Hi! I have a cable connection coming into a cable modem. The signal then goes to a NetGear RP614 which shares a wired ethernet connection to 2 desktops. The NetGear RP614 is a standard 4-Port cable router. Some sites recognize 'me' even though I clear all cookies, delete all temp internet files, etc. This occurs when accessing the site after a fresh restart with all internet traces previously cleared. My conclusion is that these sites are able to do this because of my IP address and because that IP address must stay the same always. I just checked the IP address on both desktops and it is the same for both machines, which makes sense because they share one wired cable connection. I would like guidance or suggestions of ways I can use my RP614 (if possible) to avoid having me as 'always identifiable' to such sites. How can I mask my IP address or otherwise make the IP address changing? Thanks in advance for any help.

When you poste this question the board asked you to confirm your IP address from which you are posting. That IP address was that IP address was the one assigned to your by your ISP as it appears at the router. It is your 'public' IP address. The addresses assigned to your PCs by the router are 'private' IP addresses and not seen by anyone outside of your home network. No matter which PC you use to go to a site the site sees your public IP address for both PCs and not the private IP address. To do what you are wanting you simply need to get a second line from the ISP with a second IP address assigned to it. Get 5 or 6 and then you could cheat other people at internet poker tables or some other unfair practice. Bryan P.S. I could have left off that last paragraph but...what was the goal anyway?

Bryan -- Thanks for this info. As you noted, we have two desktops sharing the same internet connection through a router. My wife's machine recently had some serious virus/trojan horse trouble. Shortly after this, I was using my machine to access the web site for the management company where my stock portfolio has been kept since 1998. It wouldn't allow me to view the web site, saying that my IP address had been banned. I wrote to the IT department of the web site using a different computer, but they won't 'unban' IP addresses. They suggested I change ISPs. Well, I have written to my ISP asking that they change this (as I understand it to be) static external public IP address. I'll let you know what the ISP says they can do about it. Thanks again.

Bryan -- My cable internet provider advices me to disconnect the cable modem from both power and coaxial cable for the night. They say that when I plug it back in the morning, it will have a new IP address. We shall see!