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Not a wireless problem, pe se - but a result of a wireless WISP static IP

I often post to Craigslist looking for used equipment, such as wifi equipment and outdoor tools ... but recently my switch to a different WISP has apparently instantly killed any ability to post to Craigslist.

How can I 'change' my IP address when I have a shared static IP address?

Here are the details:

  • With my old WISP, I could post once a week or so, on Craigslist.
  • My old WISP shared my static IP address with about 50 others
  • Long ago, I had learned to obey the rules as multiple posts and/or flags get you ghosted and you have to freeze that account until they release you
  • The point is, I am pretty good at keeping within their rules so that my weekly posts actually showed up on Craigslist

Then I switched WISP providers:

- The 'only' thing that changed was my IP address!

- My new WISP also shares my static IP address with about 50 others

- But now, no matter what I try, Craigslist has every attempt ghosted

- I've tried a new account, old accounts, waiting weeks, etc.

As far as I can tell, there is someone ELSE on that static IP range that is being ghosted - and - since Craigslist can't tell the difference - anybody on that static IP is ghosted.

I tried to test this by using a Starbucks; but that too was ghosted ... and I tried a (slow as a dog) TOR site - which also was ghosted - but then I figured all Starbucks & common TOR sites are probably ghosted en masse ... so I went to a friends' house and voila!

My account was no longer ghosted!

But, back at starbucks, at TOR sites, and at home, it's ghosted. Sigh.

From all this (started around Christmas so it's been about a month of testing) ... I tentatively conclude that my WISP-provided static IP address is on the list of bad ones for Craigslist.

I wrote them a note but all I received back was an automated bounceback.

It's not a life-or-death problem - but - from a technical standpoint - the question is interesting to me ... and maybe you've solved it?

Q: Is there any other way to temporarily change your WISP-provided static IP address?

Reply to
Chuck Banshee
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Forgive my ignorance here, but does ghost mean using different names with the same IP address? I've only sold on Craigs once, so I don't know the ins and outs.

Stanford U has/had a free proxy list, but it seems to me if this is a craigslist issue, those proxies would be used by now. I'd actually contact Craigs and see what they suggest rather than try to spoof the system.

Reply to
miso

I'm sorry for not explaining what ghosting is.

If the IP address you are posting from is flagged in their system for any reason (I suspect that's my problem), then Craigslist doesn't ban that IP or even respond back with an error message.

What Craigslist does is respond totally normally to the posting.

But ... Craigslist actually does absolutely nothing.

The post is ghosted. It 'looks' to you like it posted. In every way, shape and form. Except that it actually doesn't show up at all on Craigslist. It's ghosted.

Craigslist even provides you a URL to your post - but of course, that URL works fine for you when you click on it from your account or email - but nobody else on the planet actually sees that post.

Ghosting has been around for a few years so it's not a new thing. It's just that I suspect (given the tests I've done over the last month), that the IP address that I'm sharing with 50 other people is problematic to Craigslist.

It's not worth a lot of money (I can live without posting to Craigslist)

- but it's a technical problem of interest to figure out how to change my IP address when I have a static IP address.

I'm reading up on some of the for-pay VPN servers to see if they provide a separate IP address. I don't need the encryption - I just need the IP address though.

Reply to
Chuck Banshee

Have you tried

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can neither confirm nor deny I used it to watch a show in a country that rhymes with United Kingdom.

BTW, craigs is down for the Wednesday protest.

Reply to
miso

As you noted, Craigslist is down for the day (SOPA protest) so I used that web site above to go to

formatting link

It returned the following: IP Information: 74.63.112.153 Suspected Network Sharing Device ISP: FDCservers.net City: Chicago, Illinois

I'll try it (on Thursday) though.

Reply to
Chuck Banshee

I'd be willing to bet what you described earlier will be the case, that just about any freely available proxy service is going to suffer the ghost treatment at craigslist. Let us know, though.

Reply to
Char Jackson

Gives a spash screen with the info then allow up to proceed to the normal place.

Reply to
NotMe

I'd almost bet the mortgage on that too!

I'd bet all the free proxy servers are already on the blacklist., especially since the tested proxy server seems to show up as a "Suspected Network Sharing Device" in whatismyipaddress.

But, at least that gives us a potential test.

I could do a search of proxy servers to find one that does NOT show up as a 'suspected network sharing device'.

Of course, my leaning would be to tell everyone so they can make use of that information if they too have a problematic IP address. But, of course, that would be self defeating.

I'll keep looking. I might also ask the WISP to do something about it.

Reply to
Chuck Banshee

If you know anyone with a hosted website, there are php programs to act like a proxy. I suggest PHP because most websites allow PHP code to be uploaded. I never did this myself, so I have no first hand experience. I assume your wisp gives you a little bit of storage on their system. You may be able to upload the PHP code on their system. Of course, you would hope the IP address is different.

I think this is one.

Reply to
miso

Opera is a proxied web browser. Maybe that will get around the IP address problem.

Reply to
miso

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