A router is the piece of hardware in your home that makes wifi possible. Being able to change the settings on your router, and thus the security, name, and accessibility of your wifi, is essential for your safety and convenience. The first step is logging into your router.

Identifying your routerThe router can be a standalone device, or your modem can act as a router as well. If youre confused about what piece of hardware is your router, start with the cable line coming into your home. It will terminate in your modem or cable box. From the modem, follow the cables plugged into the back. If nothing is plugged in, your modem is also your router. If the cables go to other devices that you know for sure are not a router, then your modem is also your router. If the cables go to a piece of hardware you dont recognize, google the name of the hardwaretheres a good chance its your router.

Although your router is a physical piece of hardware, located physically near you, you'll access the router is online, so youll need your computer or phone or some other internet capable device to log in. The good news is that the process for logging in is the same whether its a modem/router combo or just a router, and it doesnt matter if you own the router or rent it from the internet provider.

Finding your IP addressYou access your router by going to a specific address (IP) online, which you type into your browser. Its a series of numbers, rather than a domain name like Google.com. Now, most routers use the same IP 192.168.1.1. Its worth skipping ahead and seeing if that IP address works, but if it doesnt, heres how to find your IP.

On Windows Go to your Windows search bar and type in Hardware and connection properties. It should bring up your internet settings, but if it doesnt, go to Settings Network Internet Status View hardware and connection properties. The panel that comes up will have a line, if you scroll, called default gateway and that is your IP address.

On AppleClick the Apple icon and go to System Preferences. Select Network WiFi, and select your wifi network. Click Details, and you will see your IP address next to Router.

Connecting to the router via browserNow, open your browser and where youd normally put a website address, put the IP address and hit enter." You should see a login, asking for a username and password. There are two possible answers, so dont get worried if you dont remember setting up a username and password for your router. Chances are, you never did, and this is still set to the default username and password. Try locating the name of your router on this list and then attempt to login with the default username and password. As you can see, its just downright scary how many use admin and password as the username and password. Make a note now to change both, and then log them into your password manager.

If this doesnt work, and you think you might have set up a username and password for the router and just dont remember it, you might be able to recover it, if theres a password recovery feature.

The absolute last resort is resetting the router altogether. This means that the router will go back to the factory settings, and as such, the default username and password. It also means that youll need to log in every single device that is connected to wifi, including every smart device. Youll need to set up the association between the router and modem, too. In short, itll suck, but youll have control of your router again. Upside: If you were logging in to change the name of your wifi, password or almost any other setting, you were going to have to log everything back in anyway.

What you can do while logged into your routerFirst, please heed our advice and change your username and password to something unique to you. If youre concerned about security in the least, your router represents a really obvious access point.

If youre over the name of your wifi network, you can change it and also the password to it. You can also likely set up a guest network for friends and other people who you may trust enough to give wifi access to, but not enough to control whats on your Sonos. A guest network will keep your network and your playlist safe.

Different routers offer all kinds of different features, including quiet times, the ability to prioritize devices, exclude devices, or put limits on usage. Looking around while youre in your router settings will familiarize you with whats possible, and many routers have quick start guides.