How to Find Your Router’s IP Address on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone and Linux?

If you are a heavy Internet user (who is not a heavy user these days anyway?), then it’s evident that at one point you may have felt the need to log in and access your router’s setup page so that you can make some configuration changes on it.

For some, it is as easy as pie no matter the device. For some users though, it is such a tall order that they sometimes have to part ways with a few bucks to have a ‘professional’ have it fixed for them.  If you fall among those mentioned above, then worry not. You are in the right place.

I get it, sometimes you may have had help finding your router IP address in the past, but like any other human being, you forgot how it was done. This article will show you how to find your router IP on every platform.

First things first;

What’s My Router’s IP Address?

An IP address, an abbreviation for Internet Protocol address refers to a unique address for each device that is connected to a network or the internet.

In other words, when your computer, mobile phone, tab, etc happens to be connected to the internet, what happens is that it connects to a site's server IP that serves the site in the background.

Likewise, in a home network, all devices also happen to have an IP address that helps them to communicate with each other within the local network.

What’s the Default Gateway?

The Default gateway is what is also commonly referred to as the routers internal IP address. The two can be used interchangeably. All your devices; computers, tablets, and mobile phone rely on it when surfing the web.

It helps in routing you to the right place as per your Internet request.

Types of IP Address

Public IP address

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns you the public IP address to handle your connection to the outside world. When you visit any site, they get to see your IP address. It is vital in communication between you and other web users.  

Private IP address

A private IP address, also called Gateway IP address, is what devices in your home network rely on to access the internet. It routes all the information.

Some of the most common brands of IP are D-Link, Netgear, Linksys, ASUS, etc.

Usually, your router IP address assigns itself as the first IP in the subnet. It usually takes digits in the form of 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1, etc.

All other devices connecting to your home network are assigned IP addresses by the router.

Why Should I know My Router's Private IP Address?

If you have never experienced the need to know your router’s IP address then, you could be wondering why you need to know how to find it at all. Well, here is a short answer;

You need to know your router's IP address if you want it configured via the web interface.

To configure it via the web interface

In this case, you enter the address in your web browser (Google Chrome, Opera Mini, Mozilla, etc) to launch the router's web interface. You will then be asked to enter a username and password to access and customize its settings. 

When modifying the router’s IP addressing scheme

After purchasing a wireless router, it is only obvious that you configure it as per your personal preferences. One of the principal configuration modifications that you are going to make in this case is modifying the router IP addressing scheme.

Sometimes the default IP address range for such wireless routers may differ depending upon their vendors; then comes the need of modifying the IP address range and even change the entire addressing scheme to help ease accessibility of local computers and resources in the Local Area Network.

This is one of the major reasons why you need to know your router IP address if you still don’t.

To make your router hack-proof

If you want to know how to hack-proof your wireless router, the knowledge of your router's private IP address may be essential.

Moving on, here are step by step guides on how to find your router's IP address on any device.

Finding Router Private IP on Windows

In Windows, your IP address is referred to as “Default Gateway.”

Here is the easiest and the fastest way to do it;

1. Launch the command prompt (press Windows Key + R
2. Type cmd in the dialogue box and press Enter
3. Type ipconfig and press Enter
4. Press Enter
5. Router’s IP address is listed alongside Default Gateway

Finding Router Private IP on Mac

It’s also fairly simple to find it on Mac;

1. Open System Preferences
2. Go to Network > Advanced
3. Under TCP/IP, your router’s IP address are those digits next to Rout

Finding Router Private IP on Android

On Android, finding it may depend on the version you are using. However, the general procedure is;

1. Launch the “Settings” app:
2. Find “Network & Internet”
3. Select “Wi-Fi”
4. Tap on your current Wireless Network's connection
5. You can see all your desired information appearing right there

Finding Router Private IP on iPhone

1. Open Settings app in iOS
2. Go to 'Wi-Fi'
3. Find the name of your current Wi-Fi connection  
4. Tap on (i) blue info button next to the name
5. Search for IP Address section for “Router” – there is your default gateway

Finding Router Private IP on Linux

1. Get good Internet connection first
2. Press ctrl + alt +t to launch a terminal window
3. Type ip route. | grep default and press Enter.
4. Your router's IP address is displayed.

How to Hide My Routers Public IP Address

Sometimes, you may want to hide your IP address for whichever personal reason. Well, it's possible!

You can achieve this by surfing through a proxy or VPN; this hides your router's public IP and sees all the data go through the middleman.

You must note that in as much as you may achieve this, you should also know that public proxies and VPNs are neither the best nor the safest way to go about it. Sometimes they can get shady with your data in a way that you never imagined.

So, if you have to hide your router’s public IP address, then our advice is that you do it right; with a private proxy or VPN, where you can be guaranteed that your data will not be sold to third parties.

Conclusion

I believe this article has been most useful to you if you have been having trouble finding your router’s IP address on any device, and on why it's important to know it at times. Now it doesn’t have to be a problem anymore.

For an interactive session, you can check out some of the Frequently Asked Questions about IPs, or drop a comment for discussion and you can be sure to get a satisfying response.