If you’re using a ZyXEL bridge (like B-420 or G-405) or Thomson TG 185n wireless repeater, 192.168.1.11 is your default IP. If you’re using a router with a default gateway from the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet, there’s a good chance that the address from the title is assigned to one of your devices. Whether, it’s your default gateway or just an address assigned to a device connected to your wi-fi, it’s important to know what you can and cannot do with 192.168.1.11. Read this article and learn everything there is to know about this IP address.
CONTENTS
What’s the Purpose of an IP Address?
Every device connected to some kind of network (whether it’s a home network, small business network, large network, internet) must have an IP address. That’s the only way for that device to be recognized on the network. Without an IP address, the device practically doesn’t exist (on the network). It’s like having a phone but not having a phone number (not having a SIM card inside) – no one can reach you if you don’t have a phone number.
IPv4 Rules
The standard form of an IP address, as well as the rules of assigning IP addresses, are defined by the so-called IPv4 protocol. This protocol defines an IP address as a sequence of 32 bits (1s and 0s). The bits are divided into four groups (octets). Each group consists of 8 bits. That’s what our computers, networking equipment, and other digital equipment see as an IP address.
What we see as an IP address is not a long sequence of ones and zeros – we see four numbers and dots between them (like 192.168.1.11). Each number ranges between 0 and 255. Why? Because every combination of eight bits can be translated into a number between 0 and 255.
There are 4.3 billion unique IPv4 addresses. It’s a lot, but it wouldn’t be enough without introducing some additional rules and divisions. Why? Well because there’re simply too many devices around the world (more than 10 billion) and, without using some addresses multiple times, it would be impossible to have all those devices connected to the internet. The problem here is – you can’t have two devices on the same network using the same address, just like you can’t have two phones with the same number. The solution that creators of an IPv4 protocol came up with was to divide all addresses into two groups – private and public.
Private and Public Addresses
All public addresses are routable on the internet. Private addresses are not routable. Public addresses are used for communication on the internet, while private addresses are used on smaller networks (local area networks like home wi-fi networks, small business networks, and larger corporate networks). The trick here is that you can use the same private address on any local network. The same IP address (192.168.1.11, for example) can be assigned to one device on every small network in the world.
But how, you may ask. Aren’t all devices supposed to have a unique IP address? Well, yes and no. Yes, the device must have a unique IP address, but only within its small network. Since private addresses are not routable over the internet (they are not used for internet communication), you can use one private IP address an unlimited number of times. The only rule is that you can’t have two devices on the same local network with the same address. The devices on other networks using the same IP addresses are not a problem.
But how do all those devices on local networks access the internet when they can’t use their private addresses? Well, in every private network, there’s a central unit (router). In your home wi-fi network, the central unit is your router. The router is responsible for assigning IP addresses to every device connected to your home network. Your router also has a private address. It’s preassigned to it by the router manufacturer. The router uses this address to communicate with all the devices on a local network.
Your ISP also assigns a public address to your router. The router uses this address to access the internet and respond to all the requests for internet access coming from all the devices connected to your local network. So, all the devices connected to your wi-fi practically use just one public IP address to connect to the internet. That’s how the creators of an IPv4 protocol managed to rationalize the use of IP addresses and prolong the life of the protocol.
Of 4.3 billion IPv4 addresses, 18 million are private addresses. There’re three scopes of private addresses – all 10.x.x.x addresses, all 172.16.x.x addresses, and all 192.168.x.x addresses.
Is 192.168.1.11 Public or Private IP Address?
192.168.1.11 belongs to the third group of private addresses (192.168.x.x). So, it is definitely a private address. This means that it can only be used on private networks (LANs). It can be an address assigned to your router – in that case, it’s called a default IP.
192.168.1.11 can also be an address assigned to your PC or some other device (like phone, tablet, printer, or any other device connected to your home network). In this case, it’s called a client (or host) IP address.
192.168.1.11 is much more often used as a client IP than a default IP.
Can 192.168.1.11 Be a Default IP Address?
It can be, but it’s rarely used. Default IPs are private addresses assigned (or rather pre-assigned) to routers (and other networking devices) by their manufacturers. The manufacturers can use any IP address as a default IP, but most manufacturers like to use starting or ending addresses in a subnet.
That’s the reason why some addresses are more popular than others. Addresses like 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.254, 10.0.0.1 are far more popular than 192.168.1.11.
However, we have come across a few devices using this address. Zyxel’s bridges from the ZyAIR line (B-420 or G-405) and Thomson TG 185n wi-fi repeater use this address as a default IP.
Is 192.168.1.11 My Default IP Address?
If you’re not using one of the above-mentioned devices, the chances that your router’s default IP is the address from our title are slim. If you want to be sure, you can find your default IP address in just a few seconds. For more info on how to do that, read our guide. Regardless of the device and operating system (Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android), the procedure is simple and doesn’t require any advanced knowledge of IP addressing.
What Can I Do with 192.168.1.11 if It’s My Default IP?
Default IP address is used to access your router’s configuration page (aka router settings or Web Manager). The first two steps are the same for every router. To access the settings, you have to type in your default IP in the address bar of your browser. When the Login page appears, you have to enter the correct credentials, and you will be redirected to the configuration page. Once you do that, you can adjust all kinds of network settings – change SSID (network name) and password, improve network performance, adjust DHCP settings and make DHCP reservations (assign static IP to some of your devices), change parental settings, enable sharing, enable port forwarding, etc.
Your default IP address is the gateway to your router’s settings. That’s why it’s often called a default gateway.
192.168.1.11 as a Client IP Address
192.168.1.11 is far more often used as a client IP than as a default IP. If your router’s default IP is 192.168.1.1, there’s a great chance that 192.168.1.11 is one of the addresses in your DHCP pool. Your router assigns the addresses from a DHCP pool to connected devices. If the address from the title gets assigned to your device, it becomes a client IP address. Depending on the nature of the assignment process, the address can be static or dynamic.
Dynamic Host IP
Even if you don’t make any changes, your router will automatically assign a unique IP address from a DHCP pool to each device connected to your wi-fi. This automatically assigned address is not permanently given to a device. It’s just borrowed (leased). The router will check if the address is still in use (if the device is still connected) after a certain period (aka lease time). If the address is not in use, the router will take it back and may assign it to some other device that connects to the network. So, the term dynamic means that the address doesn’t stay with one device forever. The next time you connect your device, you may get the exact same address you got the last time, but you may also get any other address from the DHCP pool.
Assigning 192.168.1.11 as a Static IP
If you, for any reason, want your device to have the same IP address every time it connects to your wi-fi, you have to assign it manually to that device. That way, you will make the address static. 192.168.1.11 can be a static IP, just like it can be dynamic. The best way to assign a static IP to some device is to go to your router’s Configuration page, search for DHCP settings (usually in LAN settings), and then look for DHCP Reservation or Static Lease. Once you find these settings, you will have to enter your device’s MAC address, the IP address that you want to assign to that specific device, and click Apply or Save.
Hey, I’m Jeremy Clifford. I hold a bachelor’s degree in information systems, and I’m a certified network specialist. I worked for several internet providers in LA, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Seattle over the past 21 years.
I worked as a customer service operator, field technician, network engineer, and network specialist. During my career in networking, I’ve come across numerous modems, gateways, routers, and other networking hardware. I’ve installed network equipment, fixed it, designed and administrated networks, etc.
Networking is my passion, and I’m eager to share everything I know with you. On this website, you can read my modem and router reviews, as well as various how-to guides designed to help you solve your network problems. I want to liberate you from the fear that most users feel when they have to deal with modem and router settings.
My favorite free-time activities are gaming, movie-watching, and cooking. I also enjoy fishing, although I’m not good at it. What I’m good at is annoying David when we are fishing together. Apparently, you’re not supposed to talk or laugh while fishing – it scares the fishes.
