By default, most computers and devices on the network get their IP addresses via DHCP. DHCP is basically a system whereby a host, like a router or server, gives out IP addresses to devices so that they can communicate with the host and with each other over the network.
When your Mac is connected to a network, it is assigned an address on the network called an IP address. The IP address is four sets of digits separated by periods, with up to three digits per set. If the Mac is connected to a network as.
Each device on the network has to have a unique IP address. The IP address for a device may change over time depending on several factors. This usually doesn’t cause any problem, but there are situations where a static IP address is required. For example, if your computer is being used as a media server in your home, you might want the IP address to remain the same if you have to connect to the computer via its IP address. In other instances, you need to change the IP address to match the subnet of another device so that you can connect and configure it. There are two ways to set a static IP address on a device. One way that I’ve already written about is logging into your router and for a particular device.
The advantage to this method is that all the changes are being made in one location, so it’s easy to see which devices have static IP addresses and what the addresses are. Also, you can easily assign static IP addresses to Windows, Mac, Linux machines or any other device easily. The disadvantage to this method is that it requires logging into your router, which isn’t the easiest thing to do for some non-techie folks. Secondly, figuring out how to assign static IP addresses on routers can be complicated and there is no one way to do it. The second way to assign a static IP address is to change the settings on the device itself.
The advantage here is that the process is a little bit more straight-forward, but the downside is that each device might have a different method for assigning a static IP. Either method will work, so choose whichever option is more convenient. This article will explain the second method, but only for Windows and OS X. Note: When assigning a static IP address, be sure you are not choosing an IP that is in the DHCP range, otherwise you might get a message about an, which is what happens when two devices have the same IP address on the network. The best way to avoid this conflict is to log into your router or whichever device is acting as the DHCP server and change the IP address distribution start address.
If you start the address at something like.10 or.11, then you’ll have several IP addresses free that you can use to assign as static IPs. It’s a little complicated, so I only suggest this option for someone who knows what they are doing. Assign Static IP Address – Windows The following procedure will work for Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10. The first thing we want to do is to open the. You can do that by clicking on the Start button and typing in network and sharing.