As we know, one of the most important
aspects of being able to surf the Internet is the IP address. This can be
public and private. The first is what our service provider offers us. We
can do little to change it, although we can hide the IP. On the other
hand, we have the private IP, which is used to synchronize a device with the
router. Both are important and serve to identify. It is, so to speak,
like a license plate. Now, within the private IP, we can have a static one
or one that is variable. In this article, we're going to provide an
explanation for how to assign a fixed IP in Windows 10.
How to assign a fixed IP in Windows 10
In Windows 10,
like other operating systems, we can have static and dynamic IP. However,
the normal thing is that it is configured by default in dynamics. This
means that it is configured for DHCP. It has its advantages and
disadvantages. If we talk about the benefits, it is all more automatic to
connect devices. We don't need to configure anything, and we save time. Something
very useful for less expert users.
This means that
the IP of our device can change. We will not
always have the same. This could lead to other problems or that we need
that IP to be fixed and not changing. Luckily this in Windows 10 is very
easy to configure.
We are going to explain how
we can assign a fixed IP in Windows 10. A process that
only requires a series of steps that we are going to explain. It is simple
and fast. In addition, we can always return to the previous state and that
the IP becomes dynamic again if we wish. We go on to explain the different
steps of this process.
The first thing we have to do is enter Settings through the Windows Start menu. Once here, we access the Network and the Internet. Now we have to click on Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on whether we are connected wirelessly or by cable. Once here, we click on Change adapter options, which appear on the right and above.
We give the second click of the mouse on the network card that interests us, and we enter Properties. A window will open with different options and things that we can configure. We are interested in what is called Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP / IPv4). We click and click Properties again.
As we can see, by default, the option
to Obtain an IP address automatically is marked. It is dynamically
configured and changing. It is assigned to us automatically. We have
to check the box of Choose the following IP address. Here we can enter the
values we want for this fixed IP address. Later we will only have to
click on Validate the configuration when exiting and click on accept. From
that moment, our IP will be fixed in Windows 10.
We can always
reconfigure it by following these steps. We can grant another static IP
address that we want or make it dynamic.
* Note: be careful
not to assign an IP address that is already in use. Doing this would
create a conflict, and we would not be able to access the Internet. It
would be necessary to choose another address that is not being used by another
device.
Why we may need to assign a fixed IP: positive and negative points
It may be
necessary to assign a fixed IP if, for example, we are going to share
files or use a printer. In
these cases, it may be necessary to have a static IP. It is also possible
that we use some applications that require having to associate a fixed IP with
communicating with the ports.
It is the best
option to connect to a server. It does not matter if it
is local or remote.
However, there are more negative points that it can have. Especially when it comes to security, they can be more vulnerable than a dynamic IP. The reason is logical: being an address that does not change, cybercriminals can target those numbers to carry out the attack. Ultimately, they have more time to succeed.
Another of the most important negative points is the fact of
having to configure it. If we use a dynamic IP, it will be enough to
connect the equipment, and it will automatically assign us one that will
change.
In short,
assigning a fixed IP to our Windows 10 computer is very
simple. If you use another Microsoft operating system, the steps to follow
are very similar. It is not difficult to change the dynamic IP for a fixed
one. As we have seen, there are both positive and negative points. In
the end, it will depend on the user whether or not it is more or less
interesting to assign a fixed IP.
On our website,
you can see what the public IP of the system is. You
can also carry out a velocity take a look at to check how well the connection
is and thus avoid possible problems that make the navigation not the most
appropriate.
