By Elena Lexon
The IP 192.168.1.1 has more uses. It can function as:
- a private IP address
- a default IP address
A default IP is an IP which allows the user to easily access its router configuration settings. In order to do this, the user has to type 192.168.1.1 in the browser's address bar and enter the default username and password. Please note that the default IP, username and password may be different depending on the router brand and model. The good thing about this way to access the configuration settings panel is that it can't be accessed from the outside of the network.
After you gain access to your router's settings page, you will notice that there are several options in the menu on the left. Search for the Setup Wizard. It will help you configure your router to connect to the Internet and at the same time it will identify all the other computers in the network.
However, in some cases, after you type in the IP nothing will happen and the login box won't appear. There are several reasons why this can happen and some of them are:
• Wrong IP - In this case you have to check your router's default IP by either looking at the user's guide or by visiting the producer's website. There are also other ways to check your default IP, but we won't discuss them here.
• Faulty or unresponsive router - Contact your manufacturer
192.168.1.1 - Private IP Addresses
The so called "Private IP" are generally utilized in smaller networks, like the ones you have at work or at home. The use of private IPs drastically increases the security of the network, because they are not connected to the Internet directly. Since the private IP can't be accessed from the Internet nor it may go to the Internet, all the devices in the network that need internet access use NAT gateway. The NAT device has a unique IP assigned, and it can be described as the main point which enables direct Internet access.
When a certain computer in the network requests internet access, the information from that computer is sent over to the NAT device and it passes that information on to the Internet. By doing this, the network security is improved and more computers in the network can access the Internet at the same time.
