All About IP Address (Everything you need to Know!) : You must have seen these infamous numbers 192.168.1.1 (mistyped as 192.168.l.l), 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.254, 192.168.2.1, 10.0.0.1, 192.168.8.1, etc. somewhere on the internet and wondered what they are. Well, this article has all you want to know about it.192.168.1.1(mistyped as 192.168.l.l), 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.254, 192.168.2.1, 10.0.0.1, 192.168.8.1, etc. is an Internet Protocol (IP) address which is commonly used by Linksys, a company of Cisco. Linksys deals in broadband routers which are used all around the world, and it uses 192.168.1.1 as a default address to configure its routers.
Although this IP address is not exclusive to Linksys but other router companies mostly use different addresses while configuring their network. To know more about192.168.1.1(mistyped as 192.168.l.l), 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.254, 192.168.2.1, 10.0.0.1, 192.168.8.1, etc., let’s familiarize ourselves with IP address first.
What is an IP Address?
An IP address is a set of numbers assigned to a particular device like router, mobile, computer, etc which further connects to a network. This address is basically used for two basic reasons: for addressing a location and for identifying a network. An IP address is made up of some numbers which are called octets as they are consist of eight positions with 32 bits. This makes a total possible combinations of 256 numbers per octet with four octetsin total. There are also some addresses which are restricted to be used like 255.255.255.255 which is specifically used for network broadcasts and 0.0.0.0 for a default address etc.
Now, let’s see how a private IP address works.
Working of a Private IP Addresses
192.168.1.1 is said to be a private IP address. For an address to be considered as private, it has to fall into the range of addresses reserved for private use only by The Internet Standards Group. These private addresses are used on local networks like schools and small businesses’ LANs and they can not connect directly to the internet. Just like that, if a device is outside the area of local network will not be able to connect directly to a device with a private IP address.
These private connections must use a router or other such device that works as a medium between a network and a computer to connect to the internet and also implements Network Address Translation (NAT) which is used as an additional layer of security for these local networks.
The ranges of these IP addresses are from 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255.
We now know that 192.168.1.1 is a private IP address which is basically used for network identification and address verification. But this is not all. It is also used as Network Security for wireless networks at your home.
Network Security Tool
The 192.168.1.1 can also be used for taking important network security measures at your home. Most of the people usually skip some of the important points to establish network security in order to get a wireless home network established quickly. This might become problematic in the future. Therefore, here’s a guide to use 192.168.1.1 as a network security tool.
- First of all, the default username given for the router and its password needs to be changed. People think that setting up the router is secure enough but it’s not. So, better change the configuration settings using 192.168.1.1.
- Some of the router companies have their brand name set as SSID of router like “linksys” for linksys. This makes your connection vulnerable to cyber attacks. So, you must change it through router setup page on 192.168.1.1.
- Using this IP address, keep a strong WPA standard password for the best network security.
- Always consider having a MAC address filtering through 192.168.1.1, which when combined with wireless encryption proves very effective to keep a network connection safe.
- Keep the firewall on on the router and the computer. The firewall can be configured from the configuration panel through router on 192.168.1.1.
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