On most occasions, you don’t have to fiddle with the configuration page on your router. However, when you need to tweak some settings on the router or install a VPN on the device, you may find yourself asking Google for: “What is my IP address for my router?”
If you’re not accustomed to the inner-workings of a network, finding the IP address of your router can be tricky. There are a few parameters with similar formats that you may mistakenly take as your router’s IP. In this article, we’ll go over the following:
What is Your IP Address?
Before we dive into the tricks in locating your router’s IP address, let’s get down to the basics of IP address. IP stands for Internet Protocol and IP address refers to a unique series of number that represents your device on a network.
IP addresses are represented by sequences of numbers separated by a dot (‘.’) For example, your computer will take the address of 192.168.1.104 when connected to a local network. The IP address is crucial to allow servers and other connected devices to send and receive information.
There are two types of IP addresses that you ought to know. A local IP address is assigned by a router to computers and other devices connect to it. The local IP is not visible from the internet.
When you’re connected to the internet, your ISP will assign a public IP to your devices. You can check your public IP on WhatIsMyIP.com.
When connected to the Internet, your device will have a local and public IP address. Both IPs are essential in ensuring proper communications on the network.
To access the configuration page of your IP address, you’ll need to know the local IP address.
How to Find Your Router’s IP Address
Every device that connects to a network is assigned an IP address. However, the router behaves differently. A router functions as the gateway between devices in a local network and the Internet.
It is configured with a default IP address by the manufacturer. Unless it is manually changed, your router will hold the default IP address as long as it’s operational. Regardless of whether there’s a change in the router’s IP, you can locate it on computers or smartphones connected to it.
Here’s how you’ll find your router’s IP address on different platforms.
Windows
You ought to be aware that Windows does not mention the word “router” when referring to your router’s IP address. It is instead listed as “default gateway.” Bear in mind that the Default Gateway IP refers to your router’s IP address.
There are two ways to view your router’s IP address on Windows.
A) Command Prompt
1. Press the Windows Key + “R” and enter “cmd” to execute the command prompt.
2. At the command prompt, key in “ipconfig” and press Enter. The router’s IP address is labelled as Default Gateway. In this case, it’s 192.168.0.1.
B) Network Settings
1. Right-click the Network icon on the taskbar and select Open Network & Internet Settings.
2. Click on “Network and Sharing Center.”
3. On the Control Panel windows showing the active connection, click on the name of your connection.
4. A dialogue window displaying the connection properties will pop up. Click Details.
5. A new Network Connection Details dialogue will appear. You will find your router’s IP address labelled as IPv4 Default Gateway.
Android
Hunting for your router’s IP address on an Android can be a little tricky. Here are two ways to do so on your Android device.
Via Settings
1. Open Settings and tap on the WiFi icon.
3. Select IP Settings on the WiFi Details.
4. By default, the DHCP is set. To view the router’s IP address, choose Static.
5. The IP address of your router will be displayed.
6. Change your WiFi connection back to DHCP.
Via Apps
Alternatively, you can use the various network apps on the Play Store to view the router’s IP address.
For example, the WiFi Analyzer app allows you to view the router’s IP with much less navigation.
Here’s a step-by-step guide.
1. Download the WiFi Analyzer app from the Google Play Store.
2. Install and launch WiFi Analyzer.
3. Select the Wifi tab (3rd from the left).
4. Touch on the box displaying the parameters. A new screen with the WiFi info will appear. The router’s IP address is listed as Gateway.
Summary
With this guide, you ought to be able to locate the IP address of your router without any problems. To access the setup page of the router, you’ll need to key in the IP address on a browser.
