How to Find the IP Address of a Router

Almost every device connected to a network uses IP addressing as identification.  Each device will have its own unique IP address, and there are several different ways to locate that address.  On a home network or small office network, the router is usually the device in charge of handing out IP addresses, and it will often have an IP address of 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1.  (For Comcast routers, the default IP address might be 10.0.0.1.)

If you have never changed your router's IP address, it should still be using its default IP address.  A list of default IP addresses for routers can be found here:

- Default IP addresses for routers and other network devices

If your router's IP address has ever been changed, that list won't help.  Below are the easiest ways to find your router's IP address:

• Network Map

If your computer is running Windows Vista or newer, you can easily locate your router's IP address on the Network Map.  To access the Network Map, click on Network on the Start menu and then select Network and Sharing Center.  From there, click the View full map link in the upper right corner.

On the map, hover over the icon for your router and you should see its name and IP address displayed.

• IPCONFIG

From the command prompt, you can run the IPCONFIG command to find your router's IP address.  You can get to the command prompt in Windows XP, Vista, or 7 by clicking Run on the Start menu and typing cmd and then pressing <ENTER>.  (In Vista or 7, you can also type cmd directly into the Search bar.)

At the command prompt, type ipconfig /all to list your system's current network settings.  As long as you are currently connected to a network, you should see your computer's IP address, your subnet mask, and your default gateway's IP address.  (You may have to scroll back up to find it if it's a long list.)  If your router is how you connect to the Internet, then it is most likely your default gateway, so the IP address listed there will belong to your router.

If you have more than one network interface card (NIC) or network adapter installed in your computer, you'll see the settings for each device, so make sure you are looking at the right information.  Most laptops have a wireless NIC as well as a wired Ethernet NIC; typically only one is connected at a time, but make sure you are checking the correct adapter's settings.

• In Chrome OS

If you are using a Chromebook or other device running the Chrome operating system, you can quickly find your router's IP address through the network settings.  Click on the system notification bar in the lower right corner (where it shows the time, network signal strength, and battery status) and from the menu that appears, select Connected to (your network).  Click on the network name at the top of the box, then select the Network tab.  Your router's IP address will be displayed next to "Gateway."

Your router's main function is to connect two networks together; in most cases, this involves connecting your home network to the Internet through your Internet service provider (ISP).  Any router has at least two IP addresses, one on each network that it works with.  So while your router has the private IP address that you discovered in the steps above, it also has a public IP address that it uses for communicating with computers across the Internet.

This public IP address is handed out by your ISP, and every computer on your home network will use this same address when connected to the Internet.  You can easily find your router's public IP address by going to a website such as WhatIsMyIPAddress.com or WhatIsMyIP.com.  A router's public IP address generally changes every time you get online, or whenever the connection is lost or the router is reset.

(Originally published in shorter form on Helium.com, August 2010)