How to set static IP addresses on your router? [2022 Updated]

A Static IP address is an identifier for a computer or other device connected to a network that doesn’t change. Static IP addresses are used in businesses and organizations where devices need to have a permanent address on the network. Static IPs can also be useful for home users, but there are some important things you should know before you set one up. In this article, we’ll discuss how to set a static IP address on your router. 

Note: If you are having trouble finding your IP address then have look at our guide on how to find your IP address.

Static VS DHCP IP Assignment

Let’s begin by looking at the setup you (and most people) have. DHCP is the most popular method for assigning IP addresses to network devices, with the vast majority of contemporary networks, which includes your home network maintained by your router, employing it.

The (DHCP) is a protocol that allocates a new machine an IP address from the collection of known IP addresses without requiring user intervention or system administration. Let’s use a scenario to show how awesome DHCP is, and how simple it makes our lives.

Assume that a buddy comes to your place with an iPad. They wish to join your network and modernize some applications on the iPad. Without DHCP, you might require to use a computer, log into the admin panel of your router, and explicitly allocate a known address to your loved one’s device, for instance,10.0.0.99. Unless you deleted the address yourself, it would be allotted to your friend’s iPad for good.

However, with DHCP, things are much more effortless. Your buddy comes over, they desire to log in to your network, so you provide them the Wi-Fi credentials and that’s it. The DHCP server on the router scans the list of IP addresses and allocates one with an end date built in as soon as the iPad is connected to it.

When a friend’s iPad is set up and linked to the network, it receives an address. When your family members depart and no longer use the network, that address will be put back into the pool of available addresses to be assigned to different devices.

Assuming there aren’t any serious software bugs, you’ll never have to pay concentration to the DHCP procedure because it is going to be entirely hidden from view. This is a perfectly adequate arrangement for most purposes, such As integrating mobile devices into your network, computer usage, gaming consoles, and so on. We must all be relieved that we don’t have to worry about manually updating our IP allocation tables, rather than having to deal with DHCP.

When Static IP Addresses Are Used?

It’s not uncommon for consumers to use more than one router since most residential networks are slow and sluggish. To deliver a stable connection, you’ll need static IP addresses for multiple devices that require continuous access. For instance, if your device is set up as a server, like an FTP server or like a web server, you’ll need a static IP address. Force the computer to use a static, never-changing IP address if you like to confirm that users can consistently access your device to download stuff.

If the server was given a dynamic IP address, it would change frequently, preventing your router from determining which computer on the network is the server.

Setting up your computer to utilize a static IP address allows you to reach that machine at any time without worrying whether the address will change and block you from accessing it.

Another instance of when to utilize a static IP address is when sharing a printer. Give your printer a static IP address so that it will always be accessible no matter who uses it. So you’ll know that your printer is accessible at any time, even if all of your computers have been disconnected from Windows.

When should you not use a Static IP Address?

A static IP is appointed manually, it’s more inefficient for a network administrator to do so, especially in the case of mobile networks. Instead of allowing DHCP to assign the address automatically, someone must go to the machine in-person to provide it with an IP address.

Because a fixed IP address is linked to the phone’s MAC address, it would not be able to access the internet once it gets another Wi-Fi network.

This is the ideal scenario for distributed addressing. The administrator can simply change the IP addresses for each computer on the network. The dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows mobile machines to move freely between networks without manual intervention.

Let’s go over some basic network hygiene instructions before you start allocating static IP addresses right and left to ensure that you don’t have a headache later on.

First, look at the IP collection known on your router to see what it is. Your routing device will have a complete pool as well as a pool that is exclusively set aside for DHCP assignments.

Finally, within those IP address ranges, a more undersized pool is set aside for the DHCP server, usually between 252 and 254 addresses in a range like 10.0.0.2 through 10.0.0.254 (or even less). You may utilize the subsequent pool authorities to assign static IP addresses after you’ve established a basic pool:

Frequently asked question

Conclusion

In this guide on how to set a static IP address on your router, we have covered a lot of details for our readers. Especially, DHCP and static IP assignment on your router what are the differences between them. We hope you will find this guide helpful!