Most home routers are DHCP servers, meaning that your LaCie CloudBox will automatically receive an IP address once it is connected to the network. If a network is not DHCP-managed, the LaCie CloudBox will use APIPA (automatic private IP addressing) to assign itself a valid IP address within the existing network. In some cases, it will assign itself an IP address following the rule 169.254.xxx.yyy/24.
The Dashboard Network page is the preferred method for assigning a static IP address. See Review the Dashboard Network Settings for information on assigning a static IP address.