IPFire supports various connection types to connect to the Internet. They all differ in the way of being set up.
![Connections to Internet](/docs/installation/step5/interface_red_dhcp.png?s=960&revision=2021-10-29+21%3A34%3A58.854610)
Static
This is the most simple mode, where IPFire is connected to an Ethernet network and is assigned a static IP address in the same network. Most commonly used in data centers.
The Internet Service Provider (ISP) should provide the following information:
- The IP address
- the network mask
- the gateway address
See Static for more information.
DHCP
In this mode the IPFire is connected to a network and is leasing an IP address over the DHCP protocol. This is most commonly used for Fibre and Cable connections or if IPFire is running behind another router.
Note - some ISPs will call this IPoE.
See DHCP for more information.
PPP Dialup (PPPoE, modem, ATM ...)
In order to connect to a DSL provider, IPFire needs credentials to connect.
See Dialup for more information.
Mobile Networks
With an appropriate wireless modem IPFire is able to connect to Mobile Networks (LTE/4G/UMTS/3G/2G).
FAQ
Can IPFire load-balance multiple Internet connections at the same time?
No, this is best done on layer 2 of the network and in conjunction with the ISP. Using multiple Internet connections at the same time is theoretically possible, but in practice creates a large number of new problems.
IPFire can however fall back to a backup connection in case the primary connection fails.
Providers
Some providers will need some extra settings or tweaks to function properly with IPFire. Here is a collection of those: