Set Up a Static IP Address

A static IP ensures that a device always gets the same local address, which is essential for port forwarding, local server hosting, and home automation. The cleanest approach is a DHCP reservation on your router — free, built into every router, and requires no configuration on the device itself.

Why Static IPs Matter

By default, your router's DHCP server hands out IP addresses from a pool when devices connect. These leases expire and can be reassigned to a different address on renewal. This is fine for most devices but breaks two common setups:

• Port forwarding — rules are tied to a specific local IP. If the target device changes IP, the forwarded traffic hits the wrong host.
• Local servers — a NAS, home automation hub, or printer accessed by hostname or IP on your network needs a fixed address so bookmarks and configs do not break.

DHCP Reservation vs Device-Level Static IP

There are two ways to give a device a fixed IP. The recommended approach is a DHCP reservation on your router: you tell the DHCP server to always assign a specific IP to a device's MAC address. The device continues to use DHCP — it just always gets the same response.

The alternative is configuring a static IP on the device itself — entering the IP, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS manually in the device's network settings. This bypasses DHCP entirely. The risk is IP conflicts: if you manually assign 192.168.1.50 on a device but your DHCP pool includes that address, another device could receive the same IP from DHCP. Always use an address outside the DHCP pool if configuring device-level static IPs.

Step 1: Find the Device's MAC Address

A MAC address uniquely identifies a network interface. You need it to create a DHCP reservation.

• Windows: open Command Prompt → ipconfig /all → look for "Physical Address" under your active adapter
• macOS: System Settings → Network → your connection → Details → Hardware tab
• iPhone: Settings → General → About → Wi-Fi Address
• Android: Settings → About Phone → Status → Wi-Fi MAC Address
• Router DHCP list: most routers show connected devices with their MAC addresses under LAN → DHCP Clients or Connected Devices

Note: iOS 14+ and Android 10+ use randomized MAC addresses by default for privacy. You must disable MAC randomization for the specific network in the device's Wi-Fi settings before creating a DHCP reservation, otherwise the reservation will not match the randomized MAC.

Step 2: Choose a Reserved IP

Pick an IP address in your local subnet that is either outside the DHCP pool range or explicitly reserved. If your DHCP pool is 192.168.1.100–192.168.1.200, safe reservation choices are anything from .2 to .99 or .201 to .254. Keep a simple document of which IP is reserved for which device to avoid accidentally reusing an address.

Step 3: Add the Reservation in Your Router

The location varies by router brand:

• ASUS: LAN → DHCP Server → Manually Assigned IP around the DHCP list
• TP-Link: Advanced → Network → DHCP Server → Address Reservation
• Netgear: Advanced → Setup → LAN Setup → Address Reservation
• Eero: device in app → Reserve IP

Enter the MAC address and desired IP, save, and apply. The reservation takes effect on the device's next DHCP renewal. Force an immediate renewal by disconnecting and reconnecting the device, or running ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew on Windows.