Having access to the configuration of our router is an important issue that we must take seriously. Simply for a simple reason, and that is that it will allow us better control and security of our Internet connection, whether at home or a small SME network. Therefore, when we are in front of our router for the first time we must ask ourselves a series of questions to improve its security. One of them is undoubtedly changing the router password, and another is the Wi-Fi password. However, there comes a time that after time, we may have problems accessing the router’s configuration. Here in this tutorial, we are going to explain how to fix this error.
Some of you may wonder if it is important to be able to access the router’s settings. The answer is a resounding yes, since having access to the router gives us many possibilities. Therefore, before we begin to explain how to fix this problem, we are going to briefly show you what advantages it offers us to have access to the router.
Why do I want to access the router settings?
If we cannot enter the router configuration we are losing a lot of things. At that moment we become a simple user or client, the only thing that can do is enjoy your Internet connection as long as there are no problems. However, if we take charge of our connection and take control, things change. This, for example, is the configuration screen with an overview of the Fritz! Box 7530:
In this case, on the right hand side, it offers us a vision of the connected equipment and the active services. On the other hand, on the left, we have the typical sections, local network, Wi-Fi, diagnostics and more. A priori, some may think that they are only interested in two or three things, but there are many more. Regarding the configuration of the Internet and the local network, it will allow us to:
- Configure the DHCP that assigns the IPs to our liking and put the DNS servers that we want.
- Establish a specific IP for our devices.
- Open ports for certain programs to work, such as P2P types or to create a server.
- View connected devices.
Regarding Wi-Fi, we can change the password or set a different channel. We could also activate or deactivate the WPS, create a network for guests or configure the timer so that the Wi-Fi turns on and off at a certain time.
In addition, they usually allow a series of basic diagnostics to be carried out and usually have an event viewer with the most relevant events. Nor should we forget that there we have a section to make a backup copy of our configuration, in order to restore it later. And finally, they also have a section to update the firmware. It is usually done by pressing a button that searches for updates or with a previously downloaded file. As you have seen, accessing the router configuration gives us a great variety of opportunities.
How to access router settings
Normally the way to access a router is very simple. Following three simple steps we would enter the router configuration. First we open an Internet browser . Next, we write the IP of our router also known as the gateway. In third place we put the password and we enter the router configuration through the web. This, for example, would be the configuration screen of an ASUS RT-AX89X router:
As we explained previously, here we can configure Wi-Fi, open ports and more. However, there may come a time when we cannot access the router configuration and that is when the problems and headaches begin.
Causes why we cannot access the router
In the previous section we have seen that two elements are required to enter the router configuration. If we fail to type either of the two into our Internet browser, we will not have access. As you may have already guessed, these two elements are:
- IP of your router .
- User and password or password of the router .
The way to act in each case would be totally different depending on what is known, just one or none. Next, we will explain what we can do to access the router based on the two previous elements.
Solution to the problem of access to the IP of our router
A symptom that something does not work when we want to access the router’s configuration is that it almost immediately does not ask us to enter the password. Then a screen like this will appear:
At that moment, a screen will appear indicating ” This website cannot be accessed “. A common thing is that, because of the rush, we enter the wrong IP. Another reason that the router is turned off or we are not conveniently connected by network cable or Wi-Fi. If we can surf the Internet, we can rule out the latter. On the other hand, if we surf the Internet and the router does not respond, it is most likely that we are setting the IP wrong.
How can we find out the IP of the router in Windows
Now it is time to find out the IP of the router so that by entering our password we can access it. The way to do it is very simple, for this we will go to the Windows Start Menu. There we write Command Prompt or CMD and press enter. Next, we get a window where we can execute commands. In this case the one we have to put is:
ipconfig /all
Once written, press enter and it will show us these results
There we have to look for the default gateway that corresponds to the IP of the router. As you can see, the router’s IP is 192.168.1.1 and previously we could not enter because we put a different 192.168.0.1. Then, already putting the correct password, we can access the router configuration without problems.
Also the Ping command can help us to know if the router is active and if there is a problem. Simply type ping, the IP of the router and press enter as in the following example:
Solution to access problem when password is wrong
On other occasions, we correctly enter the IP of the router but when entering the password, it gives us an error message. This would be an example:
Here you can see that we have entered the password wrong and that we have to wait a few moments to enter it again. That does not mean that you know your password, perhaps you have entered it wrong. A typical failure is having the caps lock activated or having confused some uppercase letter with lowercase. Once it is verified that we do not know it, we will have to look at other alternatives. Then it’s time to check the sticker that comes under the router:
Here you can find the router password and the Wi-Fi password of the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It should also be noted that it does not always offer us all the data, so you have to consult the manufacturer’s or supplier’s manual. router. However, if we have changed it, we have to resort to the factory reset and the router will leave us with the values that appear on the sticker.
The last solution: do a factory reset
At the moment we need to access the router configuration, and we cannot do it, the most effective solution is usually to do a factory reset. Either because we do not know the password or they have changed the access port. The only thing to keep in mind is that we will have to configure it again. In the routers of the operators it is not usually necessary to enter the connection data but in those of other manufacturers that we buy to replace them because it has more features. Basically, once the router is configured, three things are usually done for greater security:
- Change the router password.
- Set other passwords to the Wi-Fi bands.
- Open ports if necessary.
This is the back of a router:
Generally, on the back we find a button that says RESET . Then we insert a pen, a pin or a needle and hold it for about 13 seconds until we see that it restarts when all the lights go out. From that moment on, we will have the default values that come on the sticker or in the router’s instruction manual.