Almost everyone would have heard about the term IP address but most of the people will not have any idea about that. An IP address can be defined as numerical label which is generally assigned to devices such as computer, printer and few other devices which are able to associate with a computer network. Most of the computer networks will be using an internet protocol in order to make communication. Initially the IP addresses like 32 bit number but due to the depletion of addresses, the designers of IP address have started to use 128 bits to create an address. Presently IPv6 (Internet protocol version 6) is being used in many places. The IP addresses will generally be written in the human readable notation like 172.16.254.1 etc. The IP addresses are being used for two major functions such as location addressing and interface identification.
IP address in Home network
Many individuals think that IP addresses are only being used in the huge computer network in the companies but they are also being used in the simple home networks. Each and every device in the home network will have a unique IP address. Generally the IP addresses which are being used by the companies are provided by (IANA) Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. But for the home networks, the ISP (Internet Service Provider) will provide an IP address. Actually the IP address which is assigned to you is also provided by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. They will give a pool of IP address to the Internet Service Provider and then you will get the address from your Internet Service Provider.
Sometimes, the Internet Service Provider may change your IP address therefore if you are running an email service or own web, then you needs to get a permanent address from the Internet Service Provider and you can configure it manually in your server. Actually the Internet Service Provider will give you a single IP address and it will be assigned to your router or modem. If you want to add any device in your network, then you will have to assign a unique IP address to that particular network.
How to find your IP address?
If you want to identify the IP address of your router, you are able to do that by using the command “ipconfig” in command prompt. There is another way to do this by using control panel. First of all, you need to open the control panel and then you have to click the option “view network status and tasks” under the category “Network and Internet”. After that you have to click your connection name and you will get a dialogue box. Now you have to click the button “Details” and then you can see the IP address. These are the simple steps that you can follow whenever you want to view your IP address.
Default IP address
Generally 192.168.2.1 will be the default IP address for most of the home network routers. Some of the home broadband users such as SMC and Belkin are using this address as the default IP address. Any computer or router associated with a local network is able to use this address. If your router is using the IP address 192.168.2.1 then you are able to follow the router’s console through the local network by assigning a browser to http://192.168.2.1/. Once the connection has been established the default router will ask the user to specify the administrator’s username and its password in order to finish the login process.
Actually the default address 192.168.2.1 will do the similar functionalities as 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.0.1. Sometimes, it will also perform the functions of certain private IP address. Therefore this address cannot be used to create a connection between the home network and the router from outside. Moreover you are able to use the address 192.168.2.1 for only one device in a time. If you are using it for two or more device then there are many chances for IP conflicts. Many people use to commit this mistake and they will have problem in creating the connection. If you want to check whether you are using the same address for many devices, you can check the default gateway of the devices which are connected in the network.
Some of the individuals will have the doubt about is there any possibilities to change the default address to improve the security. But changing the IP address will not make any change in the security status of the home network. However, whenever the administrator wants to configure the router, he or she must use the address information which they can remember easily. If they use any complicated information, then they may not able to configure the router in future. Therefore it very important to use the simple addresses information in the time of configuring the routers.
Guest article written by: Hi, I am Masha Winget, a technology writer & blogger by profession. I love to write articles for many online communities, blogs, & websites related to computer tips & new technologies. Visit my site 19216821ip.com to find all information about 192.168.2.1 IP address.