ID:182228
 
Is there any way I can get my Windows XP laptop to allow me to set a static IP for only one wireless network, and not all of them? At home I need to set my IP to 192.168.0.120, but everywhere else I need it to obtain its own IP automatically. It's a real pain because I literally have to change my settings twice a day when I have school D: (Yay, free WiFi for Purdue students~)
I haven't used XP in .. forever, but my understading is you can set per SSID settings for Wireless Devices. So say you home network is 'home', you can set a static IP up for that, and have all others as dynamic. As for how ... good question. I think it lives under properties on the wireless connection, or in the Zeroconfig tool.
In response to Stephen001
The place that I set my IP is under the properties for the wireless network connection, as in the card, so I don't even know if I can do it without downloading something :( I of course have Dell's own software for my internet since they love to give you their own software, but as usual it's just a clone of Microsoft's software with a different interface, so that doesn't help. Perhaps if I find a program to add a third wireless internet systray icon I can make this work!
Set a static IP in your wireless router's DHCP server for your PC that you want to have a static address, then set the PC up to take whatever address it's given, and it'll just be given the same address every time.
In response to Loduwijk
I have that going, but it doesn't always work because wireless networking is stupid like that. What I have at home is internet->wired router->wireless router. It only works if you have an IP from the wired router (192.168.0.x), but it likes to give you an IP from the wireless router (192.168.1.x). I have the wired router set up to give me the 192.168.0.120 automatically, but some weeks it'll do this automatically without me setting the IP on my laptop and some weeks I'll have to set it myself D: I have no idea why it doesn't work the same way all of the time =\
In response to Cowdude
It may be because another computer is being assigned the IP you want.
In response to CaptFalcon33035
CaptFalcon33035 wrote:
It may be because another computer is being assigned the IP you want.

No, that's not it at all. My wifi network suffers the same problems his does.

That is: My current wireless access point is actually a wireless router that my older brother bought by accident.

And from what I can gather, when trying to allow the network to configure by itself, the wifi card on his computer (and mine) think the wireless router (which is being used as an access point) is my actual router, and will try and set the DNS address of my network card to it; thus giving my the wrong DNS address and making internet usage not possible.
In response to Cowdude
Cowdude wrote:
I have that going, but it doesn't always work because wireless networking is stupid like that. What I have at home is internet->wired router->wireless router. It only works if you have an IP from the wired router (192.168.0.x), but it likes to give you an IP from the wireless router (192.168.1.x). I have the wired router set up to give me the 192.168.0.120 automatically, but some weeks it'll do this automatically without me setting the IP on my laptop and some weeks I'll have to set it myself D: I have no idea why it doesn't work the same way all of the time =\

The problem is, you're using a wireless router as a wireless access point (as stated in my post above).

Although I'm sure there is some technical method you can use. There's probably some way to configure your wireless router to give your wifi PC a static IP and DNS address, but I don't know how and haven't found such options on my own wireless router.

As a result, if you don't mind spending money, go out of your way to buy a wireless access point (be wary, computer salesmen are idiots, and will try to sell you a wireless router if they don't know any better). That should hopefully fix your problem.

I ran into the same circumstances when my wireless access point died and my brother bought a wireless router as a replacement. As a result, I just got into the habit of configuring my settings wherever necessary.
In response to Cowdude
Cowdude wrote:
I have that going, but it doesn't always work because wireless networking is stupid like that. What I have at home is internet->wired router->wireless router. It only works if you have an IP from the wired router (192.168.0.x), but it likes to give you an IP from the wireless router (192.168.1.x). I have the wired router set up to give me the 192.168.0.120 automatically, but some weeks it'll do this automatically without me setting the IP on my laptop and some weeks I'll have to set it myself D: I have no idea why it doesn't work the same way all of the time =\

It could also be that setup. That doesn't sound right to me. Your wired router is set up to connect to both the gateway at your ISP via whatever modem or whatever you use and be assigned an IP for the Internet from that, and also to the wireless router.

The wired router should have its own DHCP server and other services for its local network, and the wireless router should receive an IP address from the wired router. If all's normal, the wireless router should then have its own services and treat its wireless connections as a seperate network that it manages and assign the IP address to the laptop.

Are you sure the laptop is receiving its IP address from the wired router and not from the wireless one? If that's the case, the wireless one must be set up to act as only an unmanaged switch and is not making any decisions, though I wouldn't think that would be the case.

Try finding your wireless router in the DHCP listing on the wired router. Set that to whatever you want, or leave that one dynamic; that part probably doesn't matter. Then set the static IP on the wireless router for the laptop.

If all's set up "properly" (I wouldn't bother with two routers), the wired router is actually just a useless "buffer network" between your wireless router's network and the Internet. That is, useless unless there are wired PCs on it as well.

Hope some of that helps.
In response to Tiberath
Tiberath wrote:
Although I'm sure there is some technical method you can use. There's probably some way to configure your wireless router to give your wifi PC a static IP and DNS address, but I don't know how and haven't found such options on my own wireless router.

You could have DHCP give out a static IP address to the specific PC but then set DNS locally on the PC itself.
Whether you can do this depends mostly on the router, since that's usually what assigns the IP address to any device on the network. D-Link has a feature where you can tell it that certain MAC addresses should always be given certain static IPs, so when they try to grab an IP address that's the one they're always given. I don't know whether your router supports this or not. If it doesn't, there is probably no way to do what you're hoping for without replacing the router.

Lummox JR
In response to Tiberath
Tiberath wrote:
CaptFalcon33035 wrote:
It may be because another computer is being assigned the IP you want.

No, that's not it at all. My wifi network suffers the same problems his does.

Unless you're using the same router, that is VERY possible. But what you said could be the problem as well. We ought to provide as many options to the problem as we can until /he/ can narrow 'em down.
In response to CaptFalcon33035
You know, if you click my name there you can go to a page with a nifty picture on it.

I can't seem to get into my wireless router's configuration doodad... http://192.168.1.1 does nothing o_O Come to think of it, I don't even know why we have two routers; we only have two desktops that used wired internet and the wireless router has four ports... The two routers aren't in the same room, but I think we can put them all in the same room with the current wiring. I'll need to ask Mom about this when she gets back from her work-thing she's doing this week.