One common IP address assigned to home routers is 192.168.1.1. This IP address is used because the router is on the 192.168.1.0 network. In the same way, routers on the 192.168.0.0 network are usually assigned the local, private IP address of 192.168.0.1.
Why Most Devices Don’t Use 192.168.0.0
Each Internet Protocol network consists of a continuous range of addresses. The protocol uses the first address number in the range to designate the network as a whole. These network numbers usually end in zero. An address like 192.168.0.0 becomes unusable for any other purpose after it’s established as a network number. If an administrator assigns 192.168.0.0 to any device on the network as a static IP address, the network stops functioning until that device is taken offline. 192.168.0.0 can theoretically be used as a device address if that network is set up with a large address range, such as a network that spans from 192.168.128.0 through 192.168.255.255, but the extra work of managing networks and subnets makes this practice uncommon even when it’s technically permissible. That’s why devices with IP addresses ending in zero are rarely seen on networks, except for 0.0.0.0.
How Big Is the 192.168.0.0 Network?
The size of the 192.168.0.0 network depends on the network mask chosen. For example:
192.168.0.0/16 ranges between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.255.255 with 65,534 possible hosts.192.168.0.0/18 ranges between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.63.255 with 16,382 possible hosts.192.168.0.0/24 ranges between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.0.255 with 254 possible hosts.
Home broadband routers that run on the 192.168.0.0 network commonly have 192.168.0.0/24 as the configuration, and normally use 192.168.0.1 as the local gateway address. This setup allows the network to assign up to 254 devices with a valid IP address, a high number for home networks but possible, based on the configuration. Home networks can only handle so many devices at once. Networks that have more than five to seven devices connected to the router at the same time often experience performance degradation. This problem doesn’t arise from limitations of the 192.168.0.0 network but instead from signal interference and bandwidth sharing.
How 192.168.0.0 Works
The dotted-decimal notation of IP addresses converts the actual binary numbers that computers use into a human-readable form. The binary number corresponding to 192.168.0.0 is:
11000000 10101000 00000000 00000000
Because it is a private IPv4 network address, ping tests or any other connection from the internet or other outside networks cannot be routed to it. As a network number, this address is used in routing tables and by routers to share network information with each other.
Alternatives to 192.168.0.0
Other addresses ending in zero can be used instead of 192.168.0.0. The choice is a matter of convention. Home routers are usually installed on the 192.168.1.0 network instead of 192.168.0.0, which means the router may have a private IP address of 192.168.1.1. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority reserves the following blocks of IP address space for private intranets:
10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255
