A static network address

Some DHCP servers on routers tend to change your private address every now and then. Setting a static private address is a quick way to prevent this from happening, and it is easier to remember what the IP address is.

However, many newer routers have the ability to assign a preferred IP address in the DHCP settings or will automatically assign a long-term IP to the device based on its MAC address. A long-term IP usually means that the router is reset to factory defaults or it will run out of IP addresses and replace the oldest entry in the DHCP list.

The downfall of using static addresses with most home routers is that the router might not know about this device. The reason for this is because it would have to scan the entire network endlessly, thus taking up valuable resources. If the DNS service does not advertise the IP address of the Raspberry Pi, you will not be able to use its hostname (which is, by default, raspberry), and instead, you will have to type in...