How to Gain Access to Wi-Fi Router Settings?

A Wi-Fi Router is a networking device that directs data traffic to various connected networks using a unique IP address. A wired router just connects directly to a device (computer) via cable. It is usually connected to an external internet service provider via a Cat4(Category 4 cable), fiber optic cable, or a telephone line.

Wi-Fi Router:

The term Wi-Fi stands for "Wireless Fidelity". A Wi-Fi router basically does the same job with enhanced features of providing wireless signals which enables the devices to connect to a source of the internet as long as we are within the reach of the wireless network strength of the Wi-Fi, typically 40-100 meters. This router is equipped with an inlet intent source port and 2-3 outlet LAN ports. It's a common device found in offices, homes, and small organizations. Accessing the router settings can be done using the below two methods:

1. Using device labels on the router
2. IP address fetched using CMD from the computer (with Wi-Fi connection)

Device Label on Routers:

You can access the default router settings by turning the backside of the router. Let's consider a D-Link router for example.

Steps To Access Router:

1. Open a browser and enter your router’s internal IP address (192.168.0.1). 
2. Next, you will be prompted for a username and password page. 
3. Enter the username as "Admin" and leave the password blank as shown in the image.
4. Now, we are on the Wi-Fi router settings page. 
5. We have numerous options to change your Wi-Fi router settings. Some settings like Wireless Network Settings, Wireless channel Width, Security mode, Wi-Fi SSID name, and default Wi-Fi password settings can be changed.

For the above steps to be performed successfully, we need to stay connected to our Wi-Fi. The most common default IP addresses that can be seen for accessing routers are:

• 192.168.0.1
• 192.168.1.1
• 192.168.2.1

Fetching Router's IP Address using CMD on PC:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt or type 'cmd' at the start.

Step 2: Enter config to see the default Gateway IP Address as shown in the image below.

Step 3: You can see in the above screenshot that our default IP address is 192.168.1.1

Step 4: Enter the same IP address in a browser to log in to Wi-Fi router settings.

Step 5: Enter your username and password credentials. In my case, the default login credentials are "admin" for both username and password.

Step 6: If you forgot the custom password you set earlier or cannot log in with the default credentials, reset the router to default factory settings.

Resetting Router:

To reset the router, follow these steps:

1. Look for the reset button on the router.
2. Hold the reset button for 10 seconds long by pressing the button.

This resets the router and now the default username and password can be used to access Wi-Fi settings. You can also search in the browser for your router's default login credentials.

After logging in, we can change the default credentials to a custom password by changing it in the router login section so that our router cannot be accessed by everyone and would be more secure.