you want to configure.
3. Tap on Configure IP and select Static from the IP Address field.
4. Enter your static IP address, subnet mask, and router information.
Android
1. Open Settings and tap on Wi-Fi.
2. Long press on the network you want to configure and tap Modify Network.
3. Tap on Advanced options and select Static from the IP Settings field.
4. Enter your static IP address, subnet mask, and gateway information.
5. Tap Save.
How to Change DHCP Lease Time
The DHCP lease time is the amount of time that a device can use an IP address before it has to renew its lease.
If you have a lot of devices on your network, you may want to reduce the DHCP lease time so that addresses are recycled more quickly and there are less chance of conflicts.
Conversely, if you have a small home network with only a few devices, you may want to increase the lease time so that there is less chance of your address being reassigned to another device.
To change the DHCP Lease time on your router you will need to access your router settings page.
This is typically done by typing “192.168.1.1” into your browser and entering the username and password for your router, which you can find in the manual or on the manufacturer’s website.
Once you are logged in to your router settings page, look for an option called DHCP Lease Time or similar, and adjust it to the desired value.
When you change the DHCP lease time, all devices on your network will be assigned new IP addresses and will need to renew their leases.
You may want to do this at a time when there are fewer people using the network so that there is less chance of disruptions.
