Assigning static IP to machine mostly kills internet access

[Hyperlite]

I'm setting up remote desktop tunneling between my desktop (the wired, host machine), and my laptop using DynDNS.com, and i have it working perfectly, accept that with a static IP assigned to my desktop and configured through my WRT54G, i have extremely poor internet performance. Network access seems to work just fine. The problem disappears when i set IP4 to use the auto DNS service again from windows...forgive me if my terminology is a bit off. Any thoughts on this? I'd prefer to not have to switch back to a static IP every time i leave home...

Thanks!

 

[Jeff7181]

It's because when you have it set to automatically get an IP address via DHCP, the DHCP server also provides a default gateway and DNS server addresses. When you assign a static IP address you have to provide those.

The default gateway should be the internal IP address of your router (likely 192.168.1.1 if it's a Linksys). You can either check your router and find out what DNS server addresses it has received from your ISP, or you can set your DNS server addresses in Windows to 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2 (these are Verizon's DNS servers). Or, you could point it to an OpenDNS server.

 

[Hyperlite]

Thanks for the reply. This is how i have it currently configured, and it seems to be working. Does this seem correct? I have that IP that i assigned input in the 'WINS" field in my router.

On the status page of my router, i see DNS 1,2, and 3, with 1 & 2 being assigned values. How does this play, if at all, into the configuration process in windows? Can i leave the DNS server as the local router IP address? These two values as well as an IP Address and a Default Gateway are also assigned, all of the above beginning in 152.x, i assume assigned by my ISP.

 

[Jeff7181]

The router is not a DNS server... you need to configure that to your ISP's DNS servers or as I said, you can use 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2

 

[Hyperlite]

The router is not a DNS server... you need to configure that to your ISP's DNS servers or as I said, you can use 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2

Gotcha. Thanks Jeff!

 

[JackMDS]

This is Not necessarily correct.

Since most Routers are connected to a DNS server on the WAN side, entering the Router's core IP as the DNS server would work OK in normally configured Network connection.

Otherwise, make sure that the static IP is Not within the DHCP range.

 

[ViviTheMage]

This is Not necessarily correct.

Since most Routers are connected to a DNS server on the WAN side, entering the Router's core IP as the DNS server would work OK in normally configured Network connection.

Otherwise, make sure that the static IP is Not within the DHCP range.

This has never worked for me on consumer hardware before. I just enter in my DNS server DNS's, or just use 4.2.2.1, 4.2.2.2.

 

[imagoon]

Life tends to be easier if you use a DHCP reservation. about 75% of the soho stuff has that ability in there some place. DHCP will reserve the address and give it to the PC every time making it effectively static, while still giving the computer all the info it needs to work.

 

[JackMDS]

Life tends to be easier if you use a DHCP reservation. about 75% of the soho stuff has that ability in there some place. DHCP will reserve the address and give it to the PC every time making it effectively static, while still giving the computer all the info it needs to work.

He has WRT54G. If it is Not flashed with DD-WRT it does Not DHCP Reservation.

 

[imagoon]

He has WRT54G. If it is Not flashed with DD-WRT it does Not DHCP Reservation.

Doh!

 

[Hyperlite]

I should follow up on this...My ISP is my university, and they apparently don't like it when i try and use my router for DNS...i get ridiculous bandwidth for about 20 minutes (70mb/40mb) and then it comes crashing down. So, jack is correct about the router IP, it must just appear anomalous to my ISP and they try and snuff it. Following jeff's suggestion, i entered 4.2.2.2 for the DNS, and it's been working since yesterday. Bandwidth is back to normal. Thank you everyone for the input and information, it was very helpful.

 

[NesuD]

This is Not necessarily correct.

Since most Routers are connected to a DNS server on the WAN side, entering the Router's core IP as the DNS server would work OK in normally configured Network connection.

Otherwise, make sure that the static IP is Not within the DHCP range.

I am with Vivi. While this works well with enterprise appliances like the sonicwall unite I use at work it never worked very well on my old wrt-54g very well. It would be optimal to use His ISP's DNS servers and only use the 4.2.2.X servers as failovers.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The router is not a DNS server... you need to configure that to your ISP's DNS servers or as I said, you can use 4.2.2.1 and 4.2.2.2

Most routers will proxy DNS requests, I've never had a problem with static IPs and setting the DNS to my router.

 

[kt]

Instead of guessing what works and what doesn't, why not just setup your computer for DHCP. Write down the DHCP assigned values. Change back to static IP address using the DHCP provided values?

 

[Jeff7181]

Most routers will proxy DNS requests, I've never had a problem with static IPs and setting the DNS to my router.

Might work if your router is configured to forward DNS queries... I don't think most SOHO routers do that without 3rd party firmware though. I could be wrong... or I could be right since it seems to have solved the OP's problem.

After a little googling I found that Linksys routers have an undocumented DNS proxy feature. Seeing as how it's undocumented, I don't think it's guaranteed to work.

I have a WRT54G and have DHCP enabled...

C:\Users\Jeff>nslookup www.yahoo.com
Server: resolver1.opendns.com
Address: 208.67.222.222

Non-authoritative answer:
Name: www.yahoo.com.hsd1.mi.comcast.net
Address: 208.69.32.132

C:\Users\Jeff>ipconfig /all

[snip]
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
[snip]

As you can see, the router's DHCP server has given me my ISP's DNS server addresses rather than just saying "hey, ask me if you need a DNS lookup, I'm 192.168.1.1"

 

[Jeff7181]

He has WRT54G. If it is Not flashed with DD-WRT it does Not DHCP Reservation.

While it's not capable of reservations, the lease time is long enough that most of the time it'll just renew the lease the next time it connects unless your machine is offline for days at a time.