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169.254.255.0



Here you can find all lookup results for private IP address 169.254.255.0 which is located in a class B network with reserved IP range 169.254.255.0/24.
As it is also part of the IPv4 address block 169.254.0.0/16 or (169.254.0.0–169.254.255.255), it is used for APIPA, which stands for Automatic Private IP Addressing. It is a built-in feature of operating systems like Microsoft Windows and enables computers to self-configure an IP address and subnet mask automatically when their DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server isn’t reachable.
If you want to find learn more about this, check our in-depth explanation at What is APIPA?.



When designing the Internet addressing architecture, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) have reserved various Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and networks of various sizes (/8, /24 etc.) for special purposes or for future use.
Some are used for multicast traffic, for maintaining routing tables, for IPv4 to IPv6 translation, or to provide addressing space for public and unrestricted uses on private networks.


Technical details

IP address 169.254.255.0  
OptionsSee your own public address
Address type Reserved (APIPA)
Protocol versionIPv4
Network classClass B
Conversions 2852060928 (decimal / iplong)
a9feff00 (hex / base 16)
1692542550 (numeric)
Reverse DNS 0.255.254.169.in-addr.arpa
CIDR block169.254.0.0/16
Network range169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255
Network ID 169.254.255
Broadcast address 169.254.255.255


How APIPA works

Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) is a feature in certain operating systems, such as Windows, that allows devices to automatically assign themselves an IP address when they are unable to obtain one from a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. APIPA addresses are within the range of 169.254.0.1 to 169.254.255.254, with the subnet mask 255.255.0.0.

APIPA is designed to provide a basic level of network connectivity in the absence of a DHCP server, allowing devices on a local network to communicate with each other even when they cannot obtain a valid IP address from a DHCP server. It is commonly used in small home or office networks where a dedicated DHCP server may not be present.

It's important to note that while APIPA can help in certain situations, it's not a substitute for proper network configuration, and for larger or more complex networks, a DHCP server or static IP configuration is generally preferred.

The steps are the following:

1 When a device configured to use DHCP starts up or attempts to renew its IP lease and cannot find a DHCP server on the network, it activates APIPA.

2 The device performs self-assignment by assigning itself a random IP address from the APIPA range, which is a number in the last octeth between 1 through 254.

3 Devices with APIPA addresses can communicate with each other on the same local network segment, but they cannot communicate with devices outside this segment or access the internet.