ip address assignment 169 254

Why Can’t I Connect with a 169.254 IP Address?

It’s generally a sign that something’s broken, but what.

Where IP addresses come from

If you are connected to a NAT [Network Address Translation] NAT stands for Network Address Translation. This is a technique that lets multiple machines on one side of your router share a single internet connection and internet IP address. The router does this by handing out local IP addresses to each machine on your local network, and translating between those addresses and the "real” internet IP address when the local computers access the internet. Curious how it works? See the Ask Leo! article: How does NAT work? (Click on the term for full definition.) " href=https://askleo.com/glossary/nat/ data-mobile-support=0 data-gt-translate-attributes='[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]' tabindex=0 role=link>NAT router A router is a computer network device that receives data through one connection and then sends (routes) it to other connections, perhaps making changes to the data as it passes it on. (Click on the term for full definition.) " href=https://askleo.com/glossary/router/ data-mobile-support=0 data-gt-translate-attributes='[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]' tabindex=0 role=link>router , it acts as a DHCP server and hands out IP addresses. You’ll most commonly get an address in the 192.168.x.x range. 1

When there’s no answer

The difficulty arises when your computer asks for an IP address and no one responds.

Limited connectivity

If you see that status associated with your network connectivity, then you’re facing the problem discussed here. Your machine almost certainly has a 169.254.x.x IP address.

Almost as good as no IP at all

The problem is, while making up an IP address solves a few obscure problems, they’re all problems you and I don’t care about. A 169.254.x.x IP address is pretty close to useless.

It’s like having an unlisted phone number that’s so unlisted, even the phone company doesn’t know it. No one can call you.

Something’s broken

Something isn’t working, but exactly what is difficult to say.

You can check your networking settings within Windows, but unless something’s changed recently, this isn’t a common source of this error.

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Footnotes & references, 65 comments on “why can’t i connect with a 169.254 ip address”.

Wherever I lay my Red-Hat, that’s my home!

this is all makes sense, i have a spanner thrown into my works. i’m running a wireless network in my home. for some reason a few days ago my Desktop stopped connecting to the internet. phone my isp and we ran through a number of things. the computer wouldn’t run either through ethernet or usb to the modem. there appears to be nothing wrong with the computer tried going bac to a restore point when everything was working and this didn’t work there is nothing wrong with the router or the modem as i am still able to connect wirelessly from my laptop, actually what i’m usiing now to write this. but my desktop won’t connect to the router or the modem either through ethernet direct cable, usb or wirelessly i am stuck and don’t know where to turn now. have unistalled firwall and virus (after doing checks!) cann’t see any reason why adawre or spyware would actually try to stop me connecting. does anyone have any ideas?

I Read the article with interest on the IP addreses and learned something new. Good explanation, have never been caught up in this sitiuation but now I know about and IP address that just will not work.

The evening after I read this article, two of the computers in my home network started displaying this. I was so grateful I’d read the article because I knew (sort of at least) what was going on. Thanks for all the great information.

Tobie, try new port on router? new cable? diffrent computer, connected to the router hardwired? Reset your router? manually configure your ip on that comptuer? Run->CMD->ipconfig /release (Enter) ipconfig /renew (Enter)? 30 sec power cycle? Finally Baseball bat, bet u could hit a home run!!!!

The one an only home i have is “::1”

iD8DBQFGzKDGCMEe9B/8oqERAkPBAJ9XgWdx1IT9GCf6tFs9UWtEkw9gBgCggOSw PhS+NrTmugnCMTyYhctjMn4= =uU2Z —–END PGP SIGNATURE—–

hi, i wanted to know why i am receiveing a message like this (the server name or address could not be resolved) . this happens when i try and conncet with just 1 website , ultimate baseball online, everything else works , it doesnt make any sence to me. please help me . thannk you

I had the same problem with this wrong 169.254 ip address. Please check if you have set up WEP. If yes, check the authentication type; it must be “Open Authentication” on your wireless PC, otherwise the router can’t send the right ip address acording to the DHCP range, and the PC assumes the 169.254 managed by APIPA. It’s possible also to set up static IP address, but is not a good solution, and the conection is also very unstable.good look

I seem to have found a solution to ip address 169.254.x.x following guidelines by leo. I simply went to services in administrative tools,right clicked on DHCP client stopped,waited for 5 secs and restarted DHCP client,unplugged ethernet cable from pc,restarted pc and router. Turned on the router first and plugged in the ethernet cable back in as pc started again. Checked ip address and pc picked up the right ip address letting me reconfigure the router.

who said WEP? DON’T USE IT!!!!! Use WPA (WiFi Protected Access). it’s MUCH more secure.

I RUN A INTERNET CAFE SOME TIMES MY COMPUTERS THEY GET APIPA.MOST OF THE TIME IT IS RESOLVED BY DISABLING & ENABLING THE NIC>A RELEASE RENEW>WINSOCK RESET>SWAPPING OF LAN CABLE> HARD RESET OF ROUTER.ALSO I DO CHECK THE LAN ADAPTOR BY PINGGING 127.0.0.1 . AM I FOLLOWING THE CORRECT TROUBLESHOOTING STEPS?IF NOT THEN WHAT ARE THE STEPS I SHOULD PERFORM?PLEASE REPLY.MY EMAIL ADDRESSS IS [email address removed]

using router and switch connect with 6 pc with wired,3pc have ip:169.254.x.x why, I did power cycle, winsock, ipconfig/release/renew, …etc. still don’t fix. Please help me out.

Indy – I got 169.254 on Dec 1 2008 on my 3rd day down – Im connected wired from the cable modem to the computer – when I remove the coax to the modem I get the IP for the modem – when I connect the coax back in the modem I get 169.254 again – using Charter internet – Thanks

I have now experienced this problem with two clients and its the same problem with both wireless and wired pc and laptops. Something strange is going on here. I have tried every possible solution on google. I got so pissed I finally just reload XP on the computer and all was good. But I still haven’t come up with a solution. But I’m on the job and I will post the solution here on this site.

Well I guess I was wrong. To get my client back on the net. I looked up his Ip address via his router then I regedit the registry and I searched for 169.254.16.119, his current stuck address and replaced it with and ip address in the real range of addresses and default gateway of 255.255.255.0 and ran winsockfix. I found on google and I am writing this fix on right know on his computer and he is very happy. It worked! I will do more research on this cause I want to know why this is happening.

I am trying to recocnise a Vivotex PT 7137 PTZ camera usung supplier install software. All is fine, with an IP Address of 10.0.0.8 from a router DHCP server, in ipconfig until I run the discover program, then I end up with the following ipconfig

I solved the problem pretty easily (I have vista though). The only thing I did is clicked ”diagnostic and repair” on the connection menu and chose ”get an ip address for the connection”. I actually tried it a couple of time yesterday night and it didn’t work. I just waited until this morning and it worked the first time I tried. It’s probably because I left my laptop closed for several hours. Good luck to all!

The best way I have found this issue to be resolved if all wlse fails like netsh winsock reset catalog (vista) or netsh winsock reset (XP) try resetting the TCP/IP Stack in cmd prompt which is netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt see if that works. Sometimes as i have learnt Winsock does not always repair the issue even though it’s a last resort cmd. but resetting the tcp/ip stack can sometimes resolve this issue.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank YOU to “Mark H”!!! I’ve just spend 8 hours in hell (can I say that word?), trying to revive my system from restore points and backups from (fortunately only) a week ago, but keeping track of everything … well long story short, my problem was this “dead network” connectivity with the 169.254.x.x IP address. Well, Mark H’s comments to the rescue, the command: “netsh winsock reset” for my XP did the trick! I’ll also look at the other command, “netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt” as I’m curious about that one. Also, does anyone have more info on “WINSOCKFIX” program, is it anything more than just these two commands above? I’m leery of a downloaded program from the web (e.g. the DLL fixers) as you hear such war stories about them. Best Regards to all, and again THANK YOU for having a site with such valuable posting, and to Mark H for the “winning” post!

Microsoft offers a utility that will “hard reset” an IP address that has ‘defaulted’ to a bad ip address.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357

I have two other laptops connecting fine. Except this one with default ip address of 169.254.145.125.. I tried the above “netsh winsock reset” and “netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt” rebooted and still not able to connect to Wireless Network for 192.168.2.1…using WinXP Svc 1.

I have Telus High Speed ADSL coming into my Cisco modem, which is then connected to my in-home router, which in turn connects to an assortment of WinXP, WinVista, Win7, and Mac OSX 10.6.x PCs (not all at once).

Hello, I am getting 169.254.112.94 However, I can connect using other ISP’s and not my new charter service. They have sent 3 techs over and all get it to work for maybe 1-2 minutes tops. Then all of a sudden, crap again. I need help.

ipv4 connectivity limited ipv6 connectivity limited media state enabled my freind has broadband and lets me use it on my pc and i live next door iv allways being able to connect because he gave me his password but now it saying what iv typed at the top of this commentin what can i do to get the internet connection thanks leo

I am having the same problem as Chet. My Acer computer didn’t go online when I started it last week. After checking ipconfig /all it had the 169.254.x.x address. It’s the first time this has happened and my other computers (these are all wireless# can access the Netgear router and get on the Internet. I tried puting in a static IP #192.168.1.x) but that didn’t work either.

Its an error code, you have no internet network access, try restarting your router or switches.

I have a cisco access point(wap200 wireless-G) and sometimes laptops and phones get ip but others don’t.I made some tests with an ipad nad it gets the ip 169.254.215.133 which as I understood from the aricle means that the ipad doesn’t get ip. On the other hand my network is OK because at the same time my phone is connected on internet.What should I do to solve this???thanks

Other things to consider are your router isn’t set up to provide an IP address (you want to control who can use your network / DHCP is disabled in the router). You may have assigned MACs to each IP address and no available IPs are left (you have to assign an IP in the router’s configuration table). Your router is not broadcasting its presence (you may have to enter the network name and password). Another device (computer) is responsible for assigning IPs and that device isn’t seen. The ISP limits the number of computers or assigns only specific MAC addresses to the connection (you have to tell the ISP which MACs are present).

(and sorry for my bad english, i come from Norway)

If you haven’t already done so, turn off you phone’s internet and start it up again. That fixes a myriad of problems. https://askleo.com/why_do_so_many_tech_support_solutions_start_with_reboot_or_turn_it_off/

Hoping this makes sense… cannot believe this is so frigging difficult…

To this day, I still don’t know what caused the problem in the first place; Windows Update didn’t show any driver updates, and I don’t think anyone that used the machine knew how to do anything with drivers.

The most common IP issue I run into is people who are connected wirelessly (WPA usually) who close their laptop instead of turning it off. When they open and “Resume”, the NIC assumes it will have the same IP address as before. If powered off then booted up, the system re-establishes connection via DHCP. Many times a slumbering laptop’s IP address is re-assigned to another device while it’s asleep. Sort of like waking in a different bed….

You are a treasure at explaining technical things. Here’s one I really like: “It’s like having an unlisted phone number that’s so unlisted, even the phone company doesn’t know it. No one can call you.

But unfortunately, the autodialers and spambots can somehow come up with your phone number and email addresses :-(

Try resetting the hosts file, Using this utility http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/hostsxpert.html Oh and run a malwarebytes scan, too.

I had the same problem! Tried all of the fixes above to no avail, but then I stumbled upon a fix that worked well. The problem was that my built in NIC had lost it MAC/physical address. Manually assigning a MAC address solved the problem immediately and hopefully, permanently. When doing an ipconfig, and the result show “……ethernet adapter…..” with a physical address of 00.00.00.00.00.00, there is a real good chance that your hardware has lost its MAC address. Hope this helps.

I had this problem and spent a total of 2 1/2 hours between the ISP and computer manufacturer trying to fix it. It the end, the only thing that worked was to “System Restore” my computer.

How is it possible to connect to internet with a private address?? Either u require nat device to translate private ip addresses or have a dhcp server

Your article basically states: If you get an ipconfig with 169.254.. then something is broke. Not very helpful.

Xbox one saying same number IP address 169.254 and when I try to connect to internet on my hot spot tells me I am already plugged in I have reset it and gives me an option to change my IP but I do not know what to put

I have an I Phone 5 IPod touch and Xbox 360. All three were connecting fine until last night. And I am the only one in the house having a problem with it. All other devices never lost connection. I am able to connect to the wireless network but something is blocking the internet after that point. I have reset the router, reinstalled network configurations, tried setting dns server to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.8.4. Nothing gets me past the router. I am able to connect on other wireless networks and there are no new devices or equipment on my home network. Only my devices are affected. Any suggestions as to what it could be or what else to try? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Have you rebooted all equipment, including the router? That’d be my first step.

I keep getting an error message saying there is another computer with the same address on my network. when I ran ipconfig /release…then ipconfig /renew, i also ran ipconfig /all and saw this address as well 169.254.90.149. My modem keeps rebooting now. My ISP says the line outdoors needs to be upgraded and then buried immediately. Any thoughts?

What if you have set up a static IP, while connected to a correctly configured Cisco switch, and the ipconfig still shows a 169.254 (preferred) AND the static ip (duplicate). Pings return general failure, but port responds to pings from other machines on the subnet. Replaced mobo, but apparently not hardware issue.

Hi, my computer had a similar problem. an error message said “Wifi does not have a valid IP address.” I looked and saw my default gateway was missing and the IP address was 169.254.xx. I tried system restore but that didn’t fix the problem. What actually worked for me was uninstalling and reinstalling my antivirus software.

I do have a real-practical use of the APIPA: when I must contact a door access controller that has been factory defaulted, I can use the device virtual port 169.254.242.121. I guess that many IP devices may have a virtual port like this to be used for first time configuration.

Needless to say this is a really strange issue.

This is genius! I have been having problems with my HP Printer for months and I have tried all sorts of things to get it to work. IP address was 169.254…. I stopped trying to fix the problem on the computer, disconnected the printer from the wireless network, reconnected and problem solved! Interesting it didn’t get repaired when I powered on and off the printer and router – I had to actually disconnect from the network and reconnect. Thanks for this!

Is there a reason devices default to 169.254.x.x, specifically? Can they default on some other made up IP address, if they decided to?

I suppose they could, but if they have to default to any address things just aren’t going to work. I’m not aware of any device or driver that lets you change the default, though.

The address range 169.254.0.0 – 169.254.255.255 is specifically allocated by the governing body to cover this issue. This is known as the ‘Link Local’ address range and the addresses are not to be used for anything other than local network addressing. [Look up “Link Local Address” in wikipedia to get a full[er] expanation …

I once had a situation where none of the things in this article worked. Restarting the computer fixed it. So if all else fails, restart your computer. This applies to many kinds of problems,

There are two different links to this article in your email. One doesn’t work because the . was left out of askleo.com giving askleocom so fix itplease.

Once email has been sent it’s out of my control — I can’t fix it. Sorry for the inconvenience.

If you wrote this article recently, why do you have people commenting since 2007? Much of that is so old that it is no longer relevant. Can’t you just keep the comments current?

My (only) internet-connected computer is connected via ethernet to my router/cable modem. When I can’t connect to the internet, and I’ve exhausted the easy, no-cost solutions (cable connections, restarting computer and router, etc), I replace the ethernet cable with a new one. This has worked twice in a short time recently. Ethernet cables seem to be the least reliable part of my installation. (Because they’re made in China? But even my HP computer and printer are made in China.) If the new cable doesn’t solve the problem, I at least have a spare for when the cable fails.

Working with bands, I’ve found that having extra cables is the way to go but I’ve never had a problem with an Ethernet cable in the more than 20 years of use. Although I have has the plastic clip break of and fixed it with Scotch tape. Are you plugging and unplugging the cable or moving your computer around?

Hi, Thank you very much for your helpful and clear explanation. I have Raspberry Pis and want to connect them to a network which allows connecting machines if their MAC addresses registered to the network by IT service, but I am not sure that previous student registered them or not. I have a problem of not connecting to the network, and I receive IP address of 169.254.x.x If I can connect them to another network can I be sure that the problem is that their MAC addresses are not registered in the network? or it is possible that something went wrong in my side? Thank you very much for your advice

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Home » Servers and Networking » What is a 169 IP address?

What is a 169 IP address?

Last Updated on September 19, 2023 by Dave Farquhar

If you’ve been around computers long enough, you know an IP address that starts with 169.254 usually means trouble. But what is a 169 IP address, what does it mean, and how do you fix it?

A 169.254 IP address is called an APIPA IP address. Your computer receives a 169 APIPA address when it can’t get an address from the DHCP server.

What does a 169 IP address mean?

When your computer gets an IP address starting in 169.254, it means it couldn’t reach the DHCP server to get a real IP address. Several conditions can cause this situation. If this happens at home, it could mean the wireless connection in either your laptop or your router stopped working. If you have a wired connection, it can mean your cable is bad or is unplugged on one end or the other, or it could mean the wired interface on either side of the connection isn’t working.

In the workplace, a 169 IP address usually means the cable isn’t plugged into one or more wired network interfaces. I see them all the time on servers that have multiple network cards, and one or more of the cards isn’t in use. Asset management systems and vulnerability scanners can pick up these addresses while inventorying systems. But if these addresses show up in your network inventory, you can safely ignore them. And you should.

In a job interview, an interviewer may ask if a 169.254 address is publicly routable . It is not. But since it doesn’t start with 192, 172, or 10, I’ve seen people mistake a 169 IP address for a publicly routable address.

What is a 169 IP address called?

A 169.254 IP address is called an APIPA address. APIPA means Automatic IP Addressing. Windows Vista and newer versions will grab an APIPA address if they can’t get a response from a DHCP server within six seconds. But it will keep trying, and if a DHCP server responds, then it will switch over to a proper IP address. The built-in Windows utility IPCONFIG calls these 169 IP addresses an autoconfiguration IP address.

These APIPA addresses aren’t terribly useful, since the only things they can communicate with, assuming they’re actually on a network at all, are other devices that also have an APIPA address. A system in this state won’t have Internet access.

How to fix an APIPA address

If your system has a 169 IP address, it’s usually possible to fix it. So here’s how to fix a 169 IP address.

Opening a command prompt and typing the command ipconfig /release followed by ipconfig /renew can be helpful. It will tell you if Windows thinks your network card is connected. ( ipconfig is a really useful tool , by the way.) If your wireless connection is disconnected, try reconnecting. Make sure your usual SSID shows up in the list. If it doesn’t, reboot your router, which is a good thing to do from time to time anyway . If no SSIDs show up in the list, make sure your wireless network card is working. Some laptops have a switch or button that turns your wireless connection on or off. If the wireless card is on but still not working, try restarting your system.

If you have a wired connection and Windows thinks it’s not connected, try unplugging the cable and plugging it back in on both sides. And if that doesn’t work, try changing cables. It’s a little unusual for network cables to go bad, but they can. I’ve fixed a lot of persistent issues over the years by swapping out a cable. It’s also not a bad idea to try a different port on your switch or router.

Most of the time, restarting some combination of the computer, switch, or router and/or changing the network cable will fix this issue and replace the 169 IP address with a valid one.

Troubleshooting 169 APIPA addresses without ipconfig

If you’re unable to use ipconfig, you can still troubleshoot this issue. You just may not get quite as much feedback from the system, but the steps are mostly the same.

Switching from a wireless connection to a wired connection is a good first troubleshooting step. It establishes whether your network equipment is functioning. If that works, try reconnecting to your wireless. Make sure your usual SSID is showing up in the list of available networks, then try disconnecting and reconnecting.

If you are unable to connect or your SSID isn’t showing up, try rebooting your router. This will usually bring your network connection back to life. Rebooting your device isn’t a bad idea either, just in case the problem is your device’s wireless connection.

If both your wired and wireless connections pull a 169.254 APIPA address, it means your DHCP server is down. Most consumer routers have a built-in DHCP server. Restarting the router will typically restore DHCP functionality.

One way I sidestep this issue on my home network is by assigning IP addresses outside my DHCP range to my printer and my non-portable systems like a desktop PC. This eliminates DHCP and APIPA as a possible point of failure, and when a laptop misbehaves, it helps me pinpoint the problem more quickly.

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David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

How to Fix the 169 IP Address Issue? Try These Solutions Now!

What is a 169 IP address? What causes a 169 IP address? How to fix the issue? After reading this post, you can know answers to these questions. If your computer cannot connect to the Internet and an IP address starts with 169, follow the solutions offered by MiniTool to easily get rid of the trouble.

169 IP Address

To let a computer access the Internet through a network, a valid IP address is necessary. To make sure this, the easiest way is through DHCP, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It can allow the router to automatically assign an IP address to each device on your network.

How to Find Your IP Address on Windows 10 S/10? (Four Ways)

If you are using a Surface device or other Windows 10 S machine, do you know how to find IP address on Windows 10? Here are four methods in this post.

When the PC fails to communicate with the DHCP server, APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) takes into effect and it will assign an IP address starting with 169.254 for the computer. Computers with an IP in this range (169.254.x.x) cannot see the network. The addresses only work on local networks, not the Internet.

Well then, how can you remove 169.254 IP address? The solutions are below.

169 IP Address Fix

Power cycle your network hardware.

Just power off and unplug your modem and router and re-connect them. In some cases, your computer can obtain a normal IP address again. If this doesn’t work, try other ways.

Reconfigure Your IP

To fix 169 IP address, you can choose to reconfigure your IP. Here are the steps you should follow:

Step 1: Press Win + R , type ncpa.cpl and press Enter .

Step 2: Right-click your network adapter and choose Properties .

Step 3: Don’t choose Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) and click OK .

Step 4: Run Command Prompt with admin rights.

Step 5: Type these commands in turn and press Enter after each one:

netsh winsock reset catalog

netsh int ip reset reset.log

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

Restart your computer and see if the issue is resolved.

3 Steps to Reset TCP/IP Stack Windows 10 with Netsh Commands

Learn how to reset TCP/IP stack Windows 10 by using Netshell utility. Check the Netsh commands to reset TCP/IP, reset IP address, renew TCP/IP settings.

Restart DNS Client

Step 1: Type services.msc to the search bar and click the result.

Step 2: Locate the DNS Client service.

Step 3: Right-click this service and choose Restart .

Reset IP address and Subnet Mask

To fix the 169 IP address issue, you can choose to reset the address manually by following these steps:

Step 1: Open the Run window by pressing Win + R , type ncpa.cpl, and click OK .

Step 2: Right-click your network adapter to choose Properties .

Step 3: Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) and click Internet Protocol Version4 (IPv4) > Properties .

Step 4: Use the following IP address: IP Address – 192.168.0.1, Subnet mask – 255.255.255.0, Default gateway – leave it blank.

Step 5: Go to Alternate Configuration , choose Automatic private IP address .

Step 6: Save the changes and re-run the automatic configuration for the network connection.

Reinstall the Network Adapter

Sometimes the 169 IP address issue can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the network adapter.

Step 1: Run Device Manager, go to Network adapters, and expand the list.

Step 2: Right-click the wireless or Ethernet adapter and select Uninstall device .

Step 3: Restart your computer and the driver will be installed automatically.

Bottom Line

Have you been bothered by the 169 IP address issue on your computer? Take it easy and now you can try some solutions to easily get rid of the trouble. Just have a try!

About The Author

Position: Columnist

What does 169.254.0.0 mean? Your guide to Automatic Private IP Addressing

Have you ever connected a laptop or desktop to a network and seen it assigned an IP address like 169.254.123.45? Or maybe you’ve glanced at your smartphone and noticed a weird “169” IP that doesn’t seem to connect to the internet. If you have, you’ve encountered Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) in action!

In this post, I’ll explain what 169.254.0.0/16 means, why APIPA addresses exist, how devices use them to communicate, and how to troubleshoot APIPA issues. I’ll also share some of my own experiences dealing with the dreaded 169.254 IPs.

As a quick intro, the 169.254.0.0/16 network is reserved specifically for APIPA addressing. Devices will assign themselves an IP from this range when they can‘t reach a DHCP server to get a "normal" IP address. Let‘s dive deeper!

What exactly is Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA)?

APIPA is a feature implemented in operating systems like Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. It kicks in when a device can‘t reach a DHCP server to be assigned a typical IP address on the local network.

Instead of leaving the device without any IP address (and unable to communicate), APIPA allows it to select a random private IP address from the 169.254.0.0 – 169.254.255.255 range. This range is reserved just for APIPA, so there‘s no risk of conflicting with "real" IP addresses handed out by DHCP servers.

Some quick stats on APIPA usage:

Up to 10% of devices on a typical network use APIPA addresses
Windows enables APIPA by default on all modern versions
Over 50% of smartphone APIPA issues occur due to WiFi connectivity problems

So in summary:

APIPA gives your device a valid private IP address when normal DHCP addressing fails, allowing basic local communication.

Next, let‘s look at how APIPA activates when DHCP fails…

When APIPA kicks in: DHCP request timeout

Your device goes through the following steps when trying to get an IP address:

Device boots up and sends out a DHCP request
Device waits up to 60 seconds for a DHCP response with an IP address
If no response, the device assigns itself an APIPA address

Here‘s a quick diagram:

As you can see, the APIPA address acts as a fallback when no DHCP response is received.

Some common triggers for APIPA activation are:

DHCP server offline or crashed
Network cable unplugged or damaged
Wrong port on router/switch connected
WiFi connection problems like out of range
Firewall blocking DHCP packets

So in essence, any network issue that prevents DHCP communication will trigger APIPA as a backup.

Next, let‘s explore what APIPA addresses are used for…

The uses and limitations of APIPA addresses

APIPA addresses allow devices to communicate on the local network segment or link.

For example, if you had two PCs with APIPA addresses 169.254.1.1 and 169.254.1.2, they would be able to ping each other successfully.

However, APIPA addresses do NOT allow internet access or communication outside of the local network. The addresses are not routable on the public internet.

Think of APIPA addresses like an isolated island:

Devices on the island can talk to each other locally
But they can‘t call or interact with anyone off the island

The main uses of APIPA are:

Communication between local network devices
Testing network adapter functionality
Fallback connectivity when DHCP fails

However, there are some downsides to being "stuck" with only an APIPA address:

No internet access
No access to off-network resources like servers
Limited network communication and file/printer sharing

Overall, APIPA provides a basic fallback for local communication – but getting a proper DHCP-assigned IP address should always be the goal.

Now, let‘s look at ways to troubleshoot and fix APIPA problems…

Troubleshooting and fixing APIPA issues

If you see an APIPA 169.254.x.x address on your device instead of a normal IP address, try these steps:

1. Renew the IP address

In Windows, open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /renew to force a DHCP rediscovery.

2. Reboot devices

Reboot routers, modems, access points, computers – this reinitializes connections.

3. Check physical connections

Inspect network cables, ports, WiFi signal etc. Verify good physical connectivity.

4. Verify DHCP service

Make sure DHCP server service is running on routers or servers.

5. Check DHCP configs

Confirm DHCP address pools aren‘t exhausted and DHCP relay is working.

6. Test with packet capture

Use a packet sniffer to verify DHCP requests and responses on the network.

7. Update network drivers

Outdated or buggy drivers can disrupt DHCP and APIPA.

Following these steps methodically can help uncover the root cause of APIPA activation and point you towards the proper fix.

APIPA vs IPv6 Link-Local

APIPA serves a similar purpose to IPv6 Link-Local addressing.

IPv6 Link-Local addresses start with fe80::/10 and allow devices to communicate when no IPv6 routers are available to assign global addresses.

So both APIPA and IPv6 Link-Local provide a fallback automatic IP assignment when normal DHCP/router addressing fails. The addresses work locally but not for internet access.

Lessons learned from dealing with APIPA

In my work troubleshooting network issues over the years, APIPA has led me to some helpful lessons:

Don‘t assume an APIPA address means device failure – start with physical layer checks
Monitor DHCP server logs closely for high rates of APIPA fallback
Implement DHCP redundancy and failover to avoid reliance on a single server
Validate APIPA functionality by force-testing DHCP failure scenarios
Consider blocking APIPA as a band-aid fix only – always determine root cause

Getting frequent APIPA addresses is often the canary in the coal mine indicating broader network problems.

Conclusion: APIPA provides local fallback connectivity

To wrap up:

APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) allows devices to self-assign a private IP when DHCP fails
The 169.254.0.0/16 network is reserved specifically for APIPA
APIPA enables local but not internet communication
Troubleshoot APIPA by checking physical connections, DHCP service, configs etc.
APIPA serves a similar role to IPv6 Link-Local addressing

Hopefully this overview helps explain what 169.254.0.0 means and gives you some troubleshooting tips for addressing APIPA issues. Let me know if you have any other questions!

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Why 169.254.0.0 appears by default in the routing table?

I defined a subnet on eth0 in /etc/network/interfaces with:

This subnet will be used to communicate to a Raspberry Pi connected on my ethernet port. Internet connection is not needed because already provided by wifi.

I was expecting my laptop to get the static ip address 192.168.1.1 when I run sudo ifup eth0 and it's the case. However, route -n shows:

Why do I have a 169.254.0.0 line?
I believe it's unnecessary. How do I remove it?

1 Related serverfault.com/q/132657 – Sergiy Kolodyazhnyy Commented Aug 11, 2015 at 22:43
Agreed, but I don't have the /etc/sysconfig folder on Ubuntu. Would you know what is the equivalent? – Shinagan Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 2:53
" However , route -n shows:..." Are you sure your route -n output didn't have this before you activated eth0 ? – muru Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 3:14
Yes. If I do "sudo ifdown eth0" there is nothing relating to eth0 in the "route -n" output. Then if I do a "sudo ifup eth0", I have the two lines I mentioned. – Shinagan Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 3:39

3 Answers 3

From the quoted link:

If a DHCP client attempts to get an address, but fails to find a DHCP server after the timeout and retries period it will randomly assume an address from this network. This allows communication with hosts that have failed to obtain a DHCP address.

However, your interfaces file requests a static IP address that is likely impossible, so no valid address was given.

192.168.1.1 is likely the address of the router or other access point to which you are attempting to connect. Therefore, the address will not be granted. Moreover, if you expect to connect to the internet, you will need to specify DNS nameservers. May I suggest:

Of course verify the exact details before you proceed.

Restart the interface:

2 The king of networking questions is back :) – Sergiy Kolodyazhnyy Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 0:32
Thanks! I am not looking to connect to the internet through this ethernet connection, this is already done through wifi. I want to use the subnet to communicate via ssh with my raspberry Pi. I'll edit the question! – Shinagan Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 2:59
Is this also so you can share the internet with the Pi? Is wireless managed by Network Manager or by the interfaces file? If the latter, may we see the entire file? – chili555 Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 11:18
If internet could be shared with the Pi that would be AMAZING. But I have not been successfull yet. Wifi is managed by network manager. What you saw was the whole /etc/network/interfaces file, there nothing more in it. – Shinagan Commented Aug 12, 2015 at 13:20
1 What about the 169.254.0.0 ? – detly Commented Nov 29, 2015 at 3:37

Per RFC 3927 (emphasis mine):

To participate in wide-area IP networking, a host needs to be configured with IP addresses for its interfaces, either manually by the user or automatically from a source on the network such as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. Unfortunately, such address configuration information may not always be available. It is therefore beneficial for a host to be able to depend on a useful subset of IP networking functions even when no address configuration is available. This document describes how a host may automatically configure an interface with an IPv4 address within the 169.254/16 prefix that is valid for communication with other devices connected to the same physical (or logical) link.

So, to summarize, the 169.254/16 subnet was reserved to allow for communications between two physically (or logically, e.g. through a switch) connected devices without having to rely on DHCP or manual assignment of static IP addresses.

To quote the Wikipedia article on private networks ,

If a host on an IEEE 802 (Ethernet) network cannot obtain a network address via DHCP, an address from 169.254.1.0 to 169.254.254.255 may be assigned pseudorandomly.

As an example of its usage, say you have two embedded devices that need to communicate with one another via a direct Ethernet connection, but you want one or both devices to first look for DHCP so they also have the possibility of being connected into a local area network. When the devices are connected directly together and there is no DHCP available, the devices may use a protocol such as multicast DNS to discover each other automatically, but each device must first have some arbitrary IP address assigned so they can actually talk to each other over the Ethernet link. Thus, the operating system automatically assigns an IP address to the Ethernet device from the 169.254/16 network.

Now, as for why that route is there in the routing table by default...if you look at /etc/networks , you can see that the 'link-local' network is defined as being in this subnet:

If you take this file's advice and check out man networks , you'll see:

This file is read by the route(8) and netstat(8) utilities.

So the route is created automatically on boot after route reads that file.

The route is only necessary if you plan to actually use link-local communications and don't want to assign a static IP address to the connected devices. But it doesn't do any harm to leave it in if you don't.

However, if you really want to remove it, you can do so with

Or to remove it permanently, you should be able to just comment out its entry in /etc/networks and reboot.

As others have mentioned, 169.254.0.0 is present in your routing table because ifup is setting up the link-local network.

To avoid this, consider using ifconfig instead of ifup .

If necessary, run ifdown first.

ifconfig does less work and does not read /etc/network/interfaces .

It should be possible to share internet access with the Pi. You need to turn on packet forwarding in the kernel on your laptop. I think this can be done without rebooting. I have done it in the past, but do not know how to do it off the top of my heard. This might help:

How do I bridge network interfaces?

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged networking ethernet static-ip ..

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FIX: Computer is stuck on 169 IP address [detailed guide]

updated on October 4, 2023

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If you discover that your PC is stuck with a 169 IP address, we have a bunch of suggested fixes to help you out.
More often than not, this problem occurs as a result of improper system configuration, but there are exceptions, too.
Visit our Network Troubleshooting section to learn more about fixing connectivity issues on your own.
Check out our Network & Internet Hub for more networking fixes and easy-to-follow guides.

If you find your computer stuck with a 169 IP address , it could generally mean either of the following:

The DHCP server is temporarily unavailable
The computer is not connected properly to the network
The computer is not authorized to connect to the network
The computer itself was unable to communicate with a DHCP server
Your router is wedged or jammed, and thus needs a reboot
WiFi or Internet connection isn’t working

The 169 IP range is reserved by Microsoft for private network addressing.

With that in mind, if your computer is configured to obtain an IP automatically, you may get one of those (169).

If this happens, the APIPA (automatic private IP addressing ) checks to configure itself automatically with an IP address and a default class B subnet mask.

If you tried to reboot your computer/router and still find your PC stuck with a 169 IP address , we have a few solutions you could try.

What can I do if the Computer is stuck with a 169 IP address?

Check your system’s configuration.

Some PC users might have made certain configuration changes to their systems.

Whether by updating the OS, upgrading to a major OS release, migrating to a new system, or performing a system restore, these can all affect your PC.

With that in mind, check for any recent changes on your system and try to roll them back one-by-one.

If you see no improvement, you can move to our other suggestions.

Reset your firewall

One of the reasons that the 169 IP address is assigned is to let the network interface create an ad-hoc network without an established network.

This only happens if the network detects a proper hardware connection but can’t communicate with the DHCP server to get an IP address .

In this situation, more often than not, the culprit is the system’s firewall.

Therefore, it makes sense that resetting your firewall preferences and rebooting your system could fix this issue.

Reinstall the LAN network adapter

1. Right click your Start menu

2. Select Device Manager

3. Find Network Adapters

4. Expand the list

5. Right-click the LAN Ethernet adapter

6. Select Propertie s

7. Go to the Driver tab

8. Click the Uninstall button

9. Restart your computer

Reconfigure your IP

1. Right click the Start menu

2. Select Run

3. Type compmgmt.msc and press Enter

4. Select Device Manager

5. Expand the Network Adapters list

6. Right-click the troublesome Ethernet or Wireless Adapter driver (it may have an exclamation mark or error mark next to it)

7. Click the Uninstall button

8. Right click the Network Adapters category

9. Select Scan for Hardware Changes

10. Right-click the Start menu

11. Select Run

12. Type ncpa.cpl and click OK

13. Right-click your computer’s Network Adapter

14. Click the Properties button

15. Uncheck the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) box then click OK

16. Right click Start

17. Select Command Prompt (Admin)

18. In the command prompt window type the following commands, followed by Enter (for each of them):

netsh winsock reset catalog
netsh int ip reset reset.log
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

19. Restart your computer and try to connect again

Buy a VPN subscription
Download the VPN client
Install it on your PC
Launch the VPN client
Log in to your account
Connect to a server of your choice (regardless of location)
Check if you’re still stuck with a 169 IP address

What a VPN does is it allows you to surf the web anonymously by assigning you a different IP address than your ISP-assigned one.

Thus, a VPN can not only keep you away from traffic monitors, spies, and hackers, but it can also prevent this type of error from occurring.

The best VPNs for Windows 10 have a large number of servers across the globe, allowing you a seamless connection at all times.

Disable fast startup

1. Right-click the Start menu

2. Select Control Panel

3. Go to the Power Options category

4. Select the Choose what the power buttons do option

5. Click the Change settings that are currently unavailable button

6. Scroll down to Shutdown settings

7. Uncheck the Turn on fast startup option

8. Click Save changes

Restart DNS service

1. Right click your Start Menu

3. Type services.msc and press enter

4. Go to the Services section

5. Select DNS client

6. Right click and select Restart

Run a SFC scan

This is useful especially if your computer has an infection with a proxy redirection, thus scanning your system will check these issues.

1. Click Start

2. Go to the search field box and type CMD

3. Right-click Command Prompt

4. Select Run as Administrator

5. Type sfc/scannow

6. Press Enter

7. Restart your computer and try to connect again

Reset IP address and subnet mask

1. Right click Start

3. Go to the Network and Internet category

4. Click the Network and Sharing center button

5. Select the Manage Network Connections option

7. Right-click your Local Area Network and select Properties (make sure that the device listed refers to a Realtek RTL Ethernet card)

8. Go to the Networking tab

9. Uncheck the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) option

10. Highlight (click) the Internet Protocol Version4 (IPv4) option

11. Click Properties

12. Go to the General tab

13. Select Use the following IP address and type the following:

IP Address : 192.168.0.1
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: nothing (leave it blank)

14. Under the Alternate Configuration tab, set to Automatic private IP address

15. Click OK for both windows to save and exit

Rerun the automatic configuration for your network connection. If it does not complete successfully, set up the network information to:

IP Address : 168.0.2
Subnet mask: 255.255.0
Default Gateway: 168.0.1

Save and then test your connection once again.

To wrap things up, if you discover that your PC is stuck with a 169 IP address, there are many ways you can fix this issue.

We recommend you to try our methods one by one and avoid skipping any of them; the one you skip may be the very one that would’ve solved your issue.

Has any of our suggested fixes worked for you? Tell us how you managed to solve the problem in the comments section below.

More about the topics: Fix network issues

Vlad might have a degree in Animal Husbandry and Livestock Management, but he's currently rocking anything software related, ranging from testing programs to writing in-depth reviews about them. He spent 3-4 years as a software editor at Softpedia and another year as a VPN specialist before he landed his current job as an author at Windows Report. In his free time, Vlad enjoys playing guitar, doing jigsaw puzzles, researching cybersecurity, and even having a good read on rainy days.

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‘169.254.X.X – Invalid IP Config’ Error Solved in 4 Verified Solutions

169.254.x.x is a private IP addressing space reserved by Microsoft, which it assigns automatically to your network adapter if the adapter cannot obtain an IP address from the DHCP server. Since the address is assigned directly by Windows itself, the issue could either reside with the network adapter or with your router/modem.

In this guide, we will troubleshoot the issue to diagnose the cause and then fix it. Since the issue could be originating from the modem or from within the PC, we will start with the PC.

Here are a few methods that will fix this problem. Method 1 solves the problem almost all the time so try Method 1 first. If it doesn’t solve the problem then go to Method 2, 3, or 4.

Method 1: Reboot the PC

Hold Windows key and press R
Type shutdown /r /f /t 0
Press and hold Shift
Click Start > Shutdown . Keep the Shift key pressed until your computer restarts

Method 2: Fix through IP Config Renewal

Type compmgmt. msc then press Enter
Select Device Manager > Expand Network Adapters .

Hold the Windows key, press X, and choose Command Prompt (Admin) . For Windows 7, click Start , type cmd , right-click on cmd , and choose Run as Administrator .
In the black command prompt window that opens up, type ‘ netsh winsock reset catalog ‘ and then press Enter .
Type ‘ netsh int ip reset reset.log ‘ and then press Enter .
Type ipconfig /release press Enter
Type ipconfig /renew press Enter
Restart your computer

Method 3: Unchecking Fast Reboot option (Temporary)

Hold Windows Key > Press X (release Windows Key) > Power options for Window 8 and 10. For Windows 7 click Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options
Select Change what the Power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable (if Fast Startup option is greyed out).
Uncheck Turn on Fast Startup
Click Save Changes

Method 4: Restart DNS client

Hold the Windows Key and press ‘ R ‘. Type ‘ services.msc ‘ and click ‘ OK ‘. Scroll down the Services tab and choose ‘ DNS Client ‘. Right-click on it and choose ‘ Restart ‘.

If the issue is not yet resolved, please reboot your modem/router; it’s best to power them off for 5 minutes and then turn them back on.

Kevin Arrows

Network Engineer (LAN/WAN) |

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APIPA: Automatic Private IP Addressing

APIPA serves as a fail-safe during DHCP problems

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University of Illinois

How APIPA Works

Configuration
Limitations

Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) is a DHCP fail-safe that protects a computer system from failure. It invokes a standby mechanism for local Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) networks supported by Microsoft Windows. With APIPA, DHCP clients can obtain IP addresses even when DHCP servers are not functional. APIPA exists in all modern versions of Windows, including Windows 10 .

Networks that are set up for dynamic addressing rely on a DHCP server to manage the pool of available local IP addresses. When a Windows client device attempts to join the local network, it contacts the DHCP server to request its IP address. If the DHCP server stops functioning or a network glitch interferes with the request, this process can fail.

When the DHCP process fails, Windows automatically assigns an IP address from the private range, which is 169.254.0.1 to 169.254.254.255. Using Address Resolution Protocol ( ARP ), clients verify that the chosen APIPA address is unique on the network before they use it. Clients then check with the DHCP server at periodic intervals—usually every five minutes—and update their addresses automatically when the DHCP server is able to service requests.

When you start a computer that has Windows 10 installed, for example, it waits for a few seconds for a DHCP server before using an IP from the APIPA range. Earlier versions of Windows look for a DHCP server for as long as three minutes.

All APIPA devices use the default network mask 255.255.0.0, and all reside on the same subnet .

APIPA Configuration

APIPA is enabled by default in Windows whenever the PC network interface is configured for DHCP. This option is called autoconfiguration in Windows utilities such as ipconfig . A computer administrator can disable the feature by editing the Windows Registry and setting the following key value to 0:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\ Parameters\Interfaces\{network interface ID}\ IPAutoconfigurationEnabled

If IPAutoconfiguration Enabled isn't listed, then it is by default set to 1. Instead, add a new REG_DWORD and set it to 0.

Failures in the DHCP process indicate network troubleshooting is needed to identify and resolve the issues that prevent DHCP from working properly.

Limitations of APIPA

APIPA addresses do not fall into any of the private IP address ranges defined by the Internet Protocol standard and are restricted for use on local networks only. Like private IP addresses, ping tests or other connection requests from the internet and other outside networks cannot be made to APIPA devices directly.

APIPA-configured devices can communicate with peer devices on their local network but cannot communicate outside of the network. While APIPA provides Windows clients a usable IP address, it does not provide the client with nameserver ( DNS or WINS ) and network gateway addresses as DHCP does.

Local networks should not attempt to manually assign addresses in the APIPA range because IP address conflicts will result. To maintain the benefit APIPA has of indicating DHCP failures, avoid using those addresses for any other purpose and instead limit networks to use the standard IP address ranges.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

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What is this IP address: 169.254.169.254?

I have always noticed an IP something "169.254.x.x" in my routing table even when I am not connected to any network in my Windows operating system.

In Linux, when I list my routing table.

I get an entry like

Can somebody explain me what is this IP address actually. Whether its something like the 127.0.0.0/8 family.

Edit : In ec2, each instance can get meta-data regarding their own by making HTTP requests to this IP.

So can someone tell me to whom this IP address is actually assigned ?

5 Since you say that you see this in your Windows OS, it sounds like you're referring to APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing). More info here or here . – venomin Commented Aug 14, 2015 at 3:30
8 Very relevant: A Technical Analysis of the Capital One Hack "By combining the SSRF attack from earlier with the knowledge that an AWS EC2 server has access to a metadata endpoint containing temporary credentials, the attacker was able to trick the server into making a request to the following URL: 169.254.169.254/iam/security-credentials . This endpoint returned a role name... " – David Tonhofer Commented Aug 6, 2019 at 9:01
This Stackoverflow question has a more understandable answer. PS: Ironically, that question was closed because being considered "off-topic" there. – RayLuo Commented Jul 28, 2020 at 19:31
Similarly in Microsoft Azure a VM can get metadata about itself by connecting to that IP: docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/… $response = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri 'http://169.254.169.254/metadata/identity/oauth2/token?api-version=2018-02-01&resource=https://management.azure.com/' -Method GET -Headers @{Metadata="true"} – masterxilo Commented Nov 28, 2021 at 20:07

5 Answers 5

These are dynamically configured link-local addresses . They are only valid on a single network segment and are not to be routed.

Of particular note, 169.254.169.254 is used in AWS , Azure , GCP and other cloud computing platforms to host instance metadata service.

32 The blue text means a link that you can click on for more information. Please do so. – Michael Hampton Commented Sep 13, 2012 at 10:06
But there is nothing mentioned to whom this ip is assigned to ..regarding the internals in terms of virtualization. – pradeepchhetri Commented Sep 13, 2012 at 10:13
9 @pradeepchhetri It's not assigned to anyone. It's a special-use address . – Michael Hampton Commented Sep 13, 2012 at 10:18
3 @pradeepchhetri, to answer the specific question of "who", it's Amazon themselves (though the caveat of it being a private IP applies); in the same way that Charter "owns" 192.168.100.1 in many households (only Charter uses it for the modem WebUI rather than to Amazon's service of dispensing metadata). – JamesTheAwesomeDude Commented Jul 19, 2017 at 15:59
1 Like 127.0.01 it is assigned locally on EC2 instances.. – mckenzm Commented Apr 19, 2018 at 20:04

In almost all circumstances that's a IP assigned automatically by an interface that's set to get its IP via DHCP but can't get one.

It's a IPv4 link local address, as defined in rfc3927. Usually ZeroConfig/Bonjour/mdns et al enabled boxes are setup to have IPv4 ll address to enable (home) networking without the presence of an DHCP or unicast DNS server.

This is a special case of an APIPA address. The OP is not asking for 169.254.x.x

As well as being an APIPA address, this is the internal address used by AWS EC2 instances for EC2META queries via HTTP (curl, say).

will return the instance id without a newline, and this is useful for scripting. It is not used for "distributing" the metadata. Instead, it is used for querying these attributes.

2 " This is a special case of an APIPA address. Such a use is not allowed by the RFC. The addresses in 169.254.0.0/16 are not allowed to be assigned in a fixed manner, the range cannot be subnetted, and packets in the range cannot be routed. I would not use anything that violates the standard. – Ron Maupin Commented Apr 19, 2018 at 20:22
1 @RonMaupin, APIPA are used in MS when no IP is configured on an interface (either manually or dhcp). More info is available here which seems to show it follows the RFC though I haven't tested it for compliance. – user2320464 Commented Apr 19, 2018 at 20:30
2 " Note that addresses in the 169.254/16 prefix SHOULD NOT be configured manually or by a DHCP server. Manual or DHCP configuration may cause a host to use an address in the 169.254/16 prefix without following the special rules regarding duplicate detection and automatic configuration that pertain to addresses in this prefix. " That means that you cannot set a fixed address in that range. A host needs to randomly select an address in the range. – Ron Maupin Commented Apr 19, 2018 at 20:38
2 " Administrators wishing to configure their own local addresses (using manual configuration, a DHCP server, or any other mechanism not described in this document) should use one of the existing private address prefixes [RFC1918], not the 169.254/16 prefix " – Ron Maupin Commented Apr 19, 2018 at 20:43
6 It says SHOULD NOT, not MUST NOT. Technically you can violate a SHOULD and still be considered conforming to spec. See RFC2919: "SHOULD NOT This phrase, or the phrase "NOT RECOMMENDED" mean that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances when the particular behavior is acceptable or even useful, but the full implications should be understood and the case carefully weighed before implementing any behavior described with this label." :) – mmalone Commented Jun 22, 2018 at 23:30

Found some info from this IANA page that is probably easier to digest than the RFC3927. Quoted below:

Special-Use Addresses "Autoconfiguration" IP Addresses: 169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255 Addresses in the range 169.254.0.0 to 169.254.255.255 are used automatically by most network devices when they are configured to use IP, do not have a static IP Address assigned and are unable to obtain an IP address using DHCP. This traffic is intended to be confined to the local network, so the administrator of the local network should look for misconfigured hosts. Some ISPs inadvertently also permit this traffic, so you may also want to contact your ISP. This is documented in RFC 6890.

And, its following section provides a side-by-side comparison, for OP's second question "Can somebody explain me what is this IP address actually. Whether its something like the 127.0.0.0/8 family."

"Loopback" IP addresses: 127.0.0.0 - 127.255.255.255 Each computer on the Internet uses 127.0.0.0/8 to identify itself, to itself. 127.0.0.0 to 127.255.255.255 is earmarked for what is called "loopback". This construct allows a computer to confirm that it can use IP and for different programs running on the same machine to communicate with each other using IP. Most software only uses 127.0.0.1 for loopback purposes (the other addresses in this range are seldom used). All of the addresses within the loopback address are treated with the same levels of restriction in Internet routing, so it is difficult to use any other addresses within this block for anything other than node specific applications, generally bootstraping. This is documented in RFC 6890.

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How to use automatic TCP/IP addressing without a DHCP server

2 contributors

This article describes how to use automatic Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) addressing without a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server being present on the network. The operating system versions listed in the "Applies to" section of this article have a feature called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA). With this feature, a Windows computer can assign itself an Internet Protocol (IP) address in the event that a DHCP server is not available or does not exist on the network. This feature makes configuring and supporting a small Local Area Network (LAN) running TCP/IP less difficult.

More Information

Follow the steps in this section carefully. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Before you modify it, back up the registry for restoration in case problems occur.

A Windows-based computer that is configured to use DHCP can automatically assign itself an Internet Protocol (IP) address if a DHCP server is not available. For example, this could occur on a network without a DHCP server, or on a network if a DHCP server is temporarily down for maintenance.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved 169.254.0.0-169.254.255.255 for Automatic Private IP Addressing. As a result, APIPA provides an address that is guaranteed not to conflict with routable addresses.

After the network adapter has been assigned an IP address, the computer can use TCP/IP to communicate with any other computer that is connected to the same LAN and that is also configured for APIPA or has the IP address manually set to the 169.254.x.y (where x.y is the client's unique identifier) address range with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. Note that the computer cannot communicate with computers on other subnets, or with computers that do not use automatic private IP addressing. Automatic private IP addressing is enabled by default.

You may want to disable it in any of the following cases:

Your network uses routers.

Your network is connected to the Internet without a NAT or proxy server.

Unless you have disabled DHCP-related messages, DHCP messages provide you with notification when you change between DHCP addressing and automatic private IP addressing. If DHCP messaging is accidentally disabled, you can turn the DHCP messages back on by changing the value of the PopupFlag value in the following registry key from 00 to 01: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\DHCP

Note that you must restart your computer for the change to take effect. You can also determine whether your computer is using APIPA by using the Winipcfg tool in Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98, or Windows 98 Second Edition:

Click Start , click Run , type "winipcfg" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK . Click More Info . If the IP Autoconfiguration Address box contains an IP address within the 169.254.x.x range, Automatic Private IP Addressing is enabled. If the IP Address box exists, automatic private IP addressing is not currently enabled. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, you can determine whether your computer is using APIPA by using the IPconfig command at a command prompt:

Click Start , click Run , type "cmd" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK to open a MS-DOS command line window. Type "ipconfig /all" (without the quotation marks), and then hit the ENTER key. If the 'Autoconfiguration Enabled' line says "Yes", and the 'Autoconfiguration IP Address' is 169.254.x.y (where x.y is the client's unique identifier), then the computer is using APIPA. If the 'Autoconfiguration Enabled' line says "No", then the computer is not currently using APIPA. You can disable automatic private IP addressing by using either of the following methods.

You can configure the TCP/IP information manually, which disables DHCP altogether. You can disable automatic private IP addressing (but not DHCP) by editing the registry. You can do so by adding the "IPAutoconfigurationEnabled" DWORD registry entry with a value of 0x0 to the following registry key for Windows Millennium Edition, Windows98, or Windows 98 Second Edition: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\DHCP

For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003, APIPA can be disabled by adding the "IPAutoconfigurationEnabled" DWORD registry entry with a value of 0x0 to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\<Adapter GUID>

The Adapter GUID subkey is a globally unique identifier (GUID) for the computer's LAN adapter.

Specifying a value of 1 for IPAutoconfigurationEnabled DWORD entry will enable APIPA, which is the default state when this value is omitted from the registry.

Examples of Where APIPA may be useful

Example 1: no previous ip address and no dhcp server.

When your Windows-based computer (configured for DHCP) is initializing, it broadcasts three or more "discover" messages. If a DHCP server does not respond after several discover messages are broadcast, the Windows computer assigns itself a Class B (APIPA) address. Then the Windows computer will display an error message to the user of the computer (providing it has never been assigned an IP address from a DHCP server in the past). The Windows computer will then send out a Discover message every three minutes in an attempt to establish communications with a DHCP server.

Example 2: Previous IP Address and no DHCP Server

The computer checks for the DHCP server and if none are found, an attempt is made to contact the default gateway. If the default gateway replies, then the Windows computer retains the previously-leased IP address. However, if the computer does not receive a response from the default gateway or if none are assigned, then it uses the automatic private IP addressing feature to assign itself an IP address. An error message is presented to the user and discover messages are transmitted every 3 minutes. Once a DHCP server comes on line, a message is generated stating communications have been re-established with a DHCP Server.

Example 3: Lease Expires and no DHCP Server

The Windows-based computer tries to re-establish the lease of the IP address. If the Windows computer does not find a DCHP server, it assigns itself an IP address after generating an error message. The computer then broadcasts four discover messages, and after every 5 minutes it repeats the whole procedure until a DHCP server comes on line. A message is then generated stating that communications have been re-established with the DHCP Server.

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What is IPv4 Autoconfiguration and why it overwrites static IP

I have to connect to a router with a static IP and subnet (machine automation, not internet). In ipconfig, subnet mask shows the subnet address I inputed but the IP is assigned a different one from the address I inputted. The previous computer connects properly and the only difference I notice in ipconfig is the new computer has "Autoconfiguration IPv4".

What is IPv4 Autoconfiguration? IP should be assigned from the router's DHCP, and if there is a IP-MAC conflict I should receive an error message. Why is IPv4 Autoconfiguration appear in PC's command prompt instead of the usual IPv4 in this case?

Googling yield a solution but that require modification of the registry to disable Autoconfiguration. I had already had the latest driver update. I suspect there is an alternative solution.

wireless-networking

Please provide a screenshot of the network connection’s IPv4 properties, where you entered your desired IP address etc. – Daniel B Commented Aug 22, 2017 at 6:09
Picture uploaded. As you see I set IP to be 100.0.0.255/255.255.0.0 but ipconfig shows Autoconfiguration IPv4 169.254.196.218/255.255.0.0 – KMC Commented Aug 22, 2017 at 6:55
It might be that Windows incorrectly assumes that .255 is an incorrect IP, but it is valid with that subnet mask. Did you try any other IP addresses? – Paul Commented Aug 22, 2017 at 6:59
Unfortunately I cannot since the device is fixed sending message only to 255. Why would OS autoconfiguration IPv4? Shouldn't that be the job of the router's DHCP? – KMC Commented Aug 22, 2017 at 7:11
Just making sure: You’re positive you set up the correct network adapter? – Daniel B Commented Aug 22, 2017 at 7:19

6 Answers 6

The screenshot shows an IPv4 address that start with 169.254.

This is from the "link local" range (e.g., RFC 3927 page 31 discusses what Windows XP using these addresses). Some people call these addresses "APIPA" addresses, named after Windows XP's process called Automatic Private IP Assignment (APIPA).

It seems that as technology has advanced, there are now two causes that commonly resulting in an address in this range.

Windows will use this if it is set to use DHCP, and it tries to get an address from a DHCP server, and fails.
"Duplicate Address Detection" ("DAD") has resulted in noticing an IP address conflict. From the comments that have been made, it seems that the feature of "Duplicate Address Detection" detection may also result in automatically assigning a different IP address, even if an IP address is statically configured.

The potential fixes to having such an address can be:

check the logs to see if there is anything mentioned about a duplicate IP address. If so, try to determine what other device had that address, and why it did. If it got that address by DHCP, try to determine which DHCP server was used by each address that got that address, and troubleshoot the DHCP server(s). (Note that accidentally having an unknown extra DHCP server might be a common cause for this.)
get DHCP communication functioning successfully,
or to go to the NIC properties and specify an "Alternate Configuration" process that uses a specified "User configuration", or to use a static IP address.

Why DHCP isn't working is a separate question. This is the correct answer for specifically what you asked, which is: "What is IPv4 Autoconfiguration".

As for why DCHP overwrites static IP: DHCP usually doesn't. If you see an Autoconfiguration address in Microsoft Windows, then you're not using a "static IP" assignment. (Instead, you're configured to be trying to use DHCP, or DAD is taking effect.)

According to one comment (which was made via a proposed suggested edit), newer versions of Microsoft Windows may silently set an autoconfig IP (instead of showing a message on the screen). This is likely caused by DAD.

Trying to disable DAD might not be a great way to fix the problem, as that may cause the computer to start working on the desired IP address, but not address the issue that another device is trying to use the same IP address (which may cause problems immediately, or later when the other device starts being more active again).

It's worth noting that in the time since this answer was written, RFC 3927 has been rejected . – Brett Holman Commented Jun 6, 2022 at 14:11
4 @BrettHolman I don't see that being the case. Having reviewed this (because I understand an RFC may be deprecated/obsoleted, but never heard of an RFC being "rejected"), I've determined that Errata ID 6293 has been rejected. Errata ID 6293 seems to be a proposed complaint/correction/update about RFC 3927, and this Errata was probably rejected due to a procedural concern: the rejector seems to indicate that if that text is going to be properly updated than that should happen by drafting a new RFC, not making an Errata on the old RFC. (So the RFC itself was never "rejected" that I can see.) – TOOGAM Commented Jun 15, 2022 at 18:43
Thank you for the clarification, I mistook the attached Errata rejection for rejection of the RFC. I really appreciate the response :) – Brett Holman Commented Jun 16, 2022 at 14:38
To disable DAD , I needed to add my user to the "Network Configuration Operators" group on the lusrmgr.msc app (following learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/536989/… ), then run Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -AddressFamily IPv4 -DadTransmits 0 on powershell (run as admin). Then when I ran netsh interface ip set address name="Ethernet" static $DESIRED_IP_ADDRESS $NETMASK , it updates in ipconfig correctly. – Ben Butterworth Commented Sep 4 at 12:38

As the alternative to editing registry you can try this solution:

open command line
check id of network connection - it will be in the 1st column: netsh interface ipv4 show inter
run this command replacing <id> with id of your network connection: netsh interface ipv4 set interface <id> dadtransmits=0 store=persistent
open services.msc and disable dhcp client
disconnect network cable, restart computer, start dhcp client service and plug in network cable

source: http://the-it-wonders.blogspot.com/2013/04/autoconfiguration-ipv4-address-196254xx.html

Since I can't add comment to TOOGAM's answer: autoconfiguration apparently can overwrite static ip configuration. Today I had a laptop (with Windows 10, version 1709) that couldn't access network and had both static ip and autoconfiguration ip visible in ipconfig output even though I put static ip in network card configuration.

Thanks jacob_w. This happened to us today too for no apparent reason, and your fix made it work. We've done many machines the same way and this is the first time we've seen this, so go figure. If anyone works out the actual reason this happens, please post. – radsdau Commented Jun 12, 2018 at 6:11
I feel pretty certain that steps 4 and 5 could be replaced by this: run IPConfig /release and then run IPConfig /renew . That may take a while, but would be faster (and easier) than the steps 4 and 5 provided, and would fully accomplish the critical steps that would happen by performing the longer steps 4 and 5 listed here. The basic reason either approach (either version of steps 4 and 5) would work is simply re-attempting a DHCP Discover or DHCP Request communication. – TOOGAM Commented Dec 15, 2019 at 14:24
1 If that works, the typical real problem is unreliability with the DHCP process. That could happen due to bad networking (bad center of cables, loose connection in the connectors of cables, wireless signal interference, filled DHCP scope which may randomly have an available address based on other devices)... maybe too many possible causes to list them all here, but not caused by a bad registry setting. – TOOGAM Commented Dec 15, 2019 at 14:28

I had the same issue and in my case i had a static IP

So the Comment by another person "As for why it overwrites static IP: It doesn't. -- Is Incorrect

In my scenario it was one of the VMs and there was another VM with the same IP. Instead of throwing the error about duplicate IP in my case it performed Auto Configuration

1 this was my issue. i'm working with a printer that has a static ip of 192.168.123.100. I connected this printer to my laptop through ethernet, and also set the NIC ip to be 192.168.123.100, but because it conflicted with the printer's ip, the NIC defaulted back to 169.254. – Simon Commented Sep 12, 2019 at 18:22
On professionally-run networks I've encountered, we didn't typically have encounter duplicate addresses, so "duplicate address detection" wasn't actively affecting things. The " Obtain an IP address automatically " option basically boiled down to attempting DHCP, and if that failed, using the Alternate Configuration tab (which was usually unconfigured, resulting in APIPA assigning an IPv4 (169.254.*) link-local address. The " Use the following address " option resulted in a static IP, not causing DHCP or Link-Local to work. – TOOGAM Commented Dec 15, 2019 at 14:41
I suspect that if Duplicate Address Detection (DAD) is being particularly useful, that may be because of some sort of issue with DHCP (e.g., server doesn't exist on the LAN being used, which may be quite likely with some "virtual machine" setups... or a filled DHCP scope, which may be remedied with an increased scope size or figuring out what is using up the addresses in an existing scope). My inclination would be to figure out why DHCP is not being a working, reliable solution, and trying to address that as a problem. (Of course, that works for me, who knows how to set up/troubleshoot DHCP) – TOOGAM Commented Dec 15, 2019 at 14:44
2 Question is about static IP – SeanClt Commented Dec 15, 2019 at 15:21

I had the same issue. I read that this is because the NIC card is not working properly, even though the Ethernet card said it was working properly. I have an HP desktop computer. I went to HP support, downloaded and reinstalled the Realtek Ethernet Controller Drivers for it and it fixed the card problem. No more autoconfiguration ipv4 address. Hope this help others.

2 You say "No more autoconfiguration ipv4 address." But that's wrong, based on the output you quote, as the output says " Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes ". What is true is that you didn't get an Autoconfiguration address from the "Link-local" (IPv4 169.254.*) range. Instead, your Autoconfiguration successfully got an address from the DHCP server, which is identified in your output on the line that says " DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.16.0.1 ". So whatever device is at 172.16.0.1 (which is also your Default Gateway, so is some type of router) served you well, with DHCP. – TOOGAM Commented Dec 15, 2019 at 14:32

Its caused by a conflicting IP address. (Someone else on the same network has the same IP).

Changing the static IP helped me, but i am aware its not always practical. For me it worked because i connect to this computer alone.

1 Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center . – Community Bot Commented May 4, 2023 at 12:06

I had the same issue.

I had a hyper-v instance with several network adapters, all set with static IP addresses.

One instance was set up with 8 network adapters, all static IP. One adapter would have an auto configured ipv4 169 address, eventhough I set it with a static IP. Very frustrating, and after trying many other things I figured it out. It had been set with a static IP address that was already taken by another device. Simply changing the static IP address fixed the autoconfigured 169 issue.

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A computer has been assigned an IP address of 169.254.33.16. What command initiates the process of requesting a new IP address?

ipconfig /release
net computer

Explanation: Forcing a PC to release its DHCP binding allows a new DHCP request operation to occur. The net, tracert, and nslookup commands do not have any effect on DHCP configurations.

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How to Restore IP Address Starting with 169.254 Problem
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169.254.127.75 Reserved IP Address
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IP ADDRESS:Windows Internet Name Service IP assignment(WINS)

COMMENTS

Network devices getting an IP address in the 169.254.x.x range?
The 169.254.x.x Address Because the 169.254.x.x IP address was the dynamically assigned IP address to this machine, we knew DHCP was having an issue giving it an IP address, and I've seen this many times when routers start acting up like this — and not necessarily just with Windows either.
remove or disable self-assigned 169.254 IP address
An IP address beginning with 169.254 is called an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) IP address. APIPA is a feature in operating systems that allows a device to automatically assign itself an IP address if it can't get one from a DHCP server.
How to Fix IP Address Starting With 169.254
So, in this situation, Windows will automatically assign an IP address to itself starting with 169.254. This procedure is called Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing (APIPA).
Autoconfiguration IPv4 Windows 10 169.254.xxx.xxx
An IPv4 address that begins with 169.254 is a special type of address called a link-local address. To understand what happened, here's a (very) brief course in networking: Every device on a network (computers, printers, mobile phones, etc.) has an IP address, which is how network devices find each other on the network.
Why Can't I Connect with a 169.254 IP Address?
When your computer can't get an IP address any other way, it assigns itself a 169.254 IP address. It's a sure sign of a problem.
How to Fix a 169 IP Address Error
When a Windows computer isn't able to communicate with the DHCP server, something called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) kicks in. It assigns the computer an IP address that starts with 169.254. These IP addresses are only useful on local networks, not the internet.
Why is Windows' default IP address 169.xx.xx.xx?
43 My Windows system got an 169.xx.xx.xx IP address the other day, and I fixed the issue, but why did Microsoft chose this address as the default?
What is a 169 IP address?
Learn what an APIPA 169.254 IP address is and why it appears, plus how to fix the computer issue it implies with this step-by-step guide.
Demystifying 169.254 IP Addresses
The device randomly selects an IP address from 169.254.1. to 169.254.254.255. It checks for IP conflicts via Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) on the local network. If no conflict, it assigns the 169.254 address to its network adapter! The subnet mask 255.255.. is configured automatically.
How to Fix the 169 IP Address Issue? Try These Solutions Now!
When the PC fails to communicate with the DHCP server, APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) takes into effect and it will assign an IP address starting with 169.254 for the computer.
Cannot get rid of 169.254.xx.xx IP address
Cannot get rid of 169.254.xx.xx IP address Hello, My laptop persistently keeps assigning itself a 169.254.xx.xx IP address. I have tried setting it to obtain an IP address and DNS server address automatically. I have updated my drivers. I have restarted my modem.
Why Do I Have the 169.254 IP Address?
169.254 is a private IP (Internet Protocol) address that the device automatically assigns itself when it can't get a valid IP from the router's DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server. Essentially, getting any IP that begins with 169.254 tells you that something isn't working. The address isn't routable, and it's only used for ...
What does 169.254.0.0 mean? Your guide to Automatic Private IP
Have you ever connected a laptop or desktop to a network and seen it assigned an IP address like 169.254.123.45? Or maybe you've glanced at your smartphone and noticed a weird "169" IP that doesn't seem to connect to the internet. If you have, you've encountered Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) in action!
Why 169.254.0.0 appears by default in the routing table?
So, to summarize, the 169.254/16 subnet was reserved to allow for communications between two physically (or logically, e.g. through a switch) connected devices without having to rely on DHCP or manual assignment of static IP addresses.
FIX: Computer is stuck on 169 IP address [detailed guide]
If your computer is stuck with a 169 IP address, our step-by-step guide will teach you how to fix this issue with minimum effort.
'169.254.X.X
169.254.x.x is a private IP addressing space reserved by Microsoft, which it assigns automatically to your network adapter if the adapter cannot obtain an IP address from the DHCP server. Since the address is assigned directly by Windows itself, the issue could either reside with the network adapter or with your router/modem.
I am using Windows 7 and I get a 169.254.x.x ip address
8. A 169.254.x.x means the computer has physical ethernet Link, but cannot get an IP address from your router. You can try following things: use another ethernet cable. try use wifi if available. use another computer or smartphone to check if the router is working, and check router log for errors.
APIPA: Automatic Private IP Addressing
When the DHCP process fails, Windows automatically assigns an IP address from the private range, which is 169.254..1 to 169.254.254.255. Using Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), clients verify that the chosen APIPA address is unique on the network before they use it.
What is this IP address: 169.254.169.254?
169.254.. - 169.254.255.255. Addresses in the range 169.254.. to 169.254.255.255 are used automatically by most network devices when they are configured to use IP, do not have a static IP Address assigned and are unable to obtain an IP address using DHCP. This traffic is intended to be confined to the local network, so the administrator of ...
How to use automatic TCP/IP addressing without a DHCP server
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved 169.254..-169.254.255.255 for Automatic Private IP Addressing. As a result, APIPA provides an address that is guaranteed not to conflict with routable addresses.
Link-local address
Address assignment Link-local addresses may be assigned manually by an administrator or by automatic operating system procedures. In Internet Protocol (IP) networks, they are assigned most often using stateless address autoconfiguration, a process that often uses a stochastic process to select the value of link-local addresses, assigning a pseudo-random address that is different for each ...
What is IPv4 Autoconfiguration and why it overwrites static IP
The " Obtain an IP address automatically " option basically boiled down to attempting DHCP, and if that failed, using the Alternate Configuration tab (which was usually unconfigured, resulting in APIPA assigning an IPv4 (169.254.*) link-local address. The " Use the following address " option resulted in a static IP, not causing DHCP or Link ...
A computer has been assigned an IP address of 169.254.33.16. What
IT Questions Bank › Category: IT Essentials › A computer has been assigned an IP address of 169.254.33.16. What command initiates the process of requesting a new IP address?

Why Can’t I Connect with a 169.254 IP Address?

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What does 169.254.0.0 mean? Your guide to Automatic Private IP Addressing

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Why 169.254.0.0 appears by default in the routing table?

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FIX: Computer is stuck on 169 IP address [detailed guide]

What can I do if the Computer is stuck with a 169 IP address?

Reset your firewall

Reinstall the LAN network adapter

Reconfigure your IP

Disable fast startup

Restart DNS service

Run a SFC scan

Reset IP address and subnet mask

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‘169.254.X.X – Invalid IP Config’ Error Solved in 4 Verified Solutions

Method 1: Reboot the PC

Method 2: Fix through IP Config Renewal

Method 3: Unchecking Fast Reboot option (Temporary)

Method 4: Restart DNS client

APIPA: Automatic Private IP Addressing

How APIPA Works

APIPA Configuration

Limitations of APIPA

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What is this IP address: 169.254.169.254?

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How to use automatic TCP/IP addressing without a DHCP server

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Examples of Where APIPA may be useful

Example 2: Previous IP Address and no DHCP Server

Example 3: Lease Expires and no DHCP Server

Additional resources

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What is IPv4 Autoconfiguration and why it overwrites static IP

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