Networking
How to find your router’s login address and sign in
How to find your router’s admin address on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, the usual default addresses by brand, and what to do if the page won’t open.
The address is your “default gateway”
Your router’s settings page lives at the address your devices use as their default gateway. Rather than guessing, look it up on a device connected to that network:
- Windows: open Command Prompt, type
ipconfigand press Enter. Look for *Default Gateway*. - Mac: *System Settings → Network → Wi-Fi → Details → TCP/IP*. Look for *Router*.
- iPhone / iPad: *Settings → Wi-Fi*, tap the ⓘ next to your network. Look for *Router*.
- Android: *Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi*, tap your network. The gateway appears under the advanced or network details (wording varies by manufacturer).
Type that number, for example 192.168.0.1, into the browser’s address bar, not into a search box.
Common default addresses
If you can’t check, these are the usual defaults. The label on the bottom or back of the router is the authoritative source for yours.
192.168.0.1or192.168.1.1: the most common addresses on home routers worldwide.10.0.0.1: common on cable provider routers in the United States.- TP-Link:
tplinkwifi.netor192.168.0.1. - NETGEAR:
routerlogin.net. - ASUS:
router.asus.com.
Names like *routerlogin.net* only work while you are connected to that brand’s router; they don’t lead anywhere on the internet.
Signing in
The default username and password are printed on the router’s label, often as *admin* plus a unique password. If someone has changed them and nobody remembers, the only way back in is a factory reset: hold the small reset button for about 10 seconds with a paperclip. That erases every setting, including your Wi-Fi name and password, so only do it when you are ready to set the router up again.
Your browser may warn that the connection is “not private”. Routers use a self-made certificate, so this warning is expected on your own home network. Never accept it on a network you don’t trust.
When the page won’t open
- Make sure you are connected to that router’s Wi-Fi or cable, not mobile data or a VPN.
- Type
http://in front of the address if the browser keeps searching instead of opening it. - If you have a modem from your provider and a separate router, each has its own address. The gateway on your device is the one closest to you.
- Restart the router, wait two minutes and try again.
Things worth doing while you are in
- Change the admin password from the default. Use a long random one from Password Generator and store it in a password manager.
- Use WPA2 or WPA3 for Wi-Fi security, never WEP or an open network.
- Turn on a guest network for visitors and smart home gadgets, and share it with a Wi-Fi QR code from QR Code Generator.
- Update the firmware if the router offers it; updates fix security holes.