Changing IP addresses

We live in an apartment complex and have Internet access through our school’s network. People in the school’s dormitories can set up FTP sites because they have fixed IP addresses. We only get internal IP addresses, so we can’t send anything out or set up an FTP site. Can we change the settings on our computers so we can do this?

You cannot control the behavior of the apartment complex Internet connection by changing your computer’s settings. It probably is not possible to establish an Internet-accessible FTP site in your apartment. You might be able to use a peer-to-peer file-sharing tool or GoToMyPC. The difference is in how connections are established. FTP requires inbound connections across the Internet all the way to your computer. Many peer-to-peer products use outbound connections from the multiple peer computers to one or more central file-sharing service gateways that are visible on the Internet. Keep in mind, however, that the apartment complex’s router/firewall might be able to block known file-sharing, file transfer and peer-to-peer networking port numbers. If so, you still might not be able to publish files to the Internet from your apartment.