Multiple entries in a forum from same IP

1

Sorry if the title is a bit confusing. Recently, I joined a forum event. They were strict about one entry per IP.

The mods contacted me and told me that multiple entries were entered from same IP. So they concluded that both entries were from same device. I use a laptop from home broadband connection. No one else has access to it. The other entry was from a different user.I don't know that user, nor is he from the same locality. But both are from India.

How is it possible?

Jacob Thazhath

Posted 2015-08-27T10:56:51.390

Reputation: 23

4In some places in the world, entire towns show the same IP address. It's a poor solution to avoiding multiple entries. – Tetsujin – 2015-08-27T11:04:34.990

This forum has some dated admins or not really techy at least. NAT/PAT protocols have been used for decades now, so to identify the use by IP only, is like asking them to use analog modem for browsing. Forum should step it up and use some browser fingerprints or similar. – mnmnc – 2015-08-27T11:40:28.253

@mnmnc Yeah some of the mods are tech illiterate. I'm going to try my best to explain the situation to them, but it's going to be difficult as they view these situations as inevitable friendly fire / casualties of war. Unfortunately, we don't have access to anything beyond IPs - only the admins have that power. – krikara – 2015-08-28T03:23:02.360

@krikara, didn't expect to see you here, thanks for the help... :) – Jacob Thazhath – 2015-08-28T16:08:20.337

Answers

1

Some ISPs do not provide a fixed IP address but a dynamic IP address, which means that the same IP address was at one time in use by you and at another time in use by someone else. IP addresses are released when the user disconnects (modem disconnect, power outage, etc.), and when the modem comes online again, it is allocated a random IP address from the ISPs pool of IP addresses.

Another possibility is that your ISP uses Carrier Grade NAT, which means that multiple users on the same ISP share the same IP address. Wikipedia has an article about Carrier Grade NAT.

jornane

Posted 2015-08-27T10:56:51.390

Reputation: 977

Thx man, I think that s the problem. We use dynamic IP. – Jacob Thazhath – 2015-08-27T11:45:11.793

Asked: 2015-08-27T10:56:51.390

Viewed: 112 times

Active: 2015-08-27T11:30:09.620