To connect to your home WiFi, you just need to know the username and password of one of the networks, whether it is 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. But what if you want to change the settings of said connections? For that you must enter through the gateway, an IP address that allows devices on a local network to access the Internet. Do you want to know said IP? It’s easy.
To each wireless device that connects to an access point, the router that manages it assigns it an IP address to identify it within the network and send it traffic in packets. Additionally, the router itself is identified by another IP address, which acts as gateway or default gateway. This address is what allows local devices to access the Internet, since it serves as an intermediary between the internal network and the external network. Knowing the gateway is essential to configure the router.
Find out the address that acts as a gatekeeper on your router
The gateway is important because it is responsible for directing traffic from our home network to the Internet; acting identically in the opposite direction: all traffic received go through the gateway be directed to each of the connected devices. It’s like a nightclub doorman, although integrated into the router.
Generally, the access controller which acts as a gateway It is usually found at IP addresses 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. This is common, but doesn’t have to be the norm, especially if multiple devices are configured as neutral routers: each will need a different gateway.
In case you need to change the entry settings of the router, you need to know the IP address of the gateway in order to get inside the router and configure it. Don’t you want to test the usual addresses one by one? There is a very good application that will show you the gateway: Fing.
Fing is free, super complete, it helps you find out if there are devices stealing your WiFi and, what we are looking for today, too It will reveal the IP address of the gateway. Let’s see how.
- Once Fing is installed, open it and accept the permissions. Since you need to search for devices on the network, you usually need location permission.
- Make sure you are connected to your WiFi network and click on the top of the Fing case, the one that shows you the devices online. In our case, we have 18 devices connected to the router.
- You will see the full list of devices with the router at the top. It will also show you the gateway, click here.
- Hold down the IP address, you will have copied it.
- Open a web browser on your mobile, paste the gateway and accept: you will be about to enter your router settings.
Entering the gateway IP address accesses the router configuration
- All that remains is to write the username and password to access the router (or just the password, depending on the model). This data must be noted under the router, on a sticker.
While Fing is great for finding out the gateway IP address as the first step in router setup, it also has endless other practical uses. For example, if you scan all connected devices you can discover intruders on your network (those you don’t recognize), this allows you to do a speed test, Fing analyzes the security of your network and can even monitor it by real time.
The application is secure, contains no advertising, most features do not require payment and it is highly recommended. Fing is one of our go-to apps for all things WiFi.
Cover image | Ivan Linares
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