Network professionals know this information about their router by heart or have stored it in their browser or password manager. However, if you only rarely use a device or have received it as a gift without manuals or similar documentation, you will initially be faced with a locked menu—if you can access it in the browser at all.
On a reasonably up-to-date router, the access information should be on a sticker on the housing—you can usually find it on the underside. Depending on the model, the DNS name is also listed there, which you can use to access the router menu in the browser (ex. tplinklogin.net).
If the sticker contains neither a DNS name nor an IP address, first you’ll need to connect a Windows PC to the router. This works via WLAN if the sticker also contains the network SSID and the WLAN password. If this information is missing, you must connect via LAN.
Then open the “Network and Internet – Ethernet” menu in the Windows settings. Under “IPv4 standard gateway” you’ll find the local IP address of the router, entering this in the browser will take you to the menu. You can also obtain this information using the “ipconfig” command in the Windows command prompt.
A sticker on the router often tells you how to access its menu and which password it requires
.Foundry
If a sticker is missing, a function for forgotten passwords may help, but only for a router that you’ve already set up once. This is because the router sends the password reset message to the email address stored in the router or linked to this device in the manufacturer’s cloud service.
Otherwise, you’ll need to reset the router to the factory settings: You can find out how this works for a specific model by researching online. Depending on the router, a new password can be set up the first time it is accessed.
Or you can search online for known default passwords for this model—often “admin” and “password”. However, if the router was provided with an individualized password, as is usual with a Fritzbox and many other current routers, the router menu will remain locked unless you take the aforementioned steps.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.