Wi-Fi Fixed IP Address Requirements

Wi-Fi fixed IP addresses are supported and distributed to clients meeting certain reasonable requirements. This is expected to be a very small segment of our customer base.

We have two options available.

• An IP reservation in our DHCP servers. This is our default option for requests.
  • This setup will instruct our DHCP servers to always give you the same IP address, no matter where your device is on campus WiFi.
  • You will not have to reconfigure anything on your client device, as long as it’s set to use DHCP.
  • This setup is available on the University of Washington wireless service.
  • This setup is available on the eduroam wireless service.
• A static IP address. This option is only used in special cases where a device doesn’t support DHCP.
  • This setup will require you to configure the IP assigned to you along with subnet mask, gateway address and DNS servers.
  • If your device gets set back to DHCP, it will be assigned a random address from the DHCP pool.
  • This setup is available on the University of Washington wireless service.
  • This setup is not available on the eduroam wireless service.

Reasonable requirements clients should meet may be, but are not limited to:

• Inbound connectivity to a device with a predictable IP
• Fixed device does not behave well in a DHCP environment
• Reasonable hardship
• Lack of high availability
• Lack of high bandwidth
• Limited client roaming requirements

Fixed IP Request

To request a Wi-Fi DHCP Reserved or Static IP address, send email to the UW Information Technology Service Center at help@uw.edu and provide the following information:

1. What is the MAC address and make/model of the device you intend to use the fixed IP on?
2. Do you require a DHCP reserved IP or Static IP? If you require a Static IP, please explain why.
3. Describe the need for a fixed IP(s) in some detail.
4. Describe why a random DHCP address specifically will not work for you.
5. Will this IP be used for a critical system or system requiring high network availability?
6. Will this IP be used for a system requiring high network bandwidth?
7. In what building will the device using this IP be located?
8. Are there expectations the device using this IP will be used in any locations other than the one identified in #7?
9. Does the device using this IP need to communicate with devices outside of the UW network space?
10. Do you fully understand that this IP may need to be re-assigned and the device(s) using it reconfigured periodically, due to changes in or growth of the UW wireless network?