You might already know that your router has multiple IP addresses; it has a LAN IP on the LAN side and a WAN IP on the ISP side.
You can easily access your router’s admin page using its private IP address. But you can only do so within the router’s local area network.
So if you want to access your router’s admin page from outside the LAN, you might wonder whether you can access it using your public IP address.
However, if you’ve ever attempted to access the router login using your public IP address, you’ll know it’s impossible with the default router settings.
In this article, we’ll explain why you can’t access your router’s admin page using your public IP address.
Why Can’t You Access The Router Using Your Public IP?
You can’t access your router’s admin page using your public IP address for several reasons.
If your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT, your public IP address differs from your router’s WAN IP address: you share your public IP with several other users, and your router’s WAN IP becomes private to the ISP. So you can’t use your public IP address to access your router if your ISP employs carrier-grade NAT.
At the default settings, routers also block admin access from their WAN IP addresses for added security. They only allow logging into the router using a private IP address. So even if your ISP doesn’t use carrier-grade NAT, you might still be unable to log into the router using the WAN IP.
Why Can’t You Access The Router Using Its WAN IP?
Routers typically block admin access on the WAN IP at default settings. They only allow you to access them using their private IP on the LAN side.
Your router’s WAN IP might not also be a public address due to ISP carrier-grade NAT. In this case, you can’t access your router from the public internet using the WAN IP.
Can You Make Your Router Accessible From The Outside?
If you want to access your router’s admin page from outside your LAN, you need a public router WAN IP.
If your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT, you can ask the ISP to disable it for you. You can also get a static IP from your ISP.
Most routers also block admin access from their WAN IP at default settings. So you might also have to enable admin access on the router’s WAN IP to allow login from outside.
However, enabling remote login on the WAN IP is not recommended. It exposes your router and connected devices to the public internet, making them easier targets for hacking.
How To Allow Router Login Via WAN IP
You can allow admin access from WAN IP using your router’s settings. But the exact procedure can be different on different routers, so you have to refer to your router’s manual to see how to allow admin access on its WAN IP.
If you want to access your router from outside your LAN, you also need a public WAN IP. So if your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT, ask them to disable it for you. You can also get a static IP to make your WAN IP public.
However, allowing router login from WAN IP is not recommended for security reasons.
Is It Safe To Allow Router Admin Access Via WAN IP?
It is not safe to allow router admin access from the WAN IP address.
If your router’s WAN IP is public, anyone on the internet can access the router’s login page after you enable admin access from the WAN IP. Also, the password protection on the router’s login page might fail to prevent unauthorized access.
Even if your ISP is using carrier-grade NAT and your WAN IP is private to the ISP, it is still better not to allow router admin access on WAN IP. The private WAN IP can still allow others on the same ISP network to access your router.
Therefore, for the best security, you should only allow admin access on your router’s private IP.
Final Thoughts
Several things can prevent you from accessing your router’s admin page using your public IP address.
If your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT, your public IP differs from your router’s WAN IP. So in this case, you can’t access the router using your public IP address.
Most routers also block admin access from the WAN IP to prevent anyone outside from accessing your router’s admin page.
Even though it is possible to allow admin access on your router’s WAN IP, we don’t recommend it. It will expose your router and connected devices to the public internet and cause poor security.
So you should only allow router admin access from the private LAN IP of your router.