Assigning static IP address on Linksys E3000 router?

OK, I’m a little weak on networks so here’s my issue….

I have a Linksys router E3000 which works well for my small network which currently consists of two desktops, mine (wired), and the family desktop (wireless).

Anyway it seems the router dynamically assigns an IP address to the family desktop every so often which is a pain when using remote desktop. In short Remote Desktop can’t find the family desktop because the IP address keeps changing.

Incidentally I never had this particular issue with my older Linksys router - WRT54GS V1.1

So how do I set it so that the family desktop’s IP address stays static? I’m sure there’s a simple fix but I seem to be missing the boat.

Thanks.

Check your router firmware for any updates...and personally I don't use MS remote desktop. I like teamviewer, much much easier to use.

I'll do that but I don't see what this has to do with the router changing an IP address. I'm thinking it's doing what its supposed to do.... unless I tell it not to. What am I looking for to tell it not to???

And for my purposes, remote desktop does what I need. I only use it at home when I'm too lazy to walk to the other room to work on the computer :)

Anyway I'll check for an update but I'm pretty sure that isn't the issue. I've done router updates before so....

So why don't you just use static IP? Disable DHCP on the router and then manually assign every computer in your network an IP. Usually in the 192.168.x.x range.
This is what I do on my home network. I can remote in to the family computers either with RD or teamviewer by IP. Simple.

Thanks chev I'll give look around the router again. Problem is I'm not sure what I'm looking for????

And yeah....

chev65 said:

My router seems to give the same machines the same IP's and they don't seem to change for some reason.

My old router worked that way too, but this newer Linksys seems to behave differently (by default?).

chev65 said:

My router has a setting called DHCP reservation so you can assign an IP to a specific machine but still have DHCP turned on so all the other network machines can still obtain an IP though DHCP rather than having to static assign IP's to everyone on the network. The E3000 should have a similar feature, you should be able to find it by looking around on the routers set up page.

Anyway I'll look around some more. Hmmm.... found this but not sure what to do next

metalmania31 said:

So why don't you just use static IP? Disable DHCP on the router and then manually assign every computer in your network an IP. Usually in the 192.168.x.x range.
This is what I do on my home network. I can remote in to the family computers either with RD or teamviewer by IP. Simple.

1 - Never had to do this with my other Linksys routers so why should I have to do it now?

2 - I'd rather not do that; not even sure I could if I wanted to as some ISP's don't allow static addresses (main address).

Thanks Zepher

Zepher said:

ISP has nothing to do with your internal network.

Yeah I figured that much. Doesn't seem that they would.

Zepher said:

Set a static ip on the desktop computer.

Hate to be the dumb @ss but remember I said I know nothing of networks? (yet). So what, and where, am I looking to change???

BTW I'm currently working on my Computer Information Sytem degree and somewhere in there I'll be coming across networking, but that class hasn't gotten here yet

Anyway thanks for the help.

See if the video below helps you to set a static IP address for that desktop.
(you might want to watch in the full screen mode and 720p)



In the video, I changed the IP address from a dynamically assigned one of 192.168.0.5 to a statically assigned one of 192.168.0.22, but you can assign the same one that the computer had via DHCP. However, you will run the slight risk that the computer will be turned off long enough for that IP address to be assigned to another computer... so you might want to assign a static IP address that is outside of the range of IP addresses that the DHCP server is assigning to other computers.

For example, if the router is acting as the network's DHCP server and it is assigning IP addresses in the range of 192.168.0.100 thru 192.168.0.150 - then you might want to assign a static IP to the desktop computer of 192.168.0.200. That way, 192.168.0.200 should never be assigned to another computer on your network via the DHCP server (router) and you will not have an IP address conflict.

Most routers will tolerate having a computer connect that has an IP address outside of the DHCP range of addresses... some will not. In those rare cases, the router usually has settings to reserve an IP address for a certain MAC address - even if the IP address is in the range of IP addresses to be doled out via DHCP.

Edit: As Zepher points out below - you can record & keep your DNS IPs
Or hunt for faster ones: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/15890
In my case, OpenDNS works well and filters out some stuff that I don't want coming in.