[How To] Manually Configure Network Settings
Introduction
In our earlier guides, we talked about how you can setup the
sharing between various Windows computers. Usually we expect that IP settings
and other network configuration is already done for us by the router, and all
we have to do is simply setup the shares and that's that.
However, automatic configurations don't always work 100% and
sometimes they can simply interfere with your network, especially if you have a
lot of devices in the house or office.
If you have any issues connecting all of your devices to the
network or have any problems with file sharing, media sharing and streaming,
then it's always recommended to manually configure your network.
First things first, you want to make an assessment of how
many computers you have, how many are wired and how many are wireless. You also
want to include any mobile devices such as tablets, cellphones and other units
that connect to your wireless network.
If all you have is a hard wired network with no wireless,
then you can ignore the rest of this paragraph. If on the other hand you have
lots of wireless devices, you have to ask yourself the question, how often do
they change? Do you have many visitors who constantly use your wireless
network? If you do, then leaving some of the automatic features will be beneficial,
because configuring multiple devices can become an issue very quickly.
Basic Network
Terminology
Before we go into the details on how to manually configure
your network, let's look at some important terminology and go over what it all
means.
Router
Chances are you already have a router and you probably know
what it does. It most likely connects to your DSL or Cable modem and “splitsâ€
your internet connection to other devices in the house. Some people may find
that their Cable modem is also a router, so you only have 1 device. In either
case, router is responsible for giving each system and mobile device the
network configuration needed for access.
How does it do that? There is a service running on the
Router commonly known as DHCP. The role of the DHCP is to automatically assign
IP addresses and other network configuration to each and every computer (or
mobile device) that asks for it. By default, it is always enabled and is solely
responsible for the automated assignment of network configuration, so that all
you have to do is simply plug in the cables and connect.
However, DHCP isn't exactly flawless. Certain address
assignments can cause issues within the network, and if the address is ever
changed, default settings can be affected. For example, if you know your file
server is always located on 192.168.1.150 address, if for some reason DHCP
renews the address, it will change and your share file will disappear. To
maintain stable shares, you want to assign this information manually.
Before you can assign IP addressing manually and before we
show you where to do that, we must first talk about IP addressing in general so
you get a better understanding of what it all means.
IP Addressing
Let's look at a sample IP address
192.168.1.150
This is an address of a single computer. Just like an
address of a house, this address will always take us to that one computer
(unless it changes). However, IP addresses alone aren't enough information,
like real addresses don't always tell the full story. You need a zip code,
city, all that stuff to tell you exactly where this house is. Likewise, IP
addresses require what's called a Subnet Mask to tell the IP system exactly
where this computer is located.
Here's an example of a subnet mask that would typically be
associated with the IP sample above:
255.255.255.0
What does this number mean? It basically tells us how the
192.168.1.150 IP address is interpreted. As you can see, subnet mask and IP
address both have the same numbering system. However, the subnet mask is telling
us which section of IP matters and which section doesn't matter.
Let's try to simplify this a little bit.
If we look at 2 computers with following ip addresses
192.168.1.150 and 192.168.1.160
If we wanted them to be on the same subnet (or same network)
we would want to use 255.255.255.0 on both of them, like this:
192.168.1.150 192.168.1.160
255.255.255.0 255.255.255.0
These 2 computers should now be able to talk to each other
over the network. In fact any computer with the first 3 numbers 192.168.1 will
be able to talk to each other. This is because 255.255.255.0 tells us that the
first 3 numbers are important (255) and last one is not (0). Last one can be
anything from 1-255 and it will all be on the same subnet.
Now, let's look at another computer with the following
address:
192.168.2.100
255.255.255.0
This computer has same subnet mask as the other 2, however
it is not on the same subnet. Third number (2) is different and therefore
doesn't match the subnet the other computers are on. You would have to change
the 2 to 1, or you would have to adjust the subnet mask like this:
255.255.0.0
Now, last 2 numbers are not being checked so the #2 no
longer matters so now all 3 computers belong to the same network.
Confused? That's OK, it takes a long time and some studying
to understand IP Addressing perfectly, but we will show you how to configure
your computers manually and hopefully with a little bit of the background
information we provided, you'll be able to do it easily.
Ranges
Before we can assign an IP address to a machine, we have to
make sure it falls within the certain range of addresses. For example, most
home routers will use numbers between 1-50 or perhaps 100-150 or sometimes full
range 1-255 (actually 5-250 as some of the first few and last few are
reserved.)
You will need to use your browser and log into your router
to determine what kind of range your router uses. Typically, your router can be
accessed by typing the following address in your browser 192.168.1.1 Some other
routers tend to use different addresses, such as 192.168.1.100, 10.10.10.1,
10.0.0.1 and so on. You can find out the address of your router by looking at
the DEFAULT GATEWAY result from the command we had you type in earlier in the
guide. You're looking for DHCP configuration in your router settings. This is
where you will see the range of addresses given out.
Disabling DHCP
If you would like to completely abandon the idea of
automatic configuration, then you can disable the DHCP server when you're in
the router configuration screen. Take note of the range of addresses, and check
the box for Disabled to turn off the DHCP. Save and exit the settings.
Configuring the IP
Manually
Let's configure IP manually for your first computer. If you
have Windows 7 running, you can click on start, type in Network and Sharing
Center then click on the result. On the left hand side, click on Change Adapter
Settings, then right click on your network adapter and choose properties.
Next, you want to highlight IP V4 and click Properties.
Click the radio button to USE FOLLOWING IP ADDRESS so that you can set the IP
manually.
If your DHCP was using something like 192.168.1.100-150 then
you can pick any of those numbers at the end. So, for example let's use 140 as
the address for this machine. You would set your IP to be 192.168.1.140. Then
you would set your subnet mask to be 255.255.255.0. Then you would set your
default gateway to be the same address of your router, typically 192.168.1.1.
For DNS settings, you can also input your default gateway address, as your
router will provide DNS information also. In the end, it will look like this:
192.168.1.140
255.255.255.0
192.168.1.1
192.168.1.1
192.168.1.1
Your example may be different if your router uses a
different scheme.
You can repeat this on any machine you would like to change
the address on. Different operating systems will provide different methods to
change the address, but the scheme will remain the same.
If you need additional assistance or have any questions
about this guide, feel free to post in our Help Desk section.