What Is the 192.168.1.5 IP Address Used For?

192.168.1.5 is the fifth IP address on the 192.168.1.0 private network whose assignable address range starts at 192.168.1.1. The 192.168.1.5 IP address is a private IP address and is most often used on home networks with Linksys broadband routers, though other routers might use this address.

How to Use 192.168.1.5

When the 192.168.1.5 IP address is assigned to a router, you can access it by entering its URL, which is http://192.168.1.5, in the address bar of a web browser. This address must be opened on a device that's connected to the network, such as on a phone or computer that's connected to the router.

If 192.168.1.5 is assigned to a device, you cannot access it like you can when it's used as a router address, but it might need to be used in other circumstances. For example, to find out if a device is active on the network (such as a network printer or device that might be offline), use the ping command.

The only other time most people see the 192.168.1.5 IP address is when they check a device to see what IP address is assigned to it—often the case when using the ipconfig command.

Automatic Assignment of 192.168.1.5

Computers and other devices that support DHCP usually receive their IP address automatically from a router. The router decides which address to assign from the range that it's set up to manage.

When a router is set up on the 192.168.1.0 network, it takes one address for itself (usually 192.168.1.1) and maintains the rest in a pool. Normally the router assigns these pooled addresses in sequential order, starting with 192.168.1.2 followed by 192.168.1.3, 192.168.1.4, 192.168.1.5, and beyond.

Manual Assignment of 192.168.1.5

Computers, game consoles, printers, and other devices allow their IP address to be set manually. The characters 192.168.1.5 or the four numbers—192, 168, 1, and 5—must be keyed into a configuration screen on the unit.

However, simply entering the IP number does not guarantee its validity on the network since the router must also be configured to include 192.168.1.5 in its address range. In other words, if a network uses the 192.168.2.x range, for example, setting up one device to use the static IP address of 192.168.1.5 makes it incapable of communicating on the network and will not work with the other devices.

Problems with 192.168.1.5

Most networks assign private IP addresses dynamically using DHCP. Attempting to assign 192.168.1.5 to a device manually is also possible. However, routers that use the 192.168.1.0 network have 192.168.1.5 in their DHCP pool by default and don't recognize whether it has been assigned to a client manually before attempting to assign it dynamically. In the worst case, two devices on the network will be assigned the same address (one manually and the other automatically), resulting in an IP address conflict and broken connection issues for both.

A device with the IP address 192.168.1.5 dynamically assigned to it may be re-assigned a different address if it's disconnected from the local network for an extended period of time. The length of time, called a lease period in DHCP, varies depending on the network configuration but is often two or three days. Even after the DHCP lease expires, a device may receive the same address the next time it joins the network unless other devices have also had their leases expire.