# How to log in to your router (and what not to touch)

> Find the router's address, open its admin page from the browser and log in with the right password. Then learn which settings you can change safely and which are best left as they are.

Source: https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/entrare-nel-router
Author: SimpleBuild, Build simple. Deliver value.
Category: Internet and Wi-Fi
Procedure verified on: 2026-09-29

To log in to the router, open the browser on a device connected to your home network and type the router's address in the address bar: very often it is **192.168.1.1** or **192.168.0.1**. A page opens asking for a password, which you usually find on the label under or behind the modem. Before you change anything, take a photo with your phone of the pages you are about to edit: that way you can always go back.

## Before you start

- **Connect to the router's network.** Your home Wi-Fi is fine, or a network cable plugged into one of the router's ports. On a phone using mobile data, the page won't open.
- **Find the modem's label.** It is usually under or behind the device. It shows the Wi-Fi network name and its password and, on many models, also the address and the details for logging in to the admin page.
- **Keep pen and paper handy.** If you change a password, write it down right away.
- **Pick a quiet moment.** Some changes restart the router: for a minute or two, nobody at home will have internet.

![Drawing of the label under a modem, with sample data: Wi-Fi network name and password, then the router admin address and password](https://simplebuild.it/assets/img/tutorial/entrare-nel-router-etichetta-en.svg)

## Find the router's address

If the label doesn't show the address, you can read it on the computer. The router is the "gate" between your home network and the internet: that is why Windows calls it the *default gateway*.

### On Windows 11 and 10

1. Select the **Search** box on the taskbar and type *command prompt*.
2. Open **Command Prompt**.
3. Type this command and press Enter:

```
ipconfig
```

4. In the list, find the adapter you are using (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and read the number next to **Default Gateway**: that is the router's address.

   ![Diagram of Command Prompt after the ipconfig command: under the Wi-Fi adapter, the Default Gateway line with the address 192.168.1.1](https://simplebuild.it/assets/img/tutorial/entrare-nel-router-ipconfig-en.svg)

### On a Mac

1. Hold down the **Option** key (⌥) and click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar, at the top right.
2. Below the name of the network you are connected to, the connection details appear. Among them is the **router address**.

## Open the admin page

1. Open the browser you normally use (Edge, Chrome, Safari or Firefox).
2. Type the router's address in the **address bar** at the top, for example `192.168.1.1`, and press Enter. Don't type it into the Google search box: it would not take you to the router.

   ![Diagram of a browser: the address 192.168.1.1 is typed in the address bar at the top, and below it the router login page opens, asking for the password](https://simplebuild.it/assets/img/tutorial/entrare-nel-router-indirizzo-en.svg)

3. Some routers show a warning that the connection is "not private" or "not secure". For your home router's page, reached through an address you typed yourself, this is normal: you usually continue with **Advanced** and then the option that takes you to the page anyway.
4. Enter the admin username and password. On first login some routers ask you to create a new one; on some older models the factory details were simply *admin* and *admin*. If someone changed them in the past, you need the new ones.

## What you can change safely

- **Wi-Fi name and password.** This is the most common reason to log in to the router. The full procedure is in [how to change your Wi-Fi password](https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/cambiare-password-wifi).
- **The router admin password.** Italy's National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) recommends changing the default credentials and using strong passwords, at least 12 characters long, with uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
- **Firmware updates**, that is, the router's internal software. ACN recommends updating it regularly and turning on automatic updates, when available. Apple, too, among its recommended settings, says to let the router install updates automatically.
- **Wi-Fi security.** Apple recommends **WPA3 Personal** for better security, or **WPA2/WPA3 Transitional** if you have older devices.
- **Remote access and UPnP.** ACN recommends turning off remote management of the router, if you don't really need it, and UPnP, which can expose services to the internet automatically. If something at home stops working after the change, set that item back the way it was.

## What is best left alone

- **The internet connection settings.** These are the details the router uses to connect to your provider's line. A wrong change leaves you without internet, and you often don't have those details at hand.
- **The home phone settings**, if your landline is plugged into the modem: a mistake there can leave you without a line, too.
- **DHCP and NAT.** These are the functions that give each device an address and take it onto the internet. Apple recommends leaving them on if the router is the only device of this kind in your home.
- **Hidden network and MAC address filtering.** Apple recommends leaving them off.
- **The Wi-Fi channel.** Apple recommends leaving it on **Auto**.
- **The Reset button.** Holding it down returns the router to its factory settings: it erases the admin password, the Wi-Fi and the internet connection settings too. Afterwards everything has to be set up again, and you need the details supplied by your provider.

## If it still doesn't work

- **The page won't open.** Check that you are connected to your home network and not to mobile data. Try the other common address (192.168.0.1 instead of 192.168.1.1, or the other way round). If you use a VPN, turn it off. Try another browser, another device or a network cable.
- **The password is not accepted.** Check uppercase and lowercase, and that there are no spaces before or after it. Remember that the Wi-Fi password and the admin password are different.
- **You have two devices at home**, for example your provider's modem and a second router. Each has its own address: the gateway you read on the computer belongs to the device you are connected to.
- **Wi-Fi works but the internet doesn't.** Before touching the settings, follow the steps in [Wi-Fi connected but no internet](https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/wifi-connesso-senza-internet).
- **The signal is weak in some rooms.** This usually can't be fixed from the router page: see [Wi-Fi that doesn't reach the whole house](https://simplebuild.it/tutorial/wifi-che-non-arriva-in-tutta-casa).
- **You have already tried everything**, or you are afraid you changed a setting you can't find again: in these cases it is worth getting help from a technician before pressing the Reset button, which fixes the login but erases everything else as well.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I log in to the router from my phone?

Yes, if the phone is connected to your home Wi-Fi: open the browser and type the same address you would use on the computer. On mobile data the page won't open, because the router can only be reached from inside your home network.

### Are the Wi-Fi password and the router password the same thing?

No. The Wi-Fi password lets devices join the network; the router password lets you into the admin page. They are often both printed on the label, one below the other.

### What happens if I press the Reset button?

The router goes back to how it left the factory: the admin password, the Wi-Fi name and password and the internet connection settings are all erased. Only do it if you have the details to set it up again.

## Sources

- [ipconfig, command reference (Microsoft Learn)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/ipconfig)
- [Use the Wi-Fi status menu on Mac (Apple Support)](https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/mac-help/mchlfad426fa/mac)
- [How to log in to the TP-Link router web interface (TP-Link)](https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/87/)
- [TP-Link router password reset and factory reset (TP-Link)](https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/426/)
- [Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points (Apple Support)](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102766)
- [Video surveillance and IoT devices: risks and advice from ACN (in Italian)](https://www.acn.gov.it/portale/w/video-sorveglianza-e-dispositivi-iot-rischi-e-consigli-utili-da-acn)