192.168.1.1 and 192.168.0.1: how to log in to your router

Your router has a small website of its own for settings. You open it by typing the router's private address into a browser.

Step by step

1. Connect to the router's own network, by Wi-Fi or with a cable. The settings page cannot be opened from mobile data or from another network.
2. Find the router's address. It is often 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, but do not guess: look for "Default gateway" (Windows), "Router" (iPhone and Mac) or "Gateway" (Android) in your connection's details. Steps: Windows, Android and iPhone, Mac and Linux.
3. Type that address into the browser's address bar, not into a search box, and press Enter. Type digits and dots only: 192.168.1.1. The common mistake 192.168.l.l, with the letter l, leads to a search page.
4. Log in. The user name and password for the settings page are printed on a sticker under or behind the router, or in its booklet. They are not the same as the Wi-Fi password.

If the browser warns that the connection is "not private", that is expected for a router's own page inside your home; you may continue for this address only.

If the page does not open

• You may be on mobile data or a different Wi-Fi. Check the network name.
• The address may be different. Some routers use 192.168.1.254, 192.168.100.1, 10.0.0.1 or 192.168.29.1. The "gateway" line on your device always has the right one.
• A VPN on your device can block local addresses. Switch it off for a moment.
• Mesh systems and some providers' routers are managed only through a phone app. The sticker or booklet says so.

If you do not know the password

• Try the one on the sticker.
• If someone changed it and it is lost, the only way back is a factory reset: hold the small reset button for about ten seconds with the router switched on. This wipes every setting, including the Wi-Fi name and password and, on some connections, the internet login that the provider entered. Ask your provider before resetting if they installed the router.

Five settings worth changing first

1. The admin password for this settings page. Anyone on your Wi-Fi can try the one on the sticker.
2. The Wi-Fi password and security type. Choose WPA2 or WPA3, never WEP or "open", and a long password.
3. Remote management: leave it off, so the settings page cannot be reached from the internet.
4. WPS: turn it off if you do not use the push-button pairing; its PIN method is weak.
5. Firmware update: look for an update option and install what it offers. Routers are rarely updated automatically, and old software is the main way they are broken into.

Other useful things on the page

• Connected devices: a list of everything on your Wi-Fi. Unknown names are often your own television or smart plug, so check before worrying; changing the Wi-Fi password removes real strangers.
• WAN or Internet status: the address your provider gave the router. Compare it with our home page to see whether you are behind carrier-grade NAT.
• DHCP reservation: keep a printer or camera on the same private address.
• Guest network: a separate Wi-Fi for visitors that cannot see your own devices.