Which device/router to set DHCP and IP Addresses?

[CoreyKro]

Setting up my home network, and had a question about choosing which device to handle the assigning of IP addresses and DHCP table when you have multiple options.

I have a Verizon/Actiontec MI424WR router, which I need to use in order to get my cable guide and video-on-demand working on the TV. So I currently use that just as a wired router.

I use an Asus RT-N66U for my wifi/wireless networking.

I just bought a TP-LINK TL-SG1016DE 16-Port Gigabit Easy Smart Switch to manage the CAT6 network running through my house.

My question is which device to use to set my IP Addresses / DHCP table? I currently have the Asus set up as an access point and have the Actiontec doing managing the DHCP. But now that I added the TP-Link smart switch, I'm starting to question if thats the best approach.

The Asus probably has the most flexible / powerful UI. Would I be better served by letting the Asus do the IP address assignments? I haven't even logged on to the TP-Link yet. It just worked out of the box and I'm just starting to think about how to best set this up.

I want to use static / DHCP reservations to manage my port forwarding for my Plex Server, FTP, etc, and hate when the rules get messed up b/c the router reassigns IP addresses.

 

[jsmithepa]

It really doesn't matter who does DHCP, use the best UI with the most flexible options. Some DHCP actually list the names of the devices it has leased an IP to which is nice for monitoring other than looking at just numbers.

 

[bill001g]

In general you can use any device to be your DHCP server as long as you only have 1 on a segment.

The nasty problem is the manufactures have tried to dumb down the router configurations so those people who need a picture to know how to plug the router into the power socket don't hurt their little brains.

In general the router will give out its own address for the gateway and the DNS server. This does not work too well when the device is only a AP and ip address is not the actual internet gateway. Also if you have used the AP option rather than just plugging in the LAN port and disabling dhcp it tends to disable the DHCP ability of the router.

Asus does tend to be more flexible but I forget exactly since there have been so many software upgrades. In worse case you can luckily load dd-wrt on asus. You need to be able to key in the gateway and dns addresses

In general the DHCP is extremely low traffic and it does not really matter where it is. In a corporate install with multiple location it is not uncommon to have a central AD server that also does the DHCP. The company I work for has 3 large central DHCP servers, one in each region of the world. A single server does all the work for many hundreds of offices in europe and africa.