I’ve got a broadband modem with two desktops connected to it by wires, and a laptop that connects to it over the ether. It knows the modem’s network key, so it can connect to the Web and the other computers via the wireless modem.
The problem is, my wife just bought a new laptop. Her laptop doesn’t know the key, and I not only don’t know what I did with the key, four years ago when I got the modem and my laptop, but I have no idea how to recover it.
Is there a way to extract the key from my laptop, or to extract it from the modem itself via one of the desktops?
Some drivers for wireless network interfaces allow you to unhide the key (when you’re looking at the connection settings), but not all do.
Probably the easiest solution would be to access the router’s administration functions, change the key to something you will then know, then put that key into the new laptop.
To access the admin of the router, try the base IP address of whatever IP it gives you. Meaning, if your IP address from the router is 10.0.1.30 try accessing http://10.0.1.1 or https://10.0.1.1 in a web browser.
In fact, most people never change their IP blocks, so just try http://192.168.1.1/
If you don’t know the admin password try username “admin” password “admin”.
Do you have any of the manuals? (I’m guessing not).
It will be something like: point your browser at 192.168.1.1 and you’ll see an admin login page.
If you google the name and model number of the router, it should be possible to find out what the admin IP address is and what the default admin login details are.
There should be a reset button on your router that will change everything back to the factory settings. If nothing else works, you can hold that in for 15 seconds or so, then start over from scratch.
You should be able to find the users manual for you router online that will walk you through the setup.
Before you do that, make sure you have the necessary DSL connection settings written down somewhere, or you’ll find yourself able to connect to the router, but not the outside world
Assuming you know the router’s maker and model number, it should be easy to find the default IP address for the router. For Linksys, for instance, it’s usually 192.168.1.1
Reset the router–usually a button you hold down, sometimes with a small wire such as a paper clip. Resetting the router should not cause you to lose your connection with your internet provider, as this connection is attached (if at all) to the MAC address of the router; resetting the router will not change the MAC address.
Enter the IP address in your browser while you are connected to the router with an ethernet cable. You will see the admin screen.
Enter the default UserId and PW–you can get this from the manufacturer’s site or just enter the info you need in Google.
For Linksys it’s usually UserID (leave blank); Password: admin
This will get you into the router’s admin page and you can reassign a new security code. You’ll need to put that code back into all wireless devices because now the old one won’t work anymore.
Write the new code on the router. No reason not to keep it there, usually.
This is generally true for cable modem connections, and almost universally false for DSL connections. If the OP has a DSL connection and has not written down his DSL logon (PPOE) settings, he’ll probably kill his internet connection with a full-up router reset.
My advice to the OP is to look at the router, determine the make & model number, then go download the manual. Or at least tell us what the make & model is. Also tell us whether you have cable or DSL. You get better help when we have some actual facts to go on.
Once you log on to the router, in most cases the router will show you in plain text what the secret key is. If not, by far the simplest thing to do is to set a new secret key, and set both laptops to use that new key. There’s not much point in trying to recover something that the machinery is designed not to give up when you can just replace it easily.
