What is the default gateway?
The default gateway IP address is the local IP address that is assigned to the configured router, or modem/ This IP address is used by other devices in the network to communicate with it. To know your default gateway IP address you must enter the CMD (Start + R, type CMD and then ENTER), then type the command ipconfig and then ENTER. It will output a lot of information regarding the configuration of your internal network. Line with ‘default gateway’ will have a default gateway IP address in it.
Once you know your default gateway IP address, you can use it to access modem or router configuration. To do it you should type default gateway IP in the address bar of the browser (where the name of the page is written). For example if your default gateway is 192.168.1.254, you should use that address to access and type http://192.168.1.254 or simply 192.168.1.254. After that you will be prompted for a username and password for your router. You can consult router manual or internet for default password for your router. Typically router passwords are not changed on setup and default one will work.
In case you can not find out those credentials it is advisable to call your Internet service provider (ISP) to ask for that information. They will also help you to enter your modem and perform the configuration you want to do.
Is it possible to change the default gateway?
You can change the default gateway by entering the configuration of your modem or router. For example, if your home network is using 192.168.0.1 as a default gateway IP address you can change it to another IP address via router configuration interface. But when doing so make sure that you aware of what kind of changes you may change by this. If you change 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.1.254 for example then all your devices will be assigned with different IP addresses. That may just work great if your network uses dynamic IP address assignment. But in case some of the devices use static IP addresses then these devices may not be able to connect to a router via new IP address until you change it to the one starting with 192.168.1.
