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What is my router's IP address? Finding your gateway
Your router has two addresses, and "what's my router's IP" is usually asking about the LAN one: the default gateway — typically 192.168.1.1 — where every packet leaving your network goes first and where the admin page lives. The other is its WAN address facing the ISP, which is normally the public IP the internet sees. One command finds the first; ipconfig.io shows the second; and comparing them tells you something real about your connection.
Maintained by the ipconfig.io team · Reviewed 1 July 2026
Find the gateway on any OS
bash
ip route | grep default # Linux → "default via 192.168.1.1 ..."
netstat -nr | grep default # macOS → first "default" linepowershell
ipconfig # Windows → "Default Gateway"Phones list it under the Wi-Fi network's details (tap the ⓘ) as Gateway or Router. The usual suspects, if you'd rather guess: 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 10.0.0.1, 192.168.1.254 — vendors differ, private ranges all.
The gateway is the router's face on your LAN: the address your devices were told to send non-local traffic to (they learned it from DHCP, along with their own address), and the one you browse to — http://192.168.1.1 — for the admin page. Default credentials live on the sticker; if the answer to "did anyone ever change these?" is no, that's worth five minutes, since whoever holds that page controls your network's DNS and forwarding.
The other address: WAN
On the internet side, the router holds the address your ISP leased it — the one every site sees:
bash
curl ipconfig.ioSame answer from every device in the house, because NAT funnels everyone through it. The router's own status page (usually WAN or Internet in admin) reports this address too — and the comparison is a genuinely useful diagnostic:
| Router's WAN address | vs curl ipconfig.io | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
203.0.113.42 | same | Normal — your router holds the real public IP; port forwarding can work |
100.64.x.x (or any private-looking address) | different | CGNAT — the ISP NATs you again upstream; inbound is structurally impossible |
Two addresses, two jobs: the gateway runs your network; the WAN address represents it. Every "can't reach my router" question is about the first; every "can't reach my server from outside" question is about the second.
Frequently asked questions
What's my router's IP? Your default gateway — ip route, ipconfig, or netstat -nr names it; typically 192.168.1.1-ish.
How do I open admin? Browse to that gateway address; credentials on the label. Change defaults.
Why two addresses? LAN face (gateway, private) and WAN face (toward the ISP, usually your public IP).
Is the router's IP my public IP? The WAN side usually is. If the router's WAN differs from curl ipconfig.io, you're behind CGNAT.
Next steps
- Public vs private IP — the two worlds your router straddles.
- What is CGNAT? — when the WAN comparison comes back mismatched.
- What is DHCP? — how the router hands your devices their addresses.