What's 192.168.1.1?

If you’ve ever performed any administrative networking commands on your computer (such as traceroute), you may have noticed the IP 192.168.1.1. You’re not the only one to wonder what this address is used for. In fact, it is used by millions of devices around the world. So just what is it?

The IP 192.168.1.1 is a private address designated for use on routers and other networking devices. Since there are so few IP addresses remaining, the 192.168.x.x block has been designated for private network use. Generally a router on a network will use the 192.168.1.1 address and then assign the rest of the block to other computers– 192.168.253.539, 192.168.1, and so on.

If you have a router at home, type 192.168.1.1 into your browser. It will most likely take you to a control panel for your device. In addition, there is also an IP predominately used by modems: 192.168.100.1.

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