220-802 · Question #114
A client reports that their VoIP phone screen displays duplicate IP address. Which of the following is the FIRST action to try to resolve this problem?
The correct answer is D. Reboot the phone. A duplicate IP address on a VoIP phone is most often a transient DHCP or ARP cache issue, and rebooting the phone forces it to release and renew its IP address, which is the simplest first resolution step.
Question
A client reports that their VoIP phone screen displays duplicate IP address. Which of the following is the FIRST action to try to resolve this problem?
Options
- AChange MAC address settings
- BCall the vendor
- CTry another LAN connection
- DReboot the phone
How the community answered
(23 responses)- A4% (1)
- B9% (2)
- D87% (20)
Why each option
A duplicate IP address on a VoIP phone is most often a transient DHCP or ARP cache issue, and rebooting the phone forces it to release and renew its IP address, which is the simplest first resolution step.
Changing MAC address settings is a complex, potentially disruptive action reserved for cases where the hardware MAC itself is duplicated, not an IP conflict.
Calling the vendor is an escalation step appropriate only after basic self-service troubleshooting steps have failed.
Trying another LAN connection may help if the switch port has a static ARP entry conflict, but it is a more disruptive step than simply rebooting the phone first.
Rebooting the VoIP phone causes it to send a new DHCP discover broadcast, obtaining a fresh IP address lease and clearing any stale ARP cache entries that may have reported a conflict. This resolves the majority of duplicate IP warnings without requiring network-level intervention or vendor support. It follows the standard principle of attempting the least invasive fix before escalating to more complex actions.
Concept tested: Resolving VoIP duplicate IP address with basic troubleshooting
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/technologies/dhcp/dhcp-top
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