How to Change the IP Address of an Edimax Router from 192.168.1.1
A quiet afternoon in suburban Brisbane, the NBN box blinking steadily on the wall, and a household of devices all fighting over the same gateway address. That is the moment most people in Australia first start asking how to change the IP address of an Edimax router from 192.168.1.1 to something else. The default address works fine out of the box, but it is also one of the most common addresses on consumer networking gear, which means conflicts are inevitable.
Homes connected through the National Broadband Network often have multiple pieces of hardware stacked together. There is the NBN connection box, sometimes a VDSL modem from Telstra or Optus, and then the Edimax router sitting in the middle trying to manage Wi-Fi for laptops, smart TVs, and the obligatory Kmart-special smart fridge. When two devices share the same IP, the network behaves like peak-hour traffic on the M1, slow and unpredictable.
Australian households are also increasingly running mesh systems and Wi-Fi extenders in granny flats, home offices in the shed, and outdoor entertaining areas where the bar fridge needs coverage. Each additional piece of hardware increases the chance of clashing addresses, especially when an extender hands out the same 192.168.1.x range as the main unit. Shifting the Edimax to a less crowded subnet keeps traffic flowing smoothly, whether the router lives in the study nook of a Sydney terrace or the hallway cupboard of a Perth family home.
This walkthrough is written for the typical Australian setup, where the Edimax is usually sitting behind an NBN connection or acting as the main router in a smaller property. The procedure works whether the Edimax is in router mode or access point mode, with only minor variations noted along the way.
Why the Default Address Creates Headaches
Edimax ships most of its consumer routers with the address 192.168.1.1 baked into the firmware. When a Telstra Smart Modem, an Optus-provided gateway, and an Edimax all reach for the same 192.168.1.1, one of them has to lose. The losing device usually becomes unreachable, and tracing the culprit can feel like trying to find a specific servo on a long stretch of the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane.
Many mesh nodes and range extenders sold through JB Hi-Fi or Officeworks use the same default range. If a household has an Edimax router as the primary unit and an Edimax extender in the back of the house for the kids' gaming setup, the extender may try to lease out addresses on the same subnet. The result is that devices flip between the two access points and lose connection mid-session.
Remote workers face another wrinkle. Some enterprise networks use the 192.168.1.x range internally, and routing conflicts make it impossible to reach office resources. Renumbering the home router to a different private subnet clears the collision entirely, which is why many IT departments suggest the change outright before signing off a work-from-home arrangement.
Things to Confirm Before Touching Any Settings
A small amount of preparation saves a lot of frustration later. The Edimax web interface is reached through a browser, not an app, so a laptop or desktop with a working Ethernet port or stable Wi-Fi connection is ideal. Phones work too, but a larger screen makes it easier to spot typos in an IP address field.
It is also worth identifying how the Edimax is currently connected to the wider internet. In most Australian homes, the WAN port on the Edimax plugs into the NBN connection box or the LAN port of an existing modem supplied by the ISP. Changing the LAN address will not affect the WAN side, but it will temporarily disconnect any device currently using the router's Wi-Fi.
Have the router's admin password handy. Edimax devices often ship with a default printed on a sticker underneath the unit, alongside the default Wi-Fi key. If that sticker has worn off after years in a dusty cupboard, the admin password may have been changed and forgotten. A factory reset is sometimes the only way back in, and that should be a last resort because it wipes any custom Wi-Fi names and passwords.
Quick checklist before opening the browser:
- Ethernet cable within reach, long enough to reach the laptop from the router
- Admin password written down, including capital letters and any special characters
- Current IP address of the Edimax confirmed, in case it has been changed before
- New IP address chosen and double-checked against any other hardware on the network
- Device with a working browser, ideally one not mid-download of a software update
Reaching the Edimax Setup Page
The router's admin panel lives at the current IP address, typed directly into a browser's address bar. While the default is 192.168.1.1, that only works if no other device is already squatting on it. If an NBN box or another router is using that address, the Edimax will not respond, and the browser will show an error or a search engine results page.
The most reliable path is to connect a laptop directly to one of the Edimax LAN ports using an Ethernet cable. Wired connections bypass any Wi-Fi confusion and put the computer on the same subnet as the router immediately. Once connected, opening a browser and entering 192.168.1.1 should bring up the login screen within a few seconds.
If the original address has already been changed at some point, the current address can be found through the network settings on a connected device. On Windows, the default gateway shown in ipconfig reveals it. On macOS, the same information appears under System Settings, Network, and the active connection's details.
For anyone still stuck, a reference page that lists common defaults and troubleshooting tips lives at edimax-setup.com and walks through the access steps for several Edimax models. Bookmarking it before starting means help is one click away if the login screen refuses to appear after a reboot or a brownout during a summer storm.
Logging In and Finding the Right Menu
The login prompt asks for a username and password. On most current Edimax routers the username is admin and the password is 1234, unless the unit was reconfigured after purchase. Older models sometimes use admin for both fields. Typing these carefully, watching for capital letters, gets past the front door without too much fuss.
Once inside, the layout varies between firmware versions. The BR-6428 model has a fairly plain interface with a sidebar listing Setup, Wireless, and Administration. Newer models like the EW-7438 or the Gemini-series access points place settings under different labels but the underlying structure is the same.
Look for a section labelled LAN, Network, or sometimes IP Settings. This is where the router's internal address lives. On some units, it sits under a sub-menu called LAN Interface or Ethernet Configuration. Clicking into it reveals the current address, subnet mask, and DHCP range.
Avoid clicking through menus labelled WAN, Wireless, or System Tools during this part of the process. Those sections control completely different parts of the router, and changing values there can knock the NBN connection offline. Focus only on the LAN screen until the new address is saved and verified.
Picking a Sensible New Address
Private IP ranges come in three flavours, and any of them works for a home network. The most common alternatives to 192.168.1.x are 192.168.0.x and 10.0.0.x. A fourth option, 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x, is rarely used at home but remains valid and shows up occasionally on older corporate hardware.
The choice often comes down to what other hardware is already on the network. If a Netgear Orbi or a TP-Link Deco mesh is using 192.168.0.x for its own addresses, picking 10.0.0.x for the Edimax creates clear separation. If everything is using 10.0.0.x, going to 192.168.2.x or even 192.168.50.x keeps the Edimax out of everyone's way.
Subnet mask matters too. The default 255.255.255.0 is almost always the right choice for home use. It allows 254 usable addresses, which is plenty for a typical Australian household even with a dozen smart bulbs and a couple of game consoles.
Common ranges worth considering:
- 192.168.0.1 — works when no other device on the network uses this range
- 192.168.2.1 — useful in homes with Telstra or Optus gateways that default to 192.168.0.1
- 192.168.10.1 — a less crowded option that rarely clashes with ISP hardware
- 10.0.0.1 — clean choice for households that prefer the larger 10.x.x.x private block
- 192.168.50.1 — ideal when several mesh nodes already share lower 192.168.x ranges
Saving the New Address and Reconnecting
After entering the new IP and confirming the subnet mask, click Save or Apply. The Edimax will typically reboot, and during those few seconds the wired connection drops. Once the lights settle back into their normal pattern, the router is live again on the new address.
The browser session will lose contact because it is still pointing at the old 192.168.1.1. Type the new address into the address bar, hit enter, and the login screen should reappear. If the screen does not load, give it another thirty seconds, clear the browser cache, or try a different browser before assuming something went wrong.
Any device that was connected wirelessly will drop during the reboot and need to reconnect. Smart home gear, particularly cheaper devices from catch.com.au clearance bins, sometimes need to be re-paired if they were holding onto the old network state too tightly.
For devices with static IP settings, update each one to match the new range. A printer set to 192.168.1.50 will not respond if the router is now on 10.0.0.1. Adjusting those entries by hand, or removing them and letting DHCP hand out fresh addresses, brings everything back online.
Confirming Everything Works as Expected
A quick verification step catches most mistakes before they grow into bigger problems. From a connected device, open a command prompt on Windows or a terminal on macOS and run a ping test against the new router address. A reply confirms the address is live and responsive.
Open a few websites in the browser to confirm internet access still flows through the router. In Australian homes, this means the NBN connection is still healthy end-to-end. If pages load without delay, the change is complete. If not, checking the WAN settings confirms whether the upstream link survived the reboot.
It is also worth logging back into the admin panel after a few hours to confirm the DHCP pool is handing out addresses within the new range. Most Edimax units automatically shift the DHCP start and end values to match the new IP, but older firmware sometimes leaves the old range in place.
Finally, write the new address down somewhere visible. Sticking a small label under the router with the address, admin username, and Wi-Fi password saves the next person in the house from having to repeat the whole process.
What stays with the reader long after the laptop closes is the principle behind the change. Picking a private IP range that no other piece of hardware on the property is using turns the Edimax into a calm, predictable hub rather than a source of silent conflicts. The actual addresses typed into the field matter less than the discipline of choosing once, recording them, and leaving the default 192.168.1.1 behind for good.