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.