Do I need a static IP address to use isy994i with Elk and insteon

[Pcarfan]

I will be using the Elk M1XEP Ethernet port with my Elk Mk1 gold set up. I am a complete novice and as I understand (which in no way is complete yet), the Ethernet port will connect the ISY 994i which in turn will control Insteon lighting. This is done via LAN. For all of this to work well, do I have to subscribe to a third party service that will offer a static IP address? or is there any way to get a static IP address without having to pay a fee for it? or do I not need to worry about getting a static IP address at all?
 
Thanks!

 

[gatchel]

The static IP's need to be on your internal (LAN) network, and yes you should set them up.
 
No need to pay for an external (WAN) static IP address as DDNS or Dynamic Domain Name System can take care of this for you if you need external access.

 

[gooch707]

As gatchel said, the static IP you require is on your internal LAN.  This is usually in the 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 range (depending on your router).  Typically your router will automatically hand out the IP's to your other devices using DHCP, which is enabled on your router.  That range is typically 192.169.0.100-.255.  To set a static IP, you need to manually enter the IP address (not in the DHCP range) to the device, and then enter the other fields (subnet being 255.255.255.0 and Gateway and DNS Server are often the router, 192.168.0.1).

 

[Pcarfan]

Ok, I think I got it. Some of the instruction videos I had viewed talked about setting up a static IP address but never mentioned a third party service (And yet I've heard of needing a third party to get static IP). I didn't realize there was the LAN static IP and WAN static IP. I am pretty sure if I follow the instructions of setting up the static IP, I will end up setting up the LAN IP and be sufficient for my needs.
 
Thanks!

 

[whlatimer]

+1 on assigning static IP addresses to both the ISY994i AND the M1XEP.  Experience is the best teacher and as attractive as having the router assign IP addresses via DHCP can be, you will have less headache using static IPs on these two devices.  Just be certain you select two IP addresses OUTSIDE the range of addresses your router is setup to assign AND that you know the Subnet Mask, usually 255.255.255.0, the default gateway (inside IP address of the router, e.g 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 and the Domain Name Server (DNS) Server, usually the default gateway address or if you prefer 8.8.8.8 (Google)