Static IP address.

[WilliamDavid]

After a lot of reading, youtube searches, etc. I have not had much luck setting up a Static IP address.

My various computers just don't like it, and 'repair' things back to as they were.

Also, why is it necessary? My computers operate Railmaster fine, and my Sony Xperia Z3 Android phone also works fine as the handheld

Can somebody put me right?.

 

[MetmanUK]

Almost certainly your equipment's IP addresses are allocated by your router so it is there that you must set static IPs.  You will probably need the MAC address of the PC etc that requires a static IP.

[WilliamDavid]

I finally managed to set a Static IP address ( I think) but still don't know what it has achieved.

The only problem I sometimes have with the handheld is the beacon going red, and temporary loss of signal.

A wireless extender has helped, but not totally.

[RB51]

I had this issue after the update - but after a long conversation with AC, and as everything was working just fine I decided not to do anything about it. I have a BT Home Hub 3 which doesn't like to be altered, very easily anyway. I just click past the pop-up asking me to set a static IP and carry on. R-

[MetmanUK]

(simplisticly) Routers allocate IPs as equipment joins the network therefore an individual piece of equipment is likely to have varying IP addresses over time.  Where, say, a printer is shared via the router it should have a static IP because a PC will have a connection to a specific IP address to enable it to print.  If the printer IP was not static then the PC connection would not work all of the time.

 

Similarly with RM.  A handheld RM needs to communicate with the main RM on your PC.  The connection will have a connection to a specific IP address to enable it to communicate.  If the PC's IP changes then the handheld cannot communicate.

 

This is the shorthand version - sorry if it doesn't make sense !!!

[RB51]

It makes sense Metman (in that it is in English - I don't understand the technical bits) and it is in complete agreement with what everyone else (HRMS & AC) says. But my iPad works with RM perfectly well without me setting anything up which must mean either the laptop and the iPad keep getting the same address - or the router is cleverly giving them addresses that "talk" to each other. I don't understand it but it all works perfectly. R-

[Nick_]

if you only have a few devices that connect to your router they will  'normally' keep being given the same IP address each, especially if you use them daily, but you can't 100% guarantee it. 

Most routers are set up with a range of addresses which will be dynamically allocated and a range which can be used statically. The trick is to find the configuration page in the router which tells you the static range and that varies from router to router

[MetmanUK]

It makes sense Metman (in that it is in English - I don't understand the technical bits) and it is in complete agreement with what everyone else (HRMS & AC) says. But my iPad works with RM perfectly well without me setting anything up which must mean either the laptop and the iPad keep getting the same address - or the router is cleverly giving them addresses that "talk" to each other. I don't understand it but it all works perfectly. R-

It would be your laptop that is 'keeping' the same IP.  The IP of the iPad is not relevant because it initiates a conversation. 

[perfectionist]

Following this thread as my note 3, registered as a handheld device, also loses contact now and again. Am attempting to put static ip address into router. Anyone know how to do this.

[Fishmanoz]

No chance of answering this without knowing what your router is.  But have you gone to AC's excellent separate site called up in the top locked thread in the RM forum and followed his comprehensive advice on setting static IPs?

[96RAF]

... Am attempting to put static ip address into router. Anyone know how to do this...

My old router web page allowed me to select a connected device, select configure tab and tick a box to allways use this IP address. My new router does not have this facility so I  have to rely upon the machines sorting it out amongst themselves which generally they do.

[WilliamDavid]

So a Static address is not necessary if everyting runs ok.

[RB51]

That's certainly the case with my set-up it seems William. Can't speak for every user obviously. R-

[MetmanUK]

So a Static address is not necessary if everyting runs ok.

Yes .... and no !

 

Think of an IP address as like your house number.  People who wish to communicate with you can do so because they know your number.  Now, suppose that Royal Mail were in charge of your house number and re-allocated your street's numbers once a week by counting from one end.  You would always get the same number so no problem.

 

Now, what happens when your neighbour down the street sells his house and a developer builds 2 houses on the site.  Suddenly, you have a different number and all your post goes to the wrong address.  To get round this problem you apply to Royal Mail and request they give you a permanent number - lets call it a static number.

 

A router is in charge of handing out IPs when something asks to join a network.  The router will give it the next available.  However, like Royal Mail above, the router re-assigns IPs every few days or so.  In effect, you lease an IP for a set period of time.  At the end of the lease time the IP can be re-applied for IF the PC, laptop etc is switched on.  However, if it is not switched on the IP is returned to the pool and is available for leasing out.

 

In a simple environment with one PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone then its not an issue.  With 2 that are always switched on and connected its not an issue apart from, say, if you go on holiday for longer than the lease period and switch them on in a different order.  With 3 the probability of problems gets greater.  With 4, especially with smartphones of friends and relatives it will almos certainly become a problem.  Does it make more sense now ?

[WilliamDavid]

Good explanation MetmanUK.

So what happens is that on start up the IP No ends in say 4 and I set my handheld to agree, all works fine.

Next time the IP No ends in, say 7, I set the handheld to agree, it will still work.

Is that right, and if so, I don't need a  Static number.

I now have one antyway, so all is fine.

[MetmanUK]

Good explanation MetmanUK.

So what happens is that on start up the IP No ends in say 4 and I set my handheld to agree, all works fine.

Next time the IP No ends in, say 7, I set the handheld to agree, it will still work.

Is that right, and if so, I don't need a  Static number.

I now have one antyway, so all is fine.

Yes, but why would you want to go through the process of finding the IP of the main RM PC, then setting it on your handheld every time you use it ?  

[RDS]

... go through the process of finding the IP of the main RM PC ...

That is what I do with my networked version because it seemed easier than the steps required to determine the static address 

[Fishmanoz]

I believe there is a refinement to this analogy. As everything is in the same street, all the letters eventually arrive where they are intended.  However, RM relies on them getting there at the right time in the right order.  For this you need a static address.

[MetmanUK]

I believe there is a refinement to this analogy. As everything is in the same street, all the letters eventually arrive where they are intended.  However, RM relies on them getting there at the right time in the right order.  For this you need a static address.

Unfortunately your refinement relies on local knowledge to re-route wrongly addresses letters and the absence of empty properties or householders that refuse to re-route letters.  The network has neither of these facilities so a static IP is almost always essential.

 

It's a shame that there isn't a standard way of setting static IPs as the process is fairly simple.  Usually the hardest part is locating your PC's MAC address (if required).

[PJR_slo]

Generally, Dynamic IP addresses are IP addresses assigned to the components of a network by a single device - the DHCP server.  Dynamic IP addresses can be reserved on the DHCP server, but it is still possible that they could change.

 

Static IP addresses are IP addresses set on the individual network component.  These can never change.

 

In order to set a static IP address on a Windows PC, there are 2 things to do:

 

1.  Connect to the DHCP server (usually the router) and check the address pool.  If the address pool includes all possible addresses, then the pool shold be reduced to leave some spare addresses.  An address pool could be in the range of 100 to 150 (ie 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.150).

 

2.  On the PC, open the Local Area Connection Properties, select Internet Protocol V4/Properties, select "Use the following IP address", enter the IP address (an address which is outside the DHCP pool range), the subnet mask, default gateway and DNS server address and then save.

 

Attempting to generate a static IP address for a PC by using router settings can cause serious issues.  Allocating a static IP address to a PC that can also be allocated by a router can cause serious issues.

 

Basically, if you don't know what you are doing and it's working, then leave it alone!

 

Peter