(a) Guide
Do you need a static IP for your business?
A static IP is a small line item that quietly decides whether remote access, cameras and VPNs work at all.
What a static IP actually changes
A dynamic address can change without warning. Anything that needs to be reached from outside your building — a camera system you check from home, a VPN your staff dial into, a server that receives connections, a device a vendor monitors remotely — becomes unreliable when that address moves. A static IP fixes the address so those connections keep working.
You probably need one if
- Security cameras or a recorder are viewed from off site
- Staff or vendors connect in over a VPN
- You run an on-site server, POS controller or booking system that accepts inbound connections
- A phone or alarm provider requires a fixed address for registration or whitelisting
- Another business whitelists your address to let you reach their system
- You send outbound email from your own on-site mail server
You probably do not need one if
Everything you use is cloud-hosted and outbound only: web browsing, hosted email, a cloud point-of-sale, a hosted phone service that does not require fixed registration. In that case the money is better spent on capacity or a failover path.
Ask about it before the install, not after
Adding a static IP later often means a configuration change, a truck roll or a contract amendment. It is cheaper and faster to include it in the original order, along with how many addresses you need — camera systems and multi-service sites sometimes need a small block rather than one.
Commercial service only · United States