Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of octets in IP addresses?

In the context of IP addresses, each octet is a segment of the address that consists of 8 bits, allowing for a range of values. The characteristics of octets in IP addresses include that they must be numeric values that conform to the conditions for valid octets.

An octet must indeed be a number, as it represents a binary value. Each octet in an IP address can hold a value from 0 to 255, which is derived from the 8-bit binary representation, allowing for 256 possible values (from 00000000 to 11111111 in binary).

The distinguishing factor for the correct choice is the characteristic that octets cannot be negative. Since an octet represents an unsigned value in the context of IP addressing, any negative value would be invalid. Thus, stating that an octet can be negative is incorrect and highlights a fundamental rule of how IP addresses are constructed and utilized. Each octet must be a non-negative integer within the specified range of 0 to 255, making the assertion of being able to have negative values incompatible with IP address standards.