Static IP Addresses vs. DHCP Reservations

[rakosnik]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of static IP addresses vs. DHCP reservations? What are the differences? Does it make a difference for wired vs. wireless devices?

 

[CaptainSTX]

Assigning static IPs have several advantages for advanced users.

First by assigning fixed IPs to most of the devices attached to your network it is easier to keep track of what is attached when you look at a table from your router showing IPs. Just be sure to put the static IPs outside the range assigned automatically by your router. i.e. DCHP 192.168.199.1 - 20 static IPs 199.168.199.21 - 199.168.199.253.

Having static IPs will make it easier to find and communicate with devices on your network as you will know its IP without having to check your network and see what address the device had bee assigned randomly.

Most advanced controls and features are associated with a specific IP (DMZ, Port Forwarding, QOS). For example, if you want port 5001 to be forwarded to your SlingBox you need to assign the Slingbox a static IP so the router knows where the data goes. If you don't assign it a static IP it will have a randomly assigned IP which will change regularly.

For some adapters the reconnection process seems faster if they have been assigned a static address. The adapter goes to reconnect to your network and it has always had the address 192.168.199.210 and your router has this static IP reserved for this adapter then the adapter doesn't need to flush out its previous address and request a new IP be assigned. Again it should not make a difference but sometimes it seems to.

These are the reasons I assign static IPs, I'm sure other people have other reasons.

 

[whsbuss]

I also assign static IPs in my Netgear R6300 and assign device names for each reserved device. However when I look at the attached devices in the router the assigned device name never shows up. Even after doing a renew DHCP on each device it still shows a blank device name.

For example, on my iPhone/iPad or Mac I assign a Client ID name but it still does not show in the router attached devices screen.

 

[thiggins]

I also assign static IPs in my Netgear R6300 and assign device names for each reserved device. However when I look at the attached devices in the router the assigned device name never shows up. Even after doing a renew DHCP on each device it still shows a blank device name.

This is probably a NETGEAR firmware bug.

 

[whsbuss]

This is probably a NETGEAR firmware bug.

Along with their implementation of email notification..... most ISPs, gmail, hotmail or Yahoo don't allow port 25 for smtp.... and Netgear's firmware doesn't provide using different ports or SSL.

 

[jdabbs]

The advantage of reserved leases is device portability. You'd have to change a static IP back to DHCP when you visit a hotspot with your laptop.

 

[thetoad30]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of static IP addresses vs. DHCP reservations? What are the differences? Does it make a difference for wired vs. wireless devices?

I'm surprised most people replied that they use static IPs.

I find that telling the router to use DHCP, and then assigning static leases, is the best way for me to do things.

This way I do nothing with the client other than tell it to join my network. The router does all the work (which it should) and now that I'm using VLANs it's even better. Depending on where I plug in a device, it gets a different static lease depending on its VLAN.

Anyway, I find it to be the best of both worlds. I can keep track of my devices, while at the same time if I ever roam with a wireless device I can without having to muck with settings.

 

[Internetraver]

With reservations if I need to change a network from a .0 network to a .1 network, I only have to do it in one place in the router, not on each client device.

 

[tipstir]

Static IP use that if you don't want the PC IP to be assigned by the DHCP Server always. Static IP good also if one PC is use as Server or you using certain IP Client Software that needs to bind with the IP of one System. If you use DHCP the bind will not work unless the system had UPnP enabled that's a work-around.

DHCP Reservation locks MAC, IP, Computer Name or one or the other. In the Router DHCP Client Tablet. So the Router knows that such and such system with MAC and IP address is assigned to this certain IP. No other system on your network can use that IP address. Most Routers allows you to assign name for that system too. So you know what the IP and MAC is pointing too.

Static IP is assigned to the NIC TCP/IP Protocols where as the DHCP Reservations is assigned to the Router DHCP Client Tablet. This goes by many different names by hardware network gear companies.

 

[jdabbs]

DHCP Reservation locks MAC, IP, Computer Name or one or the other. In the Router DHCP Client Tablet. So the Router knows that such and such system with MAC and IP address is assigned to this certain IP. No other system on your network can use that IP address. Most Routers allows you to assign name for that system too. So you know what the IP and MAC is pointing too.

DHCP does not stop devices from using a particular IP. Reserved leases only ensure a device with the appropriate MAC are issued a particular lease.

 

[stevech]

yes, if you setup a DHCP reservation for address X, but then you accidentally us the same X for a PC or device with a static IP in its own setup, there will be address conflict errors.

This is easily avoided by making a habit of using IP addresses for static IP at a PC/device, which is outside the range set aside for DHCP.