what is DHCP and how it works

When you connect your phone or laptop to WiFi, you don’t manually set an IP address. This is because of DHCP.

DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. It automatically assigns IP addresses to devices on a network.

How it works:

Your device connects to a network

It sends a request for an IP address

The DHCP server responds with an available IP

Your device starts communicating

Example:

Your home router acts as a DHCP server.

Why it matters:

Without DHCP, every device would need manual configuration.