This is going to be a quick and dirty tutorial regarding setting up a Static IP address in Windows 7 partly as this will come in handy for a future tutorial I'm preparing but also because it's kind of handy to know.
What is an IP Address?
An IP Address is pretty much like a telephone number for your computer, any device attached to a network will be given an IP Address by the Router that they are connected to and allows devices attached to the network identify each other. Every device should have a different IP Address, devices with the same IP Address will not work on the network and you'll see the error message "IP Address conflict with another system on the network"
An IP Address will follow this format
000.000.000.000
Static and Dynamic IP Addresses
Most personal Routers assign Dynamic IP Addresses to devices when they join the network. Each Router effectively contains the same list of IP Addresses and assigns the next Address on the list to the devices as they connect. Sometimes the Router gets confused when more than one device attempts to connect at exactly the same time and assigns both devices the same IP Address causing an IP Address conflict. You may also find that some wireless devices (e.g. printers) are assigned a Dynamic IP Address when you first set them up but if your Router resets and assigns it a different IP Address your PC will fail to find it and you'll need to reinstall the drivers to get it working again. This can be a major pain in the ass and can be resolved by simply assigning the device a Static IP Address which is exactly what it says on the tin, a device set up with a Static IP address will ALWAYS be assigned the address from the list that has been assigned to it by the administrator.
Why use Static IP Addresses?
Aside from saving you the ball ache of having to reinstall drivers for network devices every time their Dynamic IP Address has been reset when your shitty ISP provided Router has reset itself for the fiftieth time? If you have lots of devices attached to your home network and, lets face it, most of us do nowadays (PC, Laptop, Console, Tablet, Television, Blu-ray Player, Printer, Smartphone, Kitchen Sink) that's alot of devices requesting an address every time your Router resets and this can cause an IP Address conflict. Setting a Static IP Address for a few key devices (everything if you want but 99% of the time this isn't necessary) can ensure that your network chugs along happily to itself while you browse for
porn... err... I mean the latest info on games and stuff.
How to set up a Static IP Address
Now to the meat and bones... before setting a Static IP Address on your device there are several bits of information that you will need to know so go grab a pen and paper... I'll wait... done? Okay, here we go. We're going to need the:
- ~ IPv4 Address
- ~ Subnet Mask
- ~ Default Gateway
- ~ DNS Server
and we're going to get them by following these simple steps:
1) Open the START menu and look for the
Search Programs and Files box
2) Click in the box and type
CMD then press ENTER, this will bring up the Command Prompt Window
3) Type
ipconfig /all in the window and press ENTER, you may see alot of information scroll up very quickly but you can just maximise the window to read it all
4) Write down the 4 things we needed from earlier then type
exit and press ENTER to close the window
From here I describe how to assign a Static IP Address to a PC however the process is not that different for other devices on your network
5) Open the START menu again but this time click on CONTROL PANEL
6) Under the Network and Internet heading click on
View Network Status and Tasks
7) On the sidebar to the left of the window left click on
Change Adapter Settings
8) On the next screen right click on your network adapter and select
Properties from the list
9) From the window that opens left click on
Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP v4) then click on the Properties button
10) The next screen is where we assign our Static IP Address. If the radio button for
Obtain an IP Address Automatically is clicked and the rest of the boxes are empty then we're good to go, however if the
Use the following IP Address button is clicked and the boxes are full then this has already been done for you and you can exit out now.
If you're continuing with assigning a Static IP Address the first thing you're going to need to do is enter the Static IP Address you've chosen in the
IP Address box. The first 3 sets of numbers should be the same as the first 3 sets for your Default Gateway with only the last 3 digits being changed - these last 3 digits should be in the range from 1 to 254. Dynamic IP Addresses are assigned in ascending order so you're safest using a section from the highest range of numbers (e.g. from 200+ as a reserved range of Static IP Addresses).
Next enter the
Subnet Mask,
Default Gateway, and
DNS Server information you found earlier into their relevant boxes. Once done click
OK to leave this screen and we're all done.
If you find you have difficulty accessing the internet with your Static IP Address try calling your ISP to check the DNS Server details, they should have this information to hand and will be able to tell you the correct details to use.
Setting a Static IP Address on a Wireless Device
Like setting a Static IP Address on your PC you will need most of the same information for setting a Static IP Address on your Wireless Devices. You'll need the Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server information but you'll also need the Dynamic IP Address your Router has currently assigned to the device. With most Wireless devices there is normally some sort of configuration menu where you can view the current IP Address and a browser based network administrator panel that you can log in to and adjust various settings.
Get the IP Address from your device and then open your Web Browser and type the IP Address into the Web Address bar at the top of the page, if you need to log in with a username and password refer to your device manual for this information. Once in look for a
Network tab, left click on it once and then look for a setting named something like
IPv4 and click on it. Once in you should see the option to choose Automatic or Manual IP, select Manual IP and refer to Step 10 above (you may not need to enter the DNS Server details for this), save and exit. If you've just done this to a Wireless Printer then you may need to re-install your drivers again so that they point to the IP Address you've just assigned to it but this should be the last time you ever need to do it.
