Default Router Settings

Despite entering the IP address 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1 in the browser, the router login does not work? We bring you in 3 steps into the router menu.

Nowadays it is much easier to set up a new router than to configure the old one. New WLAN routers come with activated and already secured WLAN. You can usually find the password on a small sticker on the bottom of the device. Some of these stickers even still show the user name, the password and the default IP address - often 192.168.1.1, 192.168.2.1 or even 192.168.0.1. However, things look different with an older router. Or the password has been changed in the meantime. Our tips can help here.

Entering the IP address correctly

Sometimes it's easier than you think: You may have just typed the IP address wrong. Pay attention to the following spelling: 192.168.1.1 Avoid using http:// in front of the address. Also wrong is the input of small Ls instead of ones. So: 192.168.l.l, 192.168.l.2 or 192.168.l78.1. Or using the vertical line ("pipe") to the left of "Y" on the keyboard: 192.168.|.|.

3 steps: How to get access to your router

Use cable instead of WLAN (optional) If you can no longer log into your router via WLAN using 192.168.1.1, it is best to connect your computer and the router using a network Ethernet cable. A notebook is advantageous here, as you can carry it directly to the router - the cable may not be long enough to connect your desktop PC.

Finding the IP address of the router

Open the command line in Windows. The fastest way to do this is to press the Windows key and R at the same time. Now type cmd in the line that opens and confirm. Now type ipconfig into the opened window and confirm again. Windows will then list all installed network adapters. Among them is the current IP address of your router. It is the number behind the entry "Default gateway". (By the way, besides "ipconfig" there are several other useful network commands that you can use to analyze WLAN and router problems).

Enter IP address correctly in the browser

Now open your web browser and enter this number - in our case it was not 192.168.1.1, but 192.168.1.254 - into the address line. Confirm with Enter. Do not type http:// in front of it - otherwise you will only get an error message.

If you don't see the login screen of your router, for example the Fritzbox, at this point, it may be because the IP address has been entered manually. You check this in Windows' Network and Sharing Center, found under Control Panel, Network and Internet (Windows 7). In Vista, Windows 8 and Windows 10 you can find the center in a similar way.

Now click on "Change adapter settings" and right-click on the following connection to the router. Select "Properties" from the context menu. In the list that pops up, pick out the "Internet Protocol Version 4" entry and select "Properties". Make sure that "Obtain IP address automatically" is selected. The same applies to the DNS server address.

Now repeat steps 2 and 3.

Router access still not working?

The firewall is to blame Probably a firewall is blocking access. Check if you have a separate firewall or one installed as part of your security suite. Allow IP access as an exception - or temporarily disable the firewall. Don't forget: Afterwards, you should re-enable the firewall. By the way, the Windows firewall should not be to blame for your problem. In the default settings, it allows router access without further ado.

Parental control software installed?

Another stumbling block could be installed parental control software. The filter denies access to the router interface website. In this case, add the IP address as an exception or temporarily disable the software.

The browser blocks you A third possibility: a browser addon or setting is preventing access. Try using a different browser.

Tip: Instead of 192.168.1.1 or any other IP address, you can also enter clever abbreviations in the browser's address bar on many routers. With Fritzboxes, for example, the router menu also appears when you enter fritz.box. Now you can conveniently access the Fritzbox. For the Telekom router Speedport, type speedport.ip. Unitymedia and KabelBW also use a different IP address. Netgear routers can be reached via http://www.routerlogin.com/. Asus routers via http://router.asus.com.

I forgot the router password

You know WPA2 and dual-band, but your WLAN router can do even more. There are many small settings that can improve the performance of most devices: We show you the most important ones.

You have secured your WLAN router and entered all the data for Internet access: Now you never have to go back to the configuration menu. That's actually true. But there are still important settings on many routers that you don't have to know, but should know if you want to use your router effectively. We present seven of them.

1. release the WLAN for guests "May I use your WLAN"? In times when your circle of friends no longer shows up with a board game, but rather loaded down with a smartphone or tablet, you really can't refuse this request. So that you still don't have to reveal your WLAN password or worry about the local network shares, you can set up guest access to the WLAN: The guest devices will then only be able to access the Internet, and will not have access to other network users. With most routers, you can not only give the guest WLAN its own name, but also decide whether it should be encrypted or not. Few routers, such as the Fritzbox, for example, also offer the option to deactivate access for guests after a certain period of time.

2 Set up the router as an access point An older router doesn't have to go to the recycling yard right away: it can still help extend the range of your home network as a repeater or access point, for example. To use the router as an access point, connect it by cable to a computer that is not on the network. Then deactivate the DHCP server and assign an IP address ( 192.168.l.l ) for the future access point from the area of the network into which you want to integrate it. Now you can connect it to the router via cable: The access point now provides a new WLAN access to the router and thus to the Internet. To set up the Fritzbox as an access point, check the following options under "Internet, access data": "Internet access via LAN 1" and '"Share existing Internet connection in the network (IP client)". Then select whether the Fritzbox should get the IP address in the new network from the router or you define the new IP address yourself. Then connect the Fritzbox via LAN port 1 by cable to a LAN port of the router.

3. if the router only works with 11g speed Even if there are only devices in your WLAN that support the currently fastest standard 11n, they may only connect to the router at a maximum of 54 Mbit/s, i.e. 11g speed. This happens when the router is set to "WEP", "WPA (TKIP)" or "WPA + WPA2" as the encryption method and the client only supports the TKIP format. This is because the 11n standard stipulates that WLAN connections protected only with TKIP may operate at a maximum of 54 Mbit/s. You should therefore change the encryption method in the router menu under "WLAN, Security" to "WPA2" or "WPA2-Personal" or "WPA2 (CCMP). The WLAN is then encrypted with the more secure AES algorithm. For all WLAN components that do not support AES, you must update the firmware or remove them from the wireless network.

4. troubleshooting in the log files If the router makes trouble, you would like to know what the reason is. Usually, a look at the log files will help: this is where the router records everything that happens, such as when it connects to the Internet, when that connection drops, and who connects to the router. You can read the log files when you log into the router menu: You can usually find the option to log files in the "System", "Administration" or "Management" menu. On some routers, you have to enable log file recording and displaying first. After that, you can still filter the displayed data: for example, the router then only outputs entries that deal with security or only displays a list of outgoing connections.

5. check the router even if you are not sitting in front of it. You are not always on site to look at the log files on the router. If you want to know what your router is doing in your absence, you can have the files sent to you by e-mail - many routers offer this option. Only a few residential routers also offer to send the error messages to a specified computer in the network, which collects them so that you can evaluate them more conveniently. This happens via the Syslog protocol - accordingly, you will find this option under this keyword if your router offers it. In the case of the Fritzbox, this option is called "Push Service": Here you can also set how often the Fritzbox should send a status mail.

6. the router should always assign the same IP address to a network device The router normally assigns one IP address to each device in the network: but this can change every time the device connects to the router. This is always desirable: for example, if you want to access a NAS or a computer over the Internet, it should conveniently have a fixed IP address. You can also set this directly on the device, but it works more comfortably if you instruct the router to always assign the same IP address to this device. The corresponding menu item is called "DHCP reservation". On the Fritzbox, you will find this option under "Home Network" when you call up the device to which you want to assign the IP address.