Finding Your Router's IP Address, Device by Device

Default Gateway, Router Address, LAN IP: One Thing, Three Labels

Systems use different names for the same address. Windows and PlayStation say Default Gateway. Apple devices say Router. Android, Xbox and ChromeOS mostly say Gateway, and Linux prints it after default via. Inside the router’s own admin pages, the same number is usually called the LAN IP.

Don’t mix up the router’s LAN IP with your device’s own address. A laptop might be 192.168.1.23 while the router is 192.168.1.1. With the usual home subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, both share the first three numbers, but the router doesn’t have to end in .1. That’s only a common factory choice.

A few setups change which box answers:

• Mesh systems and extenders. Your device normally reports the main router, not the satellite nearest you. Some extenders have their own setup address, listed in their manual.
• Two routers in a row. If your own router sits behind an ISP gateway, your device only sees the nearest one.
• Guest networks. Many routers keep guests away from the admin page, so read the gateway while connected to the main network.

Every address in this guide comes from the private ranges set aside in RFC 1918. That’s why millions of homes can reuse the same numbers without clashing.

Two Ways to Read It on a Windows PC

Windows shows the gateway at the command line and in Settings. The command line is quicker and behaves the same on Windows 10 and 11.

With Command Prompt:

1. 01
   Step 1: Press the Windows key, type cmd, and open Command Prompt.
2. 02
   Step 2: Type ipconfig and press Enter.
3. 03
   Step 3: Find the block for the adapter you’re using, such as Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter Ethernet, and read the Default Gateway line.

If that line starts with fe80::, you’re looking at an IPv6 link-local address. The IPv4 number you need usually sits on the next line, indented beneath it. Skip adapters that say Media disconnected, along with VPN and virtual adapters. PowerShell users can run Get-NetIPConfiguration and read IPv4DefaultGateway.

With Settings:

• Windows 11: Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Hardware and connection properties (under More settings). Scroll to the adapter that’s connected and read its default gateway entry.
• Windows 10: Settings > Network & Internet > Status > View hardware and connection properties.
• Either version: Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center, click your connection’s name, then Details, and read IPv4 Default Gateway.

Where macOS Keeps the Router Number

Apple calls the gateway Router, and a Mac shows it in three places:

1. 01
   Step 1: System Settings. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Network, click Wi-Fi or Ethernet, click Details next to the connected network, then open TCP/IP. The Router field is your answer.
2. 02
   Step 2: The Wi-Fi menu. Hold Option and click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar. The details under your connected network include the router address.
3. 03
   Step 3: Terminal. Run route -n get default and read the gateway line, or run networksetup -getinfo Wi-Fi and read Router.

The TCP/IP tab also has a Renew DHCP Lease button, handy when the Router field is empty. These paths match macOS Ventura and later, as described in Apple’s TCP/IP settings guide. Older versions used System Preferences > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP.

iPhone and iPad: The Little (i) Next to Your Network

1. 01
   Step 1: Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.
2. 02
   Step 2: Tap the info button (a small i in a circle) beside the network with the check mark.
3. 03
   Step 3: Scroll to the IPv4 Address section and read Router.

The same screen has a Renew Lease option for when the addresses look wrong. If “No Internet Connection” appears under the network name, the iPhone is still linked to the router, so the Router number is still valid. You don’t need a third-party network app for any of this.

Android Phones, Where Every Brand Moves the Menu

Android lists the gateway in the Wi-Fi network’s details, but each manufacturer puts that screen somewhere different, and some label the field Router rather than Gateway. The paths below reflect current software.

Google Pixel and Near-Stock Android

Go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, then tap the gear icon next to your connected network. Scroll down to the network details and read Gateway. Many phones running lightly modified Android use a similar screen.

Samsung Galaxy Phones With One UI

Go to Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi, then tap the gear icon beside the connected network. On recent One UI versions, tap View more to expand the details, then look for the Gateway or Router entry. Don’t switch IP settings from DHCP to Static just to reveal the number, because that changes how the phone connects.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO on HyperOS

Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and tap the network you’re connected to. On some builds you tap the arrow or info icon beside it instead. The details screen lists the phone’s IP address along with the gateway, though the exact label and position have moved between HyperOS and older MIUI releases.

If your phone hides it, read the number from a computer on the same Wi-Fi. Every device on one network reports the same gateway.

ChromeOS and Linux in Under a Minute

Chromebook: select the time at the bottom right, open Settings, and choose Network. Click your connected Wi-Fi or Ethernet network and expand the Network section. The Gateway appears with the IP address and routing prefix.

Skip the Linux terminal on a Chromebook for this job. Linux runs in a virtual machine behind ChromeOS’s own address translation, so ip route there reports an internal address, not your router.

Linux desktop: open a terminal and run ip route show default. The number after default via is your router. On systems that use NetworkManager, nmcli device show | grep IP4.GATEWAY gives the same answer. In GNOME, open Settings > Wi-Fi (or Network for a cable), click the gear beside the connection, and read Default Route on the Details tab. Older tutorials use route -n, which comes from the net-tools package that many current distributions no longer install by default.

Consoles, Smart TVs and Other Screens With No Command Line

Game consoles list the gateway on their network status screens:

• PlayStation 5: Settings > Network > Connection Status > View Connection Status, then read Default Gateway.
• Xbox Series X|S: press the Xbox button, then go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Network settings > Advanced settings. Gateway appears in the IP settings.
• Nintendo Switch and Switch 2: Nintendo’s own manual-IP instructions tell you to copy the gateway from another device on your network, so read it from a phone or computer first.

Smart TVs and streaming boxes vary too much for one path. Look for Network, then Network Status, About or Connection Info, and a Gateway or Router field. If the TV won’t show it, borrow the answer from any phone on the same Wi-Fi.

The Terminal Cheat Card

Run one command while connected to the network you want to manage.

To confirm the router answers, run ping followed by the address, for example ping 192.168.1.1. Most routers reply from inside the network. On macOS and Linux, press Ctrl+C to stop it.

When the number matches, you can sign in once you know the address is 192.168.1.1. There’s a separate walkthrough if your gateway ends in 0.1, and another if it reads 10.0.0.1, which is often a rented Xfinity gateway.

Why Your Public IP Is a Different Number

Search “what is my IP” and you’ll see a completely different address. That’s your public IP, which your internet provider assigns to your connection and the rest of the internet sees. The router’s LAN address is private and only reachable from inside your home, and the public IP isn’t how you reach the admin page.

To tell them apart at a glance:

• Private: addresses starting with 10., 172.16. through 172.31., or 192.168. These are the ones you type to reach a router.
• Shared carrier space: 100.64. through 100.127., defined in RFC 6598. If your router’s WAN or Internet status shows one of these, your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT.
• Anything else is most likely public.

The router’s status page usually shows the public side too, often labeled WAN IP or Internet IP. If that field holds a private number instead, another router or gateway sits upstream, a setup known as double NAT. On IPv6 networks your device may also list an fe80:: gateway. It’s valid, but use the IPv4 gateway in the browser.

A Blank or 169.254 Address Points to a Different Problem

If your device’s own address starts with 169.254, it never received one from the router. That self-assigned range is defined in RFC 3927, and it means the request for an address (DHCP) went unanswered. No gateway lookup can fix that; the connection needs attention first.

A blank gateway next to a normal-looking address usually means a manual (static) setting with no gateway filled in. Switch the device back to automatic (DHCP) unless someone set it that way on purpose.

For a 169.254 address, work through these in order:

1. 01
   Step 1: Confirm you’re on your own network, not a neighbor’s or a guest network, and that Wi-Fi hasn’t dropped.
2. 02
   Step 2: Renew the address. On Windows, run ipconfig /release and then ipconfig /renew. On a Mac, use Renew DHCP Lease. On iPhone, tap Renew Lease. On Android, turn Wi-Fi off and on, or forget and rejoin the network.
3. 03
   Step 3: Plug a computer into one of the router’s LAN ports, not the WAN or Internet port, and check again.
4. 04
   Step 4: Restart the router: unplug it, wait a moment, and plug it back in. A restart keeps your settings and is not a factory reset.
5. 05
   Step 5: If every device shows the same thing, the router itself may have stopped handing out addresses.

When the gateway does appear but the page still won’t load, that’s another fault. The guide for a gateway that shows up but won’t open sorts it out by symptom.