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Each computer on your network is identified by a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address. A Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is the program that hands out IP addresses to each computer on the network..
Follow these steps to set up the DHCP server in your router:
1. Log in to the router using a Web browser and locate the DHCP controls.
 | The DHCP controls are usually located on a General tab, or a special DHCP screen as shown in Figure 1. |
Figure 1: Enable the router's DHCP server.
2. Enable the DHCP server (see Figure 1). On D-Link routers, select the Enabled radio button. On some other routers, you need to choose the DHCP network type.
3. Choose a starting number for the range of IP addresses that you want the router to use.
4. Choose an ending number for the IP address range.
| Each computer on your network must have a unique IP address. If you know for sure that only four computers will ever access your network, you can limit the range of IP addresses to just four numbers by entering 100 as the starting number and 103 as the ending number. Doing so provides one additional level of security to your network. |
5. Click OK or Apply to apply your changes. You may need to restart the router.
6. Reopen the DHCP controls and review the IP addresses assigned to each computer (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Review the IP addresses.
| DHCP assigns IP addresses to computers that are turned on and connected to the network. Noting the IP addresses may come in handy later when troubleshooting network problems. |
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