Learn the Purpose of the 192.168.1.254 Router IP Address

The IP address 192.168.1.254 is the default private IP address for some home broadband routers and broadband modems. 

Common routers or modems that use this IP include 2Wire, Aztech, Billion, Motorola, Netopia, SparkLAN, Thomson, and Westell modems for CenturyLink.

192.168.1.254 is a private IP address, one of a block of addresses reserved for private networks. This means that a device within this private network cannot be accessed directly from the internet using this private IP, but that any device on a local network can connect to any other device also on that network.

While the router itself has the private IP of 192.168.1.254, it assigns any devices in its network a different, private IP address. All IP addresses on a network should have a unique address within that network to avoid IP address conflicts. Other common private IP addresses used by modems and routers are 192.168.1.100 and 192.168.1.101.

The manufacturer sets a router's IP address at the factory, but you can change it at any time using its administrative interface. Entering http://192.168.1.254 (not www.192.168.1.254) into a web browser address bar provides access to your router's console, where you can change the router's IP address as well as configure several other options.

If you don't know your router's IP address, you can locate it using a command prompt:

1. Press Windows-X to open the Power Users menu.
2. Click Command Prompt.
3. Enter ipconfig to display a list of all your computer's connections.
4. Find Default Gateway under the Local Area Connection section. This is your router's IP address.

All routers are shipped with default usernames and passwords. The user/pass combinations are fairly standard for each manufacturer. These are almost always identified by a sticker on the hardware itself. The most common are:

2Wire: Username: blank, Password: blank

Aztech: Username: "admin", "user", or blank, Password: "admin", "user", "password", or blank

Billion: Username: "admin" or "admin", Password: "admin" or "password"

Motorola: Username: "admin" or blank, Password: "password", "motorola", "admin", "router", or blank

Netopia: Username: "admin", Password: "1234", "admin", "password" or blank

SparkLAN: Username: blank, Password: blank

Thomson: Username: blank, Password: "admin" or "password"

Westell: Username: "admin" or blank, Password: "password", "admin", or blank

After you have access to your router's administrative console, you can configure the router in several ways. Be sure to set a secure username/password combination. Without that, anyone can access your router's panel and change its settings without your knowledge.

Routers usually allow users to change other settings, including the IP addresses they assign to devices on the network.