How to set static IP in laptop to be used with wireless network

Question

How to set static IP in laptop to be used with wireless network ? I am running Windows 7 Ultimate.

Answer 1

First, I am going to assume that you are on a home network and that your router hands out DHCP (automatic) IP addresses. If not, you MUST contact your network administrator, or you will cause problems if you introduce a duplicate IP address on the network.

Second, this seems like an easy question, but there are a few things you need to do in order to really make sure you are doing it right. In practice, even if you don't, in a home network, you probably won't experience problems since the odds of a duplicate IP are low, but it is still very possible, so it is easier to do it right. I realize the following seems a bit long, but it is fairly easy to follow, however, if you have questions, please post back and I will answer them.

Next, you should try to figure out what IP addresses your DHCP server is handing out so you pick an IP that it will not give to another computer later. The best way is to go into your router as this is probably where you are getting your DHCP IP address from. Usually it is somewhere in its LAN settings, or near them (check your manual, or ask a separate question here with your router model listed), you can find the range it is handing out. Often it is x.x.x.100-x.x.x.254.

If that is not easy for you, or you don't know the router's password, we can make an educated guess: You can open a command box, and do an IPCONFIG /ALL. That will give you your IP address and default gateway (usually your router). Also take note of your DNS servers, as you will also need to enter them below.

Pick an IP address that is not your router's address, and add 20. So if your router is 192.168.1.1, then pick 192.168.1.20. The subnet mask for a home network is almost always 255.255.255.0 (it is the same as your IPCONFIG/ALL), and the gateway you enter when you set the static will be the same as in the IPCONFIG/ALL. The only caveat is that if your IP address when you did the IPCONFIG/ALL is very low, like 192.168.1.2 or near that (we are only really looking at the last number), then the DHCP range being given out is low, so pick something like 192.168.1.250. Whatever IP you pick, open a command box, and do PING 192.168.1.20 (or whatever IP you pick to be your static).

So now that you have how to figure out what IP to use, here is how to implement it. Go to Control Panel>Network and Internet>Network and Sharing Center>Change adapter settings and right-click your Wireless Network connection. Double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and enter your settings as in the sample screenshot based on what you came up with in the first part of the question. I added 8.8.8.8 as another DNS server, which you can use if your IPCONFIG showed only the router, otherwise, if you had two DNS servers listed, use them.

Answer 2

Start > Run: ncpa.cpl

Double-click on the IPv4 settings, then enter your desired IP in the top box. Click in the subnet section and that should be filled in by itself.

Make sure to use an IP that is not used by anything else, and that includes things like Xbox or Wii or anything else that has internet access.

Answer 3

Here are step by step instructions:

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/19249/how-to-assign-a-static-ip-address-in-xp-vista-or-windows-7/

The only problem is the IP is bound to the network adapter and not the wireless profile, so if you change wireless profiles, you may need to change it back to automatic, to say connect to the coffee shop's WiFi.