Printers often have web-based management, which can be configured and maintained from anywhere. That makes printers a top candidate for static IPs.

Why Assign a Static IP Address to a Device?

It seems like more work, yet it does make life simpler and easier. If the device needs to be accessible from other devices, a static IP address is the way to go. Imagine having a web server where the IP address changes daily. It’s like changing your phone number every day.

When thinking of other devices that need to be accessible from anywhere, smart TVs, security systems, home automation, and camera systems come to mind.

Another reason is security. A router can issue hundreds, if not thousands of IP addresses. It doesn’t care whose device it is. By using static IPs and limiting the number of IP addresses available, rogue devices have a harder time getting on the network. It can also help resolve an IP address conflict.

What IP Addresses Can I Use?

  1. 192.168.1.0-192.168.255.255
  2. 0.0.0-0.255.255
  3. 172.16.. 4.. 5.* 6.* 7.* The private IPs are: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 The public IPs are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

The IP address range is 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, which equals 16,777,214 IP addresses. The next range is 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, which equals 1,048,574 IP addresses and the last range is 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255, which equals 65534 IP addresses ..

If you’re using a router that’s been previously used, it may have a range. If not, it’s easiest to stick with the router’s default range. Some routers have pre-defined ranges. ..

Make a Static IP Plan

If the network has ten or fewer devices connected, a plan isn’t necessary. Just put them all in a single range, like 192.168.2.10 to 192.168.2.19 and skip the rest of this section.

If the network has more than ten devices, it’s important to make a plan. This is just one way to make a plan. If it doesn’t work for you, change it.

  1. Use ranges to help you plan your work.
  2. Use ranges to help you avoid making mistakes.
  3. Use ranges to make sure your data is accurate.

192.168.2.40-192.168.2.59

If you want to make a plan that works for you, it may look like this: The first sheet is the plan, and the second sheet is what you will actually do.

How to Assign Static IPs to Devices in the Router

Default Gateway is the IP address of the router.

Assign Static IPs – Asus Router

The device’s current IP address can be found in the IP Address field. This information can be left as is, or it can be changed at this point. To add a device to the list of manually assigned IP devices, select the plus sign button and repeat this for all desired devices.

Apply changes to devices

Assign Static IPs – TrendNet Router

Assign Static IPs – Belkin Router

What About Assigning Static IPs on Other Routers?

There are a dozen router makers out there, and each has several models of routers. It’s just far too many to cover all of them. Reading through the instructions above, though, you’ll see that there’s a pattern; find out where to work with the LAN, look for something named like DHCP Reservation, then follow through to assign IP addresses. If you’re running into issues, please let us know. One of our writers or knowledgeable readers will likely have the answer.