Static IP addresses

[AlmaataKZ]

I have a fair number of devices on my network and sometimes I get connection problems. My thinking is that some of them can be related to IP address conflicts so I hope setting fixed addresses will remove some if not all problems.

But I have never done that before so have no idea how to do it and I have zero experience with Macs.

Can somebody kindly help me to set up static IP addresses.

I have the following:

Virgin wireless router, with the following connected to it via Ethernet
- Netgear router (with its wireless set to off)
- MacMini (wireless off)
- Powerlilne Ethernet adapter
- BluRay player
And via wireless:
- WinXP netbook
- Iphone4s
- Iphone4
- Ipod touch
- Ipad (future)

the following are connected to the Netgear router via Ethernet:
- TV
- Humax freview receiver

Two other things are connected on the other side of the powerline network via Ethernet:
- A Win XP desktop (wireless off)
- Squeezebox touch

So this makes 12 devices on the network.

How do I set static ip addresses for all of them?

 

[scene]

Hi, I doubt your connection problems are specifically caused by DNS and IP - Unless you're hibernating devices and then turning them back on again when it's original IP has been re-used. In that case, you'll get an error message on the DNS assigning router.

One thing I would say, is that only one device on your network should assign DNS addresses - if you have two, chaos will ensue! Is this your NetGear router or the VirginMedia wireless router? As your Virgin router looks like the main router in the system, this should be assigning IPs and the DNS services on the NetGear router should be switched off...

 

[The_Lhc]

As your Virgin router looks like the main router in the system, this should be assigning IPs and the DNS services on the NetGear router should be switched off...

<sotto voce> DHCP... <sotto voce>

 

[scene]

As your Virgin router looks like the main router in the system, this should be assigning IPs and the DNS services on the NetGear router should be switched off...

<sotto voce> DHCP... <sotto voce>

Yes - you're right, typing faster than my brain - a problem with advancing years :wall:

Yes - DHCP should be switched off on the NetGear if the Virgin device is assigning IP.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Hi, I doubt your connection problems are specifically caused by DNS and IP - Unless you're hibernating devices and then turning them back on again when it's original IP has been re-used. In that case, you'll get an error message on the DNS assigning router.

Naturally, some devices (e.g. the netbook) would hybernate from time to time or or the desktop is switched off and on. Mobiles are also taken outside.

One thing I would say, is that only one device on your network should assign DNS addresses - if you have two, chaos will ensue! Is this your NetGear router or the VirginMedia wireless router?

yes, I tough that would be the case - Virgin router sould be the 'top' one. So, what do I need to change in settings to get fixed addresses?

the DNS services on the NetGear router should be switched off...

never checked that. would that be an obvious on/off 'tick box'? will check that.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

As your Virgin router looks like the main router in the system, this should be assigning IPs and the DNS services on the NetGear router should be switched off...

<sotto voce> DHCP... <sotto voce>

Yes - you're right, typing faster than my brain - a problem with advancing years :wall:

Yes - DHCP should be switched off on the NetGear if the Virgin device is assigning IP.

noted re DHCP

 

[AlmaataKZ]

so what do I need to set on the Virgin router and do I need to change any of the setting son any of the end devices?

 

[The_Lhc]

I don't think you need to change anything on the Virgin router, you need to see if you can set the Netgear router into switch or repeater mode, so that it's not acting as a router, otherwise you may well find your wired and wireless devices end up on different subnets and can't communicate with each other.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

ok, thanks, I will check the settings on the second router.

but what about static addresses? are you saying there is absolutely no benefit of using static addresses in my case?

 

[The_Lhc]

ok, thanks, I will check the settings on the second router.

but what about static addresses? are you saying there is absolutely no benefit of using static addresses in my case?

There might be yes, but you'd need to sort out the aforementioned issue before investigating it. I don't know how "clever" the Virgin thing is, I know the Superhub (if that's what you've got) is not well liked on the Sonos forums and generally people disable the router portion of the Virgin device so that it's only acting as a cable modem and then plug another router into it to deal with the actual routing business, which may well be what you'd be better off doing (so all your wireless clients would connect to the Netgear and not the Virgin box, the same as the wired ones do), then the Netgear can take care of all the addressing.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

it may be worth trying to use the Netgear instead of hte Virgin, but then:

- the Netgear is only a G

- I would not have enough ethernet ports to connect everything

 

[The_Lhc]

it may be worth trying to use the Netgear instead of hte Virgin, but then:

- the Netgear is only a G

- I would not have enough ethernet ports to connect everything

Even if you turn the Netgear's wireless back on?

 

[scene]

it may be worth trying to use the Netgear instead of hte Virgin, but then:

- the Netgear is only a G

- I would not have enough ethernet ports to connect everything

Even if you turn the Netgear's wireless back on?

I assume you've got a 802.11N Virgin Wireless router - so you can get *cough* 300Mbps ( :roll: assuming you live in an open plan Faraday Cage...) and only 54Mbps from the NetGear. What exaxt NetGear router have you got, and which Virgin one?

 

[AlmaataKZ]

netgear is 7 yo 11g router looking like that: not sure of exact model number

Virgin is 11n, installed mid last year so I assume the latest superhub, looking like this:

 

[AlmaataKZ]

it may be worth trying to use the Netgear instead of hte Virgin, but then:

- the Netgear is only a G

- I would not have enough ethernet ports to connect everything

Even if you turn the Netgear's wireless back on?

Don't understand... What wireless has to do with the no of ethernet ports? Am I missing smth?

 

[scene]

Hmm. If you're not using the wireless on the NetGear router, one option is swapping it for a cheap switch - probably a Gigabit one for maximum future-proofing. Maybe a TP-Link one - there's a 5-port version for about £14 on Amazon CLICK that might be worth considering - 1 to port into the virgin hub, four other ports. (They also do an 8-port one for about £25.)

This might just be the easiest solution...

 

[The_Lhc]

(They also do an 8-port one for about £25.)

I think I bought an 8-port Netgear Gigabit switch for less than that (I can't honestly remember how much it was but I'm too tight to have spent much more).

 

[The_Lhc]

it may be worth trying to use the Netgear instead of hte Virgin, but then:

- the Netgear is only a G

- I would not have enough ethernet ports to connect everything

Even if you turn the Netgear's wireless back on?

Don't understand... What wireless has to do with the no of ethernet ports? Am I missing smth?

Nothing, do it the other way round then, set the netgear into switch mode, so it's not routing anything, you shouldn't have any problems after that, unless they're coming from the Superhub itself, which is why I mentioned what people on the Sonos forums do with them (bypass the router part basically).

 

[nads]

this might help

http://boards.portforward.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=93

 

[AlmaataKZ]

Hmm. If you're not using the wireless on the NetGear router, one option is swapping it for a cheap switch - probably a Gigabit one for maximum future-proofing. Maybe a TP-Link one - there's a 5-port version for about £14 on Amazon CLICK that might be worth considering - 1 to port into the virgin hub, four other ports. (They also do an 8-port one for about £25.)

This might just be the easiest solution...

thanks!

yes, but how is it different to what I already have? I see no difference (if the Netgear is already working with wifi and hdcp off, i.e. like a switch).

and re the OP - how do I set up static IPs using the Vigrin (or Netgear) router? what settings do I need to change on it and any on the end devices themselves?

 

[AlmaataKZ]

thanks a lot. getting clearer.

 

[professorhat]

and re the OP - how do I set up static IPs using the Vigrin (or Netgear) router? what settings do I need to change on it and any on the end devices themselves?

To change everything to static IPs, you don't really do anything on the routers - on every device connected to the network, you'll have the option of setting the IP address as either DHCP or static - if you choose static, you then have to fill in the details yourself. So if your network is using the standard IP addressing format (used on most small internal networks) of 192.168.0.x (where x can be a number between 1 and 254), then your router would likely be assigned the 192.168.0.1 address. You then assign every other device another number e.g. set your PC to 192.168.0.10, your iPhone to 192.168.0.11 etc. You'll also need to fill in a subnet mask (which would probably be 255.255.255.0 ) and a default gateway (which would be the IP address assigned to your rotuer i.e. in the above example, this would be 192.168.0.1).

The trouble is, the above may be okay, but may not depending on your setup! Unless you really can't avoid it, I would stick with DHCP, as things can get very complicated very quickly when trying to put everything on static, and you might find you have even worse connectivity issues than you had before. DHCP was invented to get round these issues and make setup much easier.

One very important thing to do if you do change to static IPs is to ensure you change the DHCP range on the router (i.e. the range of IP addresses the router hands out to devices set to use DHCP). This is vital to ensure the router / DHCP server doesn't hand out any IP addresses you're using for static devices. If this happens, you'll have all sorts of issues!

 

[scene]

this might help

http://boards.portforward.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=93

That was the sort of article I was trying to find - just having to fit replying in with the day job. :type:

 

[The_Lhc]

To change everything to static IPs, you don't really do anything on the routers

Although it might be easier, depending on the router. My router gives me the option to fix an IP address for a given device, so it's still using DHCP but will ALWAYS give out the same IP to the same device. That makes it a lot easier to manage, you only have look after one lot of settings (the ones on the router). Easier than manually setting every device.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

thanks a lot, Prof!