Some networks include the 192.168.0.0 address but do not begin with this address, and they can be used on devices without encountering any issues.
What is the function of IP address 192.168.0.0?
The router (routing device) is assigned a common IP address which is 192.168.1.1. This IP address is used because the router is located on the 192.168.1.0 network. Similarly, routers on the 192.168.0.0 network are usually assigned local addresses, with the Private IP address being 192.168.0.1.
Why aren't devices using the address 192.168.0.0?
Each Internet Protocol (IP) protocol consists of a continuous range of addresses. The first address in the address range is used by the protocol to specify the entire network. The last network number usually ends with the number 0.
After the address 192.168.0.0 is set as the last network number, it will not be used for other purposes. For example, if an Admin tries to assign the address 192.168.0.0 as a static IP address for any device on the network, the entire network will stop functioning until that device is taken offline.
Note that the address 192.168.0.0 can still be used as a device address if the network is set up with a large IP address range (such as a network set up from the address range 192.168.128.0 to 192.168.255.255).
That's why IP addresses ending in 0 are very rare on networks, except for the address 0.0.0.0.
What is the IP address 192.168.0.0 used for?
How large is the 192.168.0.0 network?
The size of the 192.168.0.0 network depends on the chosen subnet mask. For example:
- 192.168.0.0/16: The address range between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.255.255 has about 65,534 hosts.
- 192.168.0.0/18: The address range between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.63.255 has about 16,382 hosts.
- 192.168.0.0/24: The address range between 192.168.0.0 and 192.168.0.255 has 254 hosts.
Broadband routers used in homes running on the 192.168.0.0 network are usually configured as 192.168.0.0/24, meaning they often use 192.168.0.1 as the internal gateway address. This setup allows for assigning 254 devices on the network with valid IP addresses.
Note: Home Networks can handle multiple devices simultaneously. If more than 5-7 devices are connected to the router at once, it can lead to performance issues. This is not a limitation of the 192.168.0.0 network but rather due to signal interference and bandwidth sharing.
How does the 192.168.0.0 address function?
The dotted decimal notation of an IP address converts the actual binary numbers used by computers into a readable format for users. The binary equivalent of the address 192.168.0.0 is:
11000000 10101000 00000000 00000000
Since this is a private IPv4 network address, when pinging to check the network or connecting to the Internet or other external networks, routing to the address 192.168.0.0 is not possible.
192.168.0.0 is used as the network number, so this address is used in the routing table to share network information between routers.
Replacement for 192.168.0.0
Other addresses ending in 0 can replace the address 192.168.0.0, but the choice of address is a matter of convention.
As mentioned earlier, routers used in homes are often set with the address 192.168.1.0 to log in to the modem instead of the address 192.168.0.0. This means the router can have its own IP address, such as 192.168.1.1, for you to log in to the modem or network router.
After reading this article, hopefully, you will gain more insights into how it operates and what the IP address 192.168.0.0 is used for. If you have any questions or additional contributions, feel free to leave your comments in the section below.