Router IP Address: How to Find Your Default Gateway on Any Device

Your router’s IP address is the default gateway of your home network: every phone, laptop and TV sends its internet traffic to that address, and you type it into a browser to open the router’s settings. Any connected device shows it, labeled Default Gateway, Router or Gateway. This guide covers each device, the defaults of common routers and US providers, signing in, and fixes. For your own device’s address, see how to find the IP address on any device.

Router IP address vs. public IP: your router has two

Your router has two IP addresses: a local (LAN) address that your devices use as their default gateway and that opens the admin page, and a public (WAN) address from your internet provider that websites see.

Router addresses come from the private ranges that RFC 1918 reserves for local networks: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255. Internet routers don’t forward these addresses, so your neighbor’s router can use the same one as yours. Local IP addresses explains the ranges. Every method in the device sections below shows the local address.

This is the public IP of the connection you’re using right now:

All devices behind your router share its public IPv4 address. If the box shows an IPv6 address (with colons), that one belongs to this device, because IPv6 gives each device its own public address. With a VPN on, you see the VPN server’s address. Your router lists its public address on its status page, often as WAN IP or Internet IP.

What an IP address tells websites covers what the public address reveals. To check the provider and location behind other public IPs, such as addresses in your router’s log, use the IP lookup API.

How to find your router’s IP address on Windows 11 and 10

With ipconfig in Command Prompt

1. Press Windows key + R, type cmd and press Enter.
2. Type ipconfig and press Enter.
3. Find the block for your connection: Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter Ethernet.
4. Read the address next to Default Gateway.

ipconfig

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.23
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : fe80::1%12
                                       192.168.1.1

In Windows Settings

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
2. Select Network & internet.
3. Select Advanced network settings.
4. Scroll down and select Hardware and connection properties.
5. Find the block for your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter and read Default gateway.

In Windows 10, go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status > View hardware and connection properties.

With PowerShell

Right-click Start, select Terminal (in Windows 10, Windows PowerShell), and run Microsoft’s documented command for the next hop of the default route:

Get-NetRoute -DestinationPrefix "0.0.0.0/0" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty NextHop

It prints your router’s address, such as 192.168.1.1. Two or more lines mean more than one default route, for example from a VPN or a second adapter. Get-NetIPConfiguration shows the same address on its IPv4DefaultGateway line. The Windows IP address guide covers your PC’s own addresses.

How to find the router IP address on a Mac

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings.
2. Click Wi-Fi in the sidebar.
3. Click Details next to the network you’re connected to.
4. Read the address next to Router. TCP/IP in the window’s sidebar shows it too.

The steps match macOS 27 Golden Gate and earlier versions back to macOS Ventura 13. For a cable connection, click Network in the sidebar, then your Ethernet service, Details and TCP/IP. On macOS Monterey 12 and earlier, open System Preferences > Network, select your connection, then click Advanced > TCP/IP. Apple describes the fields in Wi-Fi settings on Mac.

In Terminal, this command prints the router on the gateway line:

route -n get default | grep gateway
#     gateway: 192.168.1.1

For your Mac’s own IP, see the Mac IP address guide.

How to find the router IP on iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the More Info button (i) next to the network you’re connected to.
3. Under IPv4 Address, read Router.

The steps are the same in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. On mobile data, Settings shows no router, because your phone isn’t on a home network.

How to find the default gateway on Android

On a Google Pixel and other phones with stock Android:

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > Internet.
2. Tap the settings (gear) icon next to your Wi-Fi network.
3. Scroll to Network details and read Gateway.

On a Samsung Galaxy phone, open Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi and tap the gear icon next to the connected network. Depending on the One UI version, the router’s address appears there, sometimes after View more, and some versions offer Manage router, which opens the router’s admin page. If your phone shows no gateway, read it on a computer on the same Wi-Fi.

How to find the default gateway on a Chromebook

1. Open Settings and select Network.
2. Select Wi-Fi, then the network you’re connected to.
3. Expand the Network section and read Gateway.

How to find the default gateway on Linux

Open a terminal and run:

ip route show default
# default via 192.168.1.1 dev wlp2s0 proto dhcp metric 600

The address after via is your router. ip route | grep default prints the same line. If you see two lines, the route with the lower metric is used.

Default router IP addresses by brand and internet provider

Routers ship with a fixed default address, and many also answer to a name you can type instead. The defaults below come from each maker’s or provider’s support pages. They apply only until someone changes the address, so if one doesn’t open, use the default gateway your device shows.

For Spectrum, Cox and other providers not listed here, use the default gateway your device shows. In a mesh system, the main unit that connects to the modem is usually the default gateway, and the other units get their own local addresses from it.

How to access your router’s admin page and log in

1. Connect your device to the router’s Wi-Fi or plug in a network cable. Guest Wi-Fi, mobile data and an active VPN can keep you off the admin page.
2. Type the address into the browser’s address bar, for example http://192.168.1.1. If the browser runs a web search instead, check that you used the address bar and typed http://.
3. If the browser warns that the connection isn’t private, check that the address matches your default gateway, then continue. Routers often use a certificate that browsers don’t recognize.
4. Sign in with the admin password. It’s printed on the router’s label, set during setup, or shown in the maker’s or provider’s app.

If no password works, a factory reset returns the router to its default address and login, but it also erases your Wi-Fi name, Wi-Fi password and all other settings. With a gateway from your provider, ask the provider before you reset it.

Router IP address not working: causes and fixes

Windows says “The default gateway is not available”

Windows’ network troubleshooter shows this message when your PC can’t reach the router. Work through these steps and test the connection after each one:

1. Restart the modem and router: unplug both, wait at least 30 seconds, plug in the modem, then the router.

2. Run the Network and Internet troubleshooter in the Get Help app.

3. Update the network adapter driver through Windows Update or your PC maker’s website. If the problem started after an update, download the latest driver from the PC maker first, then uninstall the adapter in Device Manager (select Attempt to remove the driver for this device) and restart; Windows reinstalls the driver.

4. In Device Manager, open your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter, go to Power Management, and clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

5. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run these commands in order, then restart your PC. They reset Windows’ network settings, so write down any manual IP settings first.

   Command PromptCopy

   netsh winsock reset
   netsh int ip reset
   ipconfig /release
   ipconfig /renew
   ipconfig /flushdns

6. On Windows 11, select Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset > Reset now. This reinstalls all network adapters, so you may need to set up VPN software again.

If phones and other PCs drop the connection too, the router is the cause: restart it, update its firmware or contact your provider. Microsoft lists these fixes in Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows.

The default gateway is blank or 0.0.0.0

A blank Default Gateway means your device has no route to a router. Usually it isn’t connected, it got no address from the router, or the connection uses a manual IP without a gateway. On Windows, switch back to automatic: open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks and select your network (for a cable, select Ethernet), then select Edit next to IP assignment and choose Automatic (DHCP). A gateway of 0.0.0.0 often comes from a VPN, a virtual network adapter or an old manual setting. If your device’s own address starts with 169.254, follow the fixes for a 169.254 address.

The router’s address doesn’t open

• You’re on the wrong network. Your device must be on the router’s own Wi-Fi or cable. T-Mobile, for example, asks you to disconnect any VPN before you sign in to its gateway.
• The address isn’t your router’s. A default from a list works only if your router uses it. Compare it with your default gateway, and check for typos such as a lowercase l instead of the number 1.
• The name doesn’t work. Names such as routerlogin.net and tplinkwifi.net work only while you’re connected to that router. Type the IP address instead.
• The browser forces HTTPS. Type the address with http:// in front. Chrome’s warning for sites without HTTPS skips private addresses such as 192.168.1.1, so the IP address is the most reliable thing to type.
• Web access is off or doesn’t exist. Newer Xfinity gateways need Admin Tool access turned on in the app, and eero has no admin page.
• The router is stuck. Restart it, wait until its lights are steady, and try again. To see whether it answers at all, ping the router’s IP address.

Two routers in a row (double NAT)

If your own router plugs into a gateway from your provider, both translate addresses. Your computer sees only the router it’s connected to as its default gateway; the provider’s gateway has its own address. Browsing still works, but port forwarding, game console NAT types and remote access often fail.

To check, look at your router’s WAN or Internet IP. A private address there, or one from 100.64.0.0 to 100.127.255.255, means something else does NAT in front of it: a second router in your home or, if there’s none, your provider’s carrier-grade NAT. To fix a second router, switch the provider’s gateway to bridge mode or IP passthrough (the name varies by provider), or run your own router in access point mode. If both routers use the same address range, change the LAN IP of one of them.

How to change your router’s IP address

Change the router’s LAN address when it clashes with another router, for example a provider’s gateway that uses the same range. Menu names vary, but most routers work like this:

1. Sign in to the router and open its LAN settings, often called LAN, LAN Setup or Network, sometimes under the advanced settings.
2. Enter a new address from a private range, for example 192.168.2.1 instead of 192.168.1.1, and keep the subnet mask 255.255.255.0.
3. Check that the DHCP address range matches the new network. Many routers adjust it automatically.
4. Save. Your devices get addresses from the new range when they reconnect.
5. Open the admin page at the new address.

Devices with a manual IP from the old range lose their connection until you update them, and you may have to set up address reservations again. A DHCP reservation is the simplest way to give a printer or camera a fixed address. On Google Nest Wifi and Google Wifi, use the LAN screen in the Google Home app (path in the table above).