When you connect to a router it will use the DHCP server to assign an IP address to each device that you connect. The DHCP server is located in the routers and is responsible for generating the IP address in an automated way. This server generates data to establish a connection to the network and to connect to the Internet.
What is an IP address?
An IP address is that set of numbers that are responsible for logically identifying the network interface. It is likely that you do not know what that IP address is assigned to your computer, but do not worry, in this article we will explain how to discover that IP address and what to do to change it.
How do I know what the IP of my Windows 10 PC is?
Maybe at some point you need to know what that IP address they assigned you is, whether you have to open ports or modify some services.
The easiest way to view the IP address is to open an MS-DOS window.
What is an MS-DOS window?
MS-DOS is the acronym for MicroSoft Disk Operating System, in Spanish Microsoft operating system. This is the main system of computers.
How to open an MS-DOS window?
To open an MS-DOS window you will have to follow the following steps:
- You must open the “Cortana” application.
- When you are inside the application you will have to type “cdm”.
- Then you will have to write “ipconfig” there.
After having done all the previous steps, a list will appear with the IP addresses of each of the network cards that are connected to your computer.
Possibly this address will change one day, since we have received it from the DHCP server and if you have opened ports these will be closed. To prevent this from happening, you will have to manually configure the IP of the computer.
How to change the IP address in Windows 10?
If you want to configure the IP on your computer, you must follow the following steps:
- The first step will be to open the “Network and Sharing Center” . This can be found in Cortana or by clicking on the network icon.
- Once there you must locate your Internet connection. You will probably only have one over an ethernet cable or over Wi-Fi.
- You will have to select it for the connection properties window to appear. Here you must search and locate “Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP / IPv4)”.
- When you get “Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP / IPv4)” click the “properties” button and you will get a screen where you can configure the IP address.
- The system will be originally configured to receive the IP automatically through the DHCP server and this will have to be changed manually .
- To change it manually, you must check the option “Use the following IP address” and fill in the spaces with the data you want.
- After filling in all the data, save the changes and click “apply to the computer”. The connection will be restarted and when reconnecting the new configuration will be active.
That address with your computer will connect and you will be able to open services and ports without the fear that they will constantly change.
It is important that you take into account that the same IP address cannot be used on different devices because connectivity problems will arise.
In the “Network and Sharing Center” menu you will also be able to see the IP data, you just have to click on the “Details” button and all the information will appear.
Router ports
We have mentioned the action of opening ports and then we will explain what those ports are. It is understood that the router is a device that sends data between different networks to achieve a connection with the internet.
When data is sent from a local network to an external network the router uses ports. The ports are responsible for organizing all the information that is sent.
Why open the ports of a router?
In some cases there may be problems with the configuration of the ports of a router, this could cause problems of slow connection, since the computer will not clearly know which port to use to send the information.
To solve these types of problems it is necessary to open the router ports to proceed to configure them correctly.