What is the Default IP Address of a Linksys Router?

Home broadband routers possess two IP addresses - one for connecting outside to the Internet and one for communicating inside the home network. Internet providers supply a public IP address for the outside connection; the number assigned depends fully on the provider and has no one default value. The private IP address used for local networking is controlled by the home network administrator and has default settings depending on the brand and model of router.


Linksys Factory Default IP Address Settings
Home routers all contain a default private IP address when manufactured. When first setting up a router, the administrator must know this address in order to connect to its console. For more, see How To Access a Home Router as an Administrator.

The default local IP address of Linksys routers is 192.168.1.1. This address is sometimes also called the default gateway address, as client devices rely on the router as their gateway to the Internet, and computer operating systems sometimes use this term on their network configuration menus.

Some other brands of broadband routers use 192.168.1.1 as their default, but some use alternatives. Other popular default router IP addresses include 192.168.0.1 and 10.0.0.1.

Changing the Router's Default IP Address
Each time the home router powers on it will use the same private network address, unless the administrator wishes to change it.

 Changing a router's default IP address may be necessary, for example, to avoid an IP address conflict with an Internet modem or another router already installed on 192.168.1.1.

Administrators can change this default IP address either during installation or anytime later. There is no advantage in network performance or security from using any particular private address, but in homes it can help to choose an address that's easier to remember.


 A common alternate IP address setting for Linksys routers on networks with two routers is 192.168.2.1.

Changing the router's default IP address does not affect the router's other administrative settings such as its Domain Name System (DNS) address values, network mask (subnet mask), or passwords. It also does not have any effect on connections to the Internet. (Some Internet providers track and authorize home networks according to the router or modem's MAC address, not their local IP addresses.)

Default IP Addresses of Linksys Guest Networks
Some Linksys routers support guest networks. Routers allocate IP address ranges for these special subnetworks separate from their main local network. Changing the router's default IP address does not change the guest network address defaults. Linksys routers use several different default ranges for their guest networks including 192.168.3.x and 192.168.33.x.