Some users of our Circle device who have Windows computers in their home may see an alert on their Windows machine after installing the Circle device on their home Wi-Fi. The error reads: "Network Error: Windows has detected an IP address conflict" and looks something like this:
What does the error mean?
This network error alert is displayed when your Windows computer detects that the specific network address (or, IP address) for that computer is shared by another device on the network. In many cases, Internet activity will degrade or even fail until the IP address conflict is resolved.
There are many ways that an IP address conflict can occur, and this is not an issue that is unique to the Circle device's presence on the Wi-Fi. However, the Circle device's presence on the home network can cause it to begin when it did not before.
How do I fix the error?
The first thing you can try is to simply reboot your computer, so that your router assigns it a new IP address that isn't in use. If that doesn't help, try rebooting your router and Circle to try reassigning a new IP address for your computer and for the Circle device.
At this point, if the message still remains when you start up your Windows computer, it's indicative of a networking issue in your home. This might happen if you have multiple networking devices (like a router and extender, or several access points) that are giving out IP addresses in your home. If one router is giving out IP addresses and isn't aware that another router is also doing the same, they could each be assigning the same address to two different personal devices. In this case, if you need additional help resolving this, we recommend consulting your router manufacturer(s) and/or Internet Service Provider for assistance with your home network configuration.