Static IP address per wifi connection? Configuration in router doesn't seem to take, am I doing it wrong?

Question

I have a MacBook Pro, and a home WIFI setup that I'd like to assign a very specific IP address to the MBP on.

The router is a Jensen Airlink AL59300, and it has the ability to assign static IP addresses of up 16 devices through their MAC address.

So I added my MBP's MAC address and assigned it an address.

However, how do I get my MBP to get that address now? If I simply enter the network preferences and click on the Renew Lease button, it gets the same, dynamic, address every time. Well, sometimes the router has assigned addresses differently, probably due to timing of reconnects, but my MBP never gets the address I set it up with, it always gets a new one from the dynamic pool.

If I set up the IP address manually on my Mac, is that per WIFI connection? Or is the IP address common for all the WIFI networks? Meaning, if I configure my MBP to have 192.168.0.199, and then connect to WIFI at work, will it then try to use that same address there, or can I use dynamic DHCP there, or even assign a different IP address on that network?

Answer 1

The airport settings go by location, not which of the possible SSID you join, so make a home (or Jensen) location and use manual IP or DHCP with manual address to get things going.

Check your firewall as it can block DHCP responses, but I'd guess the router has issues before the Mac, but something is broken for it not to just work.