Linksys Tip: Assign Static IP Address To Printer While Using DHCP On Your Wireless Network
When setting up a Linksys wireless home network, using DHCP for assigning IP addresses to Computers simplifies setup and gets you online quickly. While DHCP is convenient, devices such as printers should be assigned a fixed IP addresses manually to avoid conflicts on your wireless network. Here's how you can setup a printer with a static address even if it has a wireless card, while still using DCHP on your Linksys wireless router.
By default on Linksys wireless routers, the DHCP IP address range is typically 192.168.1.100 thru 192.168.1.149 and addresses cannot end in 0, 1, or 255. Any fixed (static) IP address must be outside the DHCP server range.
This means that IP addresses you want to assign to devices, such as printers, need use an address in the range of 192.168.1.2 thru 192.168.1.99 or 192.168.1.150 thru 192.168.1.254 (assuming you are still using the default DHCP server range).
Let's assume you are still using the default DHCP address range and your router is also using the default IP address of 192.168.1.1. Your DHCP configuration will look similar to the following screenshot:
NOTE: menus and screen shots may be different from your Linksys Wireless Router depending on the model you have.
When configuring an address for the printer, the IP configuration would look like:
IP Address – 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask – 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway – 192.168.1.1
It's important to note that even though you are not using any IP addresses in the default range for DHCP, the Subnet Mask and Default Gateway addresses will be the same. This configuration needs to be enter in the printer, not in the router (see the owners manual or vendor web site for steps on configuraing the printer TCP/IP information). By using the default DHCP range, there is no configuration needed on the Linksys router.
If you have another device on your network that will be assign a fixed address, you would use:
IP Address – 192.168.1.3
Subnet Mask – 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway – 192.168.1.1
For any other devices, just increment the IP address by one, 192.168.1.4, 192.168.1.5, etc and use the same Subnet Mask and Default Gateway.
Now if power goes out or you need to restart your Linksys wireless router, your printer will retain the fixed IP address instead of being assigned a different address than it previously had by DHCP . And you will always be able to print with out any conflicts.
Filed under Computer How-To by 
Leave a Comment
Comments on Linksys Tip: Assign Static IP Address To Printer While Using DHCP On Your Wireless Network
The above information appears to be the answer to the problem I encountered when I installed a Ricoh Gx3000 printer to my home network via a linksys 4 port router. It worked fine,I believe,until I had to reboot the router. It reassigned an ip address to the printer.
Although I have not tested this theory, It makes sense. I knew I needed a way to assign a permanent address to the printer, but was not sure how to complete it. I found access to the web page for the printer but was not sure of what ip address to use. This article answers that question. I believe I will be okay now.
Thanks
MRob
I found this information very, very useful. I wanted my printer to have a static IP, while all the other components are dynamically assigned ips. I gave the printer an ip within the DHCP range…so you can imagine the issues (i.e conflicts when the printer is on and other components are turned on. The wireless router sometimes allocate the printer IP to one of the other components. Now I know that I must use an IP outside the DHCP range. Thanks alot.
Thanks for this tip. Because of problems with my router, requiring it to be frequently rebooted (hopefully resolved now, after enabling MTU size configuration and setting it), my printer was constantly being assigned a new IP addr, and I was constantly having to change the IP of the assigned port on my computers. This solved the problem.
Your tip was very close to my problem but not quiet.
My desktop is connected through Ethernet wire to Linksys WAG54GX2 router, my children connect to the Internet through the router, and we all share HP P2015 (printer is a USB but not a network printer). Every time any of us print a document we loose the router connection to the internet, and we do all sort of things to get it back some times we repair network connection, other times we reboot the router, etc. it has become a night mare to print and sometimes we delay our prints jobs to late at night.
Any suggestions are highly appreciated.
Zaki
Hi,
I would like to do the same thing to my home wireless network. However, we are using a Belkin router. Could you please direct me to the solution for the Belkin routers.
Thank you.
@Sudarshan
Your best bet is to start at Belkin's support page at –> http://www.belkin.com/support/
You may also want to see if Belkin has a support forum that you can post your question.
zaki,
your problem has nothing to do with this posting.
Zaki,
most definably a ID 10 T error you have there
Thank you very much for this info! This is exactly what I've been wanting to do with my print server. It is an old US robotics print server that comes with drivers that detect what IP was assigned to the print server by my router's DHCP. However, I installed 64-bit Windows on one of my machines, and alas, US Robotics no longer updates these drivers and they have no 64-bit compatible versions! Now, I just assign my print server a static IP and use a Generic IP port for the printer on my 64-bit machine!
If DHCP assigned an ip address to a system for say 48hrs and some one else assigned the same ip address to another system later statically, what will happen and if ip conflict how will you correct it as a network administrator.
@Ogunsakin Olatunji
With 2 systems assigned the same IP Address, a conflict will occur. Typically with MS computers if you tried to assign an IP address that is already on the network, an error message will appear warning you that the address is in use.
To resolve, you need to assign the computer (non-DHCP computer) an address out side the DHCP scope.
Korki,
Can please explain more? I don't know what you mean by "most definably a ID 10 T error you have there"
thanks
zaki
Thought this was very good and have setup my printer accordingly, however my home computer connect with the router does not recognise the static ip address of the printer. I check this with a ping on the address and get time out no response.
I also tried to just configure the printer port with the static ip address 192.168.1.2 This did not help. The printer has all the right parameters as described above. If you cannot ping it you cannot reach it.
Dlink routers beginning "many years" ago have a check mark on the DHCP table that enables the router to assign the same IP address to a device when ever the router is rebooted. This is a simple feature linksys should add to their their agreeably fantastic router range. I have seen many network printers that do not have feature for manual IP assignment. For those printers this workaround is useless.
well guys i have a problem related to this but its not exactly the printer, its the DVR (Digital Vdo Recorder)want to assign it a Fix Ip as I have to port forwarded that IP for DDNS. when ever the router is rebooted the IP is changed so i cannot Access my DVR and have to chage the IP in PORTFORWARDING options. any help will greatly be appreciated
i m using WAG200G Linksys
thanks
Hi
I am seeking for your help for HP printer 2100 IP addrss
At the moment i my printer
IP Address:0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask: 0.0.0.0
Default Gateway: 0.0.0.0
thtow the pritnter itself i can not get ip would you please mail me some guidence that how i can get ip for my network printer.
thanks for help
Good article. thnx.