How to Log In to Your Router

You need to change a Wi-Fi setting, and that means opening the router's admin page. It lives at a local address on your network, and you reach it from a browser on any connected device.

Find the router's address

Most routers use 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, or 10.0.0.1. To find the real one on Windows, open Command Prompt and run:

ipconfig

Look for Default Gateway under your Wi-Fi adapter.

On a Mac, open System Settings, Wi-Fi, click Details next to your network, and read the Router line.

On an iPhone, open Settings, Wi-Fi, tap (i) next to your network, and read the Router line.

Open the address in a browser

Type the address into the address bar with http:// in front, for example http://192.168.1.1, and press Enter. Some browsers try https:// on their own and show a warning or a blank page; the http:// prefix avoids that. If a security warning still appears, choose to proceed. The page is on your own network, not the internet.

Enter the admin username and password

This is not the Wi-Fi password. The admin login is printed on the sticker on the router, often labeled "Admin", "Router login", or "Default password". Old routers often shipped with admin and admin, or admin and password. If someone else set up the router, ask what they chose.

Use the ISP app instead

Routers supplied by an internet provider often hide the browser page or limit what it can do. Xfinity, Bell, Rogers, and similar providers offer an app that handles the common settings: the Wi-Fi name, the password, and the guest network. Sign in with your account for the provider, not the credentials on the router sticker.

If you cannot log in. Hold the recessed reset button on the router for about 10 seconds until the lights blink. This restores factory settings and the sticker credentials. It also wipes your Wi-Fi name and password, so every device will need to reconnect once you set them up again.