There are times when you should know the router’s IP address. This address will help you access the multiple aspects of your Wi-Fi router, such as wireless networks, security passwords, MAC filtering, etc. You need the user dashboard for many diagnostic tasks as well. But how do you find your router IP address on your PC, Mac, Android, or iPhone? In this guide, I will share everything you should know about these steps.
What Is a Router IP Address?
Like all devices connected to the internet, your Wi-Fi router also has a static IP address. This IP address is the device’s identifier. So, if you want to communicate with the router, you must know the IP address. As I said, you need this IP address when you want to make changes to the network.
For instance, you may want to change the SSID or the password of the Wi-Fi network. You may also have to alter settings regarding MAC filtering and firmware updates. While your interaction with the router is one thing, the router’s IP address plays a vital role as the mediator within the network. That is, connected devices will communicate with the router IP before the request is forwarded.
There are two types of router IP addresses:
- Private IP Address: This IP address is used within the network by devices to communicate with the router. You must be connected to the router to access this IP address.
- Public IP Address: You can also set up a public IP address for your Wi-Fi router. This IP address allows any internet-connected device to connect to the router.
Fortunately, you can find both the private IP address and public IP address of the router using easy methods. More so, you can get it done from desktop and mobile devices.
Find Your Router IP Address on Computer (Windows, Mac)
You can find the router IP address from a computer if you have connected to the network. It could be a Wi-Fi connection or Ethernet. I will now share the steps to find the router IP address from a Windows PC or a Mac.
On Windows:
On a Windows PC, you can use Command Prompt to find out the IP address of the router. This might seem a little complex, but it is not. You have to follow the steps given below.
- Open the Command Prompt from the Start Menu or through Search.
- Type ipconfig and press the Enter key.
- In a few seconds, the Command Prompt will show you the network information.
- Find the “Default Gateway” entry, which shows the router’s IP address.

You can use this IP address to access the router control panel. The same IP address will help you set things up on the network as well.
If you think the Command Prompt method is a hassle, you can use Network Settings as well. To do this, you can go to Start > Control Panel > View network status and tasks > Ethernet > Details > Look for IPv4 Default Gateway.
On Mac:
macOS offers an easier way to find the IP address of the router. Once again, this method works no matter how you have connected to the network—Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
The steps are as follows.
- Go to “System Preferences.”
- Click on “Network.”

- Select the active connection (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and click Details.

- On the upcoming page, choose the TCP/IP tab and locate the Router field.
Alternatively, you can click the Wi-Fi button on the menu bar and choose Wi-Fi Settings. You can get to the TCP/IP tab and find the IP address for the router in the same way.
Find Your Router IP Address on Mobile (Android, iPhone)
You can use your Android smartphone/tablet or iPhone/iPad to find the router IP address as well.
On Android
Here’s how you can find the router IP address if you have an Android smartphone connected to the Wi-Fi network.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Network & Internet or Wi-Fi.

- Tap on the active network and find the IP address listed under Gateway.
Some Android devices may have a different layout for showing network information. However, you can tap the option to show more details and find out the Gateway address. This IP address will be that of the Wi-Fi router.
On iPhone
You can try the following steps to check the router IP address on your iPhone. Of course, make sure that you have connected the iPhone to the respective Wi-Fi network.
- Open Settings.
- Tap on Wi-Fi
- Find the active connection and tap the (i) button.

- Scroll down until you see a column named ‘Router.’
- You can now see the router’s IP address.
Depending on the connection, your iPhone may show the IPv4 or IPv6 IP address. The latter could be long and may contain alphanumeric characters.
What is Public IP Address of a Wi-Fi Router?
I already mentioned the differences between the private IP address and the public IP address on your router. We have already seen how you can find the router’s private IP address from different devices. Now, we shall check the steps to find out the public IP address of a Wi-Fi router.
Finding Your Public IP Address:
You can use a few methods to find the router’s public IP address.
One, you can use a website like What’s My IP? These websites are designed to detect your IP address and show it to you.

Two, you can use a network-level utility to understand the public IP address of the router. This process is a little complex and may require installing software on your computer or smartphone.
However, you have to keep in mind that users cannot change the public IP address on their own. These IP addresses are assigned by the Internet Service Provider as your router is one of the connected devices. But, if you want to change the public IP address of the router, you must contact the ISP.
In some cases, you may be able to choose a different IP address for the connection, but this static IP might come at a cost.
So, you can imagine the public IP address of the router may pose some security concerns. As I mentioned earlier, this IP address acts as an identifier for your network, and any activities associated with this IP address can be traced back to you. This is one of the reasons why people use virtual private network (VPN) services to hide their public IP address and protect themselves from various security and privacy threats.
In addition, most computers and networks are equipped with a firewall that blocks unauthorized requests from making changes to the system. Therefore, even if someone knows the public IP address of your router or device, they won’t be able to access it unless they can bypass the firewall.
How to Change a Router’s IP Address
You may want to change a router’s IP address in many instances. As I said, these IP addresses are identifiers for your network. Therefore, you may want to change the IP address to solve network conflicts or for better security and privacy. I already told you that an IP address can be a security concern for many, and choosing a different IP address may offer better anonymity.
Fortunately, you can make these changes from your router admin panel. However, you need the router’s private IP address to access the panel.
Here are the steps you need to follow to change a router’s IP address.
- Find out the default IP address of the router using one of the methods
- Log into the router’s web interface using the current IP address.
- Navigate to the network or LAN settings.
- You should be able to see a section where you can select the IP address range. The devices on the network must have an IP address within the range.
- Manually enter a new IP address within the appropriate range (e.g., 192.168.x.x).
- Save changes and reboot the router.
You must have understood that you cannot simply put any IP address for a device. Instead, you need to pay attention to the following aspects:
- Make sure that you do not enter the same IP address as the gateway IP address
- If you are dealing with a more extensive network, you should avoid duplicate IP addresses to avoid conflict
You should also choose between static IP and dynamic IP options. Static IP means connected devices would continue to have the same IP addresses over time. On the other hand, the dynamic IP address system would systematically change the IP address (choosing from the range, of course) over time.
List of Common Router IP Addresses
If you use a Wi-Fi router from a popular brand, you might not need these steps. Instead, you can try one of the following IP addresses corresponding to each manufacturer.
- Netgear: 192.168.1.1
- Linksys: 192.168.0.1
- TP-Link: 192.168.0.1
- D-Link: 192.168.0.1
In addition to these, you can find custom URLs for accessing the Wi-Fi router admin panel. You can find such custom URLs on the router packaging itself. Alternatively, you can refer to a user guide on the manufacturer’s website.
Conclusion
I believe this guide was helpful in simplifying the complexities of router IP addresses and showing how to find them from almost any device you use.
I have explained in detail the process for understanding the Router IP Address when using a Mac, PC, Android smartphone, and more. The same method can be applied to Android tablets and iPads as well.
If you’re looking for more details, such as the full range of devices and IP address allocation patterns, you might want to consider using a comprehensive network advisor system.