Xbox - Can't connect to DHCP issue

Unplug the router for a few minutes and plug it back in. DHCP will provide new internal IPs...maybe. Also powerline adapters can sometimes need to resynch. Unplug both powerline adapters and plug them back in. The lights should flash all green, etc.

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If this doesn't work, can you set a static IP on Xbox? I would hope so, since this has been a thing throughout the history of Windows...

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If that doesn't work, try plugging something else in there (and/or try plugging in the XBox at another location) to make sure the problem isn't the cable/drop/run etc.

If plugging in an IP works, be sure to use something a bit high (like a .30 or higher) to make sure none of your DHCP devices are automatically assigned that IP when your XBox is off.

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And no, no idea what a static IP address is.

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Prepare for more info than you probably wanted because I love teaching this stuff and today I have extra time due to doing some computer re-imaging currently on my plate at work.

The internet is really just a big network made up of shitloads of smaller networks. Think of a network as a neighborhood with each device (computer, gaming console, phone, etc) on it being its own building. Each of those devices need a street address, that street address is known as an IP (Internet Protocol) address.

At the entrance to the neighborhood (which is also the exit) is a router. This thing actually has TWO addresses: one it is given by your ISP (Cox, ATT, etc), which is called an "external IP" and one that the devices within your network see (an "internal IP").

Your router is responsible for assigning addresses to everything within your network and this is done in one of two ways:

1. You can let it auto-assign addresses (pulled from a specific range of addresses that is referred to as the "IP pool"). This is known as DHCP (Dynamic Control Host Protocol) and it gives a dynamic (ie: it can change) IP address

2. You go in the specific device's settings (in your case it would have been your XBox) and set the IP manually (basically telling the router "No, screw you, THIS is my address, bitch!"). This is a static (ie: does not change) IP address

(you can set up rules where the router does #2 but I'm pretty sure I've already gone deeper into this than you were wanting lol!)

So what does all this look like in an actual setting?


You get Cox to run cable internet to your house. They give you a router (whether wifi, wired or both is irrelevant for this level of the conversation). You go to IP Chicken and see your IP is 174.73.175.142 (just an example). That is your external IP (it's dynamic but it won't change all that often).

You have your phone, computer and XBox all connected to it. The outside world sees all of those devices as all being at the 174.7.175.142 IP. Internally though your router is set as 192.168.0.1 and it has assigned your phone as 192.168.0.2, the computer as 192.168.0.3 and the XBox as 192.168.0.4.

Now let's say you set a static IP in the XBox for 192.168.0.4 but the XBox is turned off when you add your smartTV to the mix. The router may well hand it 192.168.0.4 since it sees that IP as unused because the XBox is off. That's going to make the XBox unable to connect when it turns on (which goes back to my point of why you assign a high number if you are putting in a static IP).


The only way having a dynamic IP or having a static IP is better than having the other is why you want it in the first place (network security, ease of use, etc).


If any of this was less clear than mud or you have any questions, let me know.

I've setup 4 scopes for 4 different vlans this week... So it was on my mind. I also just added more info to confuse the OP a little more

LOL Thank you for explaining like I'm a 2nd grader but that is actually very helpful and I learned something today.

Yes, I knew the Ethernet port/cable worked bc like I said I use the exact same setup for my PS4 and never had a problem. I just stacked the Xbox on top the PS4 and plugged the ethernet into the Xbox.

So more than likely my Xbox was assigned the same IP address as something else?

One more question, so every time I come home and my Phone connects to Wifi it is assigned an IP address?

Don't think it has updated but no issues so far.