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Assign static IP address to printer
I am trying to assign a staic IP address to my network printer. When I go to Avanced/Setup/LAN setup and see the Address reservation table, I find my printer and click on its radio button and click ...
You should not need to assign the printer a static IP address unless your computers specifically associate the printer with a fixed address. Windows computers can generally find a printer by name and without knowing its address; they do so by using a variety of broadcast protocols whenever Windows Network Discovery is enabled. I haven't used a Mac for a couple of years, so I don't remember how their printing functions work. If Macs discover printers by IP addresses, then proceed with reserving an IP address.
BTW, it's important to distinguish between static vs reserved IP addresses. A static address is typically a non-DHCP managed address that is manually configured on a device. A static IP address must be assigned outside of the DHCP range managed by any DHCP server(s) on the LAN. OTOH, a reserved IP address is a DHCP-managed address that is always assigned by a DHCP server to a particular device (usually identified by its MAC address). The IP addresses managed through Advanced > Setup > LAN Setup are reserved IP addresses.
Go to Advanced > Setup > LAN Setup. If you see a table, then this is a list of reserved addresses. If your printer is already listed, then you are done. If you don't see it, then click on the Add button. Don't select a device unless you want to remove the reservation. After you click Add, you will be presented a new table of devices. Select your printer, then click the Add button again. This should reserve the IP address currently assigned to your printer.
You should not need to assign the printer a static IP address unless your computers specifically associate the printer with a fixed address. Windows computers can generally find a printer by name and without knowing its address; they do so by using a variety of broadcast protocols whenever Windows Network Discovery is enabled. I haven't used a Mac for a couple of years, so I don't remember how their printing functions work. If Macs discover printers by IP addresses, then proceed with reserving an IP address.
BTW, it's important to distinguish between static vs reserved IP addresses. A static address is typically a non-DHCP managed address that is manually configured on a device. A static IP address must be assigned outside of the DHCP range managed by any DHCP server(s) on the LAN. OTOH, a reserved IP address is a DHCP-managed address that is always assigned by a DHCP server to a particular device (usually identified by its MAC address). The IP addresses managed through Advanced > Setup > LAN Setup are reserved IP addresses.
Go to Advanced > Setup > LAN Setup. If you see a table, then this is a list of reserved addresses. If your printer is already listed, then you are done. If you don't see it, then click on the Add button. Don't select a device unless you want to remove the reservation. After you click Add, you will be presented a new table of devices. Select your printer, then click the Add button again. This should reserve the IP address currently assigned to your printer.
TheEther,
Thanks you for your thorough explanation. I much better understand now. When I clicked on the ADD button, what I saw was my reservation table, and it appears ALL my devices have reserved IP addresses.
So, followup question: Did I make a setting within the router that caused all of my devices to have reserved IP address, or is that the default, or what.
Thx,
MikeT in VA
There is no setting to cause all devices to have reserved IP addresses, but there are circumstances where a device will often receive the same IP address without a reservation.