A static IP address is an address assigned to your computer if you want to maintain an IP address that does not change from time to time. This contrasts with having a router assign a dynamic IP address to your computer where the IP address may change every time you connect to the network.
Assigning a static IP address is useful when:
- Setting up public services on your computer (e.g. FTP servers, web servers, etc.)
- The computer is frequently accessed on the network so that the computer can be easily mapped
- Connecting to online servers (e.g. game servers, file servers, etc.)
It is important to take note of the following settings, which can be obtained through the router's local and internet settings:
- The router's IP address or default gateway
- Subnet mask
- DNS servers
- Router's default gateway: 192.168.2.1
- Computer's IP address: 192.168.2.30
Windows® 10
Windows 8 / 8.1
Windows 7
macOS®
OS X® El Capitan
Step 1:
Click on the Search 
icon on the system tray of your desktop then type Network and Sharing Center.
Step 2:
Click on Change adapter settings.
Step 3:
Right-click on the Local Area Connection icon and click Properties.
Step 4:
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click Properties.
Step 5:
Click on Use the following IP address and enter the static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway information that you have written down earlier to their corresponding fields as shown in the example below.
Step 6:
Click on Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the DNS servers that you have written down to their corresponding fields.
Step 7:
Click OK.
Step 1:
Press the Windows 
key + D on your keyboard to show the computer's desktop view.
Step 2:
Right-click on the Network Connections icon located in the system tray, then click on Open Network and Sharing Center.
Step 3:
Select Change adapter settings.
Step 4:
Right-click on the Ethernet icon and click Properties.
Step 5:
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click Properties.
Step 6:
Click on Use the following IP address and enter the static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway information that you have written down earlier to their corresponding fields as shown in the example below.
Step 7:
Click on Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the DNS servers that you have written down to their corresponding fields.
Step 8:
Click OK.
Windows 7
Step 1:
Click the Pearl icon then click on Control Panel.
Step 2:
In the Control Panel window, click on View network status and tasks.
Step 3:
Click Local Area Connection.
Step 4:
Click Properties.
Step 5:
Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click the Properties button.
Step 6:
Click on Use the following IP address and enter the static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway information that you have written down earlier to their corresponding fields as shown in the example below.
Step 7:
Click on Use the following DNS server addresses and enter the DNS servers that you have written down to their corresponding fields.
Click OK to save the changes.
macOS®
NOTE: If the images you see are different, click here.
Click the Apple® icon located at the top left corner of the screen, then select System Preferences.
Step 2:
In the System Preferences window, click on Network.
Step 3:
In the Network window, set the Location to Automatic and Show to Built-in Ethernet.
Step 4:
Under TCP/IP, click Manually in the Configure IPv4 drop-down field.
Step 5:
Enter the static IP address, subnet mask, and the DNS servers that you have written down earlier to their corresponding fields and enter the default gateway in the Router field as shown in the example below.
Step 6:
Click Apply Now to save the changes.
OS X® El Capitan
Step 1:
Click the Apple menu located at the top left corner of the screen, then select System Preferences.
Step 2:
In the System Preferences window, click on Network.
Step 3:
In Network, click on Ethernet and select Automatic in the Location drop-down menu.
Step 4:
Select Manually in the Configure IPv4 drop-down menu then enter the static IP address and subnet mask in their corresponding fields, and the router's local IP address or default gateway in the Router field.
Step 5:
Click on the Advanced...button.
Step 6:
Click the DNS tab then enter the necessary information in the DNS Servers field.
Step 7:
Click OK.
Step 8:
Click Apply Now to save the changes.
Related Article:
Assigning a static IP address on a wireless computer
Related Videos:
Checking the Belkin router's IP address (VIDEO)
Assigning static IP address on a wireless computer (VIDEO)
