Most routers available on the market these days allow you to configure the router by using a normal web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. You simply “point” the browser to the IP address that is used by the router and then you can make any configuration changes you desire. The problem is figuring out which IP address to use.
The best thing to do is to dig out the documentation provided with the router and see what IP address it provides. If the documentation isn’t available (and you cannot, for some reason, download it from the Internet) then you can gratefully check several default IP addresses used by routers. In order, you should check the following IP addresses:
- 10.0.1.1
- 192.168.0.1
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.2.1
- 192.168.123.254
- 192.168.2.1
You can use these addresses by entering “http://” followed by the IP address. For instance, you could enter the following address into your browser:
http://192.168.0.1
Of course, these are just the common configuration IP addresses. Assuming you are connected to the router using a PC, you could display a command prompt window and use the IPCONFIG command to determine the IP address you need to use, as shown here:
The IPCONFIG command displays, among other things, the default gateway address.
Note that the IP address you should use in your browser is returned by the IPCONFIG command as the “Default Gateway” address.
When you find the correct IP address, make sure you jot it down for future reference. When you successfully connect to your router, your browser will typically display some sort of welcome screen or some sort of login screen.
