IP Address Problem

[JohnWB]

I have an Android app on a device, which I am using to connect to a shared folder on my PC. I want to use its SMB protocol to reach my home wireless network.

It works, but then the IPv4 address keeps changing. I have tried setting up a ‘permanent’ address in my Windows 7 settings, but then my PC won’t connect to the Internet at all. At one point, I also tried to adjust my router, but that also wouldn’t allow me to connect to the web afterwards. How can I fix this and set up a 'locked' address?

[Cang_Household · Accepted solution]

If you cannot access the Internet after setting up a static IP on the computer, then you probably typed a wrong address or forget to type in the default gateway.

Think about how would you access a website, would you want to remember the IP address of the website? Then it is the same here, try using the computer's hostname instead.

From your description, we have no idea what exactly did you change in terms of configuration.

[gs0b]

Are you trying to access a shared folder on your home computer from a device that is external to your home network?  If so, that's a bad idea.  While you can configure the router to allow access to your internal resource, without robust security controls on the home computer, you'll be creating a significant security risk.

If you want to share files between devices that can be on various networks and you aren't skilled in network and software security, I recommend using a free, commercial file sharing service.  Given that one of the devices is Android, I recommend Google Drive.  Microsoft OneDrive may work, but I'm not sure if they've a good Android client.

If I've misunderstood your use case, please give a better description of the problem you're trying to solve.  I, and others, may have different recommendations for you.

[JohnWB]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you all. I think I've solved my problem. In reviewing your replies, I went back and reviewed the situation again.

I am attempting to access my PC from an Android device that is also connected to my network on a 'live' basis. I sometimes using Google Drive and OneDrive, but they wouldn't work in this instance.

I had been using a setup I found on the web (see below) feeding in info obtained by an IPCONFIG command. It resulted in 'No Internet Access'. I tried it again and added in the Default Gateway address that was omitted. I was now able to connect.

Thanks for your time and help.

[gs0b]

If you hardcoded the IP address on the PC and didn't put it in a non-DHCP pool on the router, things will break when the router decides to hand that IP address out to another device.

[LawrenceC]

I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to post your comments and opinions related to this topic. This topic has been thoroughly discussed and will now be closed. Please feel free to open a new thread for further discussion. Thank you.