How to Change Your Router's IP Address

Your router’s IP address is the gateway address that every device on your network uses to reach the internet. Most routers ship with a default like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, but you can change this to any valid private IP address. The most common reason to change it is resolving conflicts when two routers on the same network share the same default address.

The change takes about two minutes and requires a brief reconnection of all devices.

Know When to Change Your Router IP

Router IP address changes solve specific problems. Understanding when the change is necessary saves you from making unnecessary modifications to a working network.

Double NAT conflicts are the primary reason. This happens when your ISP provides a modem-router combo that uses 192.168.1.1, and you connect your own router behind it, which also defaults to 192.168.1.1. Two routers with identical gateway addresses on connected networks create routing confusion. Devices may lose internet access, port forwarding fails, and VPN connections become unreliable. Changing your personal router to 192.168.2.1 or 10.0.0.1 eliminates the conflict immediately.

Multiple routers on the same network require unique IP addresses even if they are not causing double NAT. If you use one router as a wireless access point connected to your main router, both need different IPs so you can manage each one independently.

Organizational preference is a valid reason on larger home networks. Some people prefer a scheme like 10.1.1.1 for the router, with 10.1.1.x for all devices. Others want different subnets for different floors or buildings.

If your network works fine with one router and no conflicts, there is no technical benefit to changing the IP. Leave it at the default.

Choose a New IP Address

Your new router IP must come from one of three private address ranges defined by RFC 1918. These ranges are reserved for local networks and are never used on the public internet.

192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 is the most common range for home routers. Typical choices include 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.2.1, and 192.168.10.1. If your ISP modem uses 192.168.1.1, switch your router to 192.168.2.1 or 192.168.50.1.

10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 is a larger range often used in business networks. For home use, 10.0.0.1 or 10.1.1.1 are clean options that clearly differentiate your network from the ISP modem’s subnet.

172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 is rarely used in home networks but is perfectly valid. You are unlikely to encounter conflicts with this range.

Pick an address that is easy to remember and clearly different from your ISP modem’s address. Write it down or save it in your phone’s notes. You will need it every time you access the router’s admin panel.

Change the Router IP on TP-Link Routers

TP-Link routers default to 192.168.0.1 on most Archer models. Log in at 192.168.0.1 or tplinkwifi.net with your admin credentials. Go to Advanced, then Network, then LAN in the sidebar.

The IP Address field shows the current router IP. Change it to your desired address. For example, change 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.2.1. Leave the subnet mask at 255.255.255.0 unless you have a specific reason to change it.

Click Save. The router will reboot. You will lose connection to the admin panel because the old IP no longer works. Wait for the router to finish restarting (about 60 seconds), then type the new IP address in your browser to reconnect.

TP-Link routers automatically adjust the DHCP range to match the new subnet. Verify by going to Advanced, Network, DHCP Server and confirming the range now uses the new subnet (192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.199, for example).

Change the Router IP on ASUS Routers

ASUS routers default to 192.168.1.1. Log in at 192.168.1.1 or router.asus.com. Click LAN in the left sidebar. Under the LAN IP tab, you will see the IP Address field.

Change the address to your preferred IP. If you are avoiding a conflict with an ISP modem at 192.168.1.1, use 192.168.50.1 or 10.0.0.1. Click Apply.

The router reboots. Wait about 90 seconds, then access the admin panel at the new IP address. ASUS routers also update the DHCP range automatically in most cases, but verify under LAN, DHCP Server tab.

Note that router.asus.com will still work as an alternative way to reach the admin panel after the IP change. The domain resolves to whatever the router’s current IP is.

Change the Router IP on Netgear and Linksys Routers

Netgear routers place the LAN IP setting under Advanced, then Setup, then LAN Setup. Log in at 192.168.1.1 or routerlogin.net. The IP Address field shows the current gateway. Change it to your desired address and click Apply. The router restarts and you reconnect at the new IP.

Linksys routers use Local Network or Connectivity, depending on the firmware version. Log in at 192.168.1.1 or myrouter.local. Click Connectivity or Local Network, then edit the Router Address or IP Address field. Save and wait for the reboot.

Both brands should update the DHCP range automatically. If they do not, manually adjust the DHCP settings so the range matches the new subnet. For example, if the new router IP is 192.168.2.1, set the DHCP range to 192.168.2.100 through 192.168.2.199.

Update the DHCP Range After Changing the IP

DHCP range verification is a critical step that some routers handle automatically and others do not. If the DHCP range does not match the new router IP’s subnet, no device on the network will get a valid address.

After the router reboots with the new IP, log in and go to the DHCP settings. On TP-Link, go to Advanced, Network, DHCP Server. On ASUS, go to LAN, DHCP Server. Confirm the starting and ending addresses use the same third octet as the new router IP.

If you changed the router to 192.168.2.1, the DHCP range should be 192.168.2.x (for example, 192.168.2.100 to 192.168.2.199). If it still shows 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.199, update it manually and save.

Also update any DHCP reservations you had configured. Reservations tied to the old subnet (like 192.168.1.50 for a printer) need to be recreated with addresses in the new subnet (192.168.2.50).

Port forwarding rules that reference internal IP addresses may also need updating. Check each rule in the port forwarding section and update the target IP if it still points to an address in the old subnet.

Reconnect Devices After the Change

Devices using DHCP reconnect automatically after the router reboots. The router assigns them new addresses from the updated DHCP range. Most devices handle this within 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If a device does not reconnect on its own, toggle Wi-Fi off and on, or disconnect and reconnect the Ethernet cable.

Devices with static IP addresses need manual updates. Any device where you configured the IP, subnet mask, and gateway manually is now pointing to the old gateway address. Update the gateway field to the new router IP and change the device’s IP address to match the new subnet.

For example, if a printer had a static IP of 192.168.1.50 with gateway 192.168.1.1, and you changed the router to 192.168.2.1, update the printer to 192.168.2.50 with gateway 192.168.2.1.

Smart home devices, security cameras, and IoT gadgets using DHCP will reconnect automatically. Devices using static IPs or custom configurations may need attention. Test each critical device after making the change to confirm connectivity.

Troubleshoot After Changing the Router IP

If something goes wrong after changing the router IP, these steps will help you recover.

Cannot access the router admin panel. You may be typing the old IP. Use the new one. If you forgot what you set it to, check the gateway address on a connected device. On Windows, run ipconfig in Command Prompt and look at the Default Gateway. On Mac, check System Settings, Network, Wi-Fi, Details, TCP/IP.

No internet on any device. If your router connects to an ISP modem, the modem may need a reboot to recognize the new network configuration. Power cycle the modem by unplugging it for 30 seconds and plugging it back in. Wait for it to fully reconnect.

Some devices work, others do not. Devices with outdated DHCP leases or static IPs pointing to the old subnet will fail. Restart those devices or manually update their network settings.

Port forwarding stopped working. The internal IP addresses in your forwarding rules may still reference the old subnet. Log in to the router and update each port forwarding rule with the correct device IPs in the new subnet.

Complete loss of access to the router. If nothing works and you cannot reach the admin panel at any address, factory reset the router by holding the reset button for 10-15 seconds. This restores the original default IP so you can start over.