Setting up a Static IP

a) SETTING UP A STATIC IP


It is very important to setup a static IP address if you are going to use port forwarding. Your router will forward ports to an IP address that you specify (e.g. your computer’s internal IP). This will probably work when you initially set it up, but there’s a chance that after restarting your computer that you may be assigned a different IP address, which would only mean that the ports you forwarded will no longer work on your computer.

Step 1:
On Windows 7, open up the Start menu, and look for the Search programs and files box.
On Windows XP or Vista, click Run.

Step 2:
Type “cmd” (minus quotes) in the Search programs and files box (Run box in XP or Vista), and press Enter on your keyboard.

Step 3:
Type “ipconfig /all” (minus quotes) in that window, and then press the Enter key. This will display a lot of information. If it scrolls off the top you may need to enlarge the window.

Step 4:
I want you to write down some of the information in this window. Take down the IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS. Make sure to note which is which. We are going to use this information later. We are only concerned with IPv4 entries, so you can ignore everything IPv6 related.
If your DNS IP is the same as your Default Gateway IP, it means your router is just acting as a proxy between your computer and your actual DNS. Using this IP will prevent you from connecting to the internet. In order to find your true DNS IP, you'll need to log in to your router by typing the Default Gateway IP address you just wrote down (192.168.x.x or something similar) in your web browser, and look for your router's Status Page. If all else fails, ask your ISP.

Step 5:
Once again open the Start menu. This time click Control Panel.

Step 6:
On Windows 7, single click Change adapter settings on the left side of your screen.
On Windows Vista, double click Network and Sharing Center.
On Windows XP, double click Network Connections.

Step 7:
You might have more than one Internet connection listed here. You will need to determine which adapter is your connection to the Internet if this is the case. Right click on your network adapter and choose Properties. This will open up a new window.

Step 8:
On Windows 7 and Vista, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then the Properties button.
On Windows XP, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and then the Properties button.

Step 9:
Before you make any changes, write down the settings that you see on this page. If something goes wrong you can always change the settings back to what they were. You should see a dot in the Obtain an IP address automatically box. If you do not, your connection was already setup for a Static IP.

Pick an IP address and enter it into the IP Address box. The IP address you choose should be very similar to the router's IP address (i.e. Default Gateway IP). Only the last number of the IP address should be different. For example, if the router's IP address is 192.168.1.1, you might want to choose something like 192.168.1.10. The IP address you choose should end with a number between 1 and 254, and should not be the same as the router's IP address.

Put the Subnet Mask we previously found in the Subnet Mask section. The same should apply to your Default Gateway and DNS Servers with their respective fields. Click okay all the way out of this menu.
If you find yourself unable pull up any webpage, the problem most likely resides with the DNS Server values you entered.

That's it, you should be done! If you can't connect to the internet, you can always reset your values to what they originally were. Make sure you got the required date written down correctly, and then try again.