# I think my wireless router had its password reset. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902 "2007-08-17T05:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/1 "2007-08-17T05:12:08Z")
I own the router, I have the wep, and I set it up. However, my roommate needs to have access to the network because the cable(modem)bill is in his name. I’ve learned my lesson about giving him seemingly harmless passwords. I wanted to secure our network via a password, but I think somebody got to it before I did (via admin,admin). I have a WRT54G Linksys wireless router, I have the WEP, and the 192.168.1.1 address is asking for a password, how do I reset it? I know how to reset the router physically, but I have no access to the setup location. I have no idea what the protocol is for resetting a password on such a system. ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/2 "2007-08-17T05:40:34Z")
I found [this](http://forums.linksys.com/linksys/search?submitted=true&q=lost+password) on the Linksys website forums. There are a whole lot of people with the same problem. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/3 "2007-08-17T05:57:14Z")
I _believe_ there should be a button on the back that you can push with a toothpick or some similar object that will reset it to factory defaults. Just went and looked at my WRT54G and it’s right next to one of the antennas. ---
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/4 "2007-08-17T06:03:52Z")
I’ve set up a few WRT54G’s before… I believe the default username and password are not _admin/admin_ but rather just a blank for the username and _admin_ as the password. In any case, you should be able to reset everything to default values by using the Reset button on the back. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/5 "2007-08-17T06:08:12Z")
If those tips don’t work, I’ve had to call 2WIRE technical support, and they were able to reset the password remotely. Let me guess, you told him your, say, Tivo account, and he outed you as the Therapist somewhere? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/6 "2007-08-17T06:13:51Z")
[QUOTE=Pygmy Rugger] If those tips don’t work, I’ve had to call 2WIRE technical support, and they were able to reset the password remotely. Let me guess, you told him your, say, Tivo account, and he outed you as the Therapist somewhere? 😉 [/QUOTE] Any genius knows a scum when they see 'em. It seems my roommate was smarter than I thought eh? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/7 "2007-08-17T06:16:19Z")
[QUOTE=Pygmy Rugger] If those tips don’t work, I’ve had to call 2WIRE technical support, and they were able to reset the password remotely. [/QUOTE] 2Wire isn’t going to help you much with a Linksys Router. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/8 "2007-08-17T06:20:53Z")
[QUOTE=IGJoe] I’ve set up a few WRT54G’s before… I believe the default username and password are not _admin/admin_ but rather just a blank for the username and _admin_ as the password. In any case, you should be able to reset everything to default values by using the Reset button on the back. [/QUOTE] Just logged into mine. The default is _admin/admin_ ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/9 "2007-08-17T06:26:06Z")
admin/admin didn’t work. Looks like I have to do the manual reset via pencil. ---
**Author:** ![Tikster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@Tikster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikster)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/10 "2007-08-17T10:51:06Z")
Funny, my default is blank for the username and admin for the password ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/11 "2007-08-17T12:20:09Z")
[QUOTE=Pygmy Rugger] Let me guess, you told him your, say, Tivo account, and he outed you as the Therapist somewhere? 😉 [/QUOTE] Excuse me; don’t mean to hijack, but I don’t understand this comment, could you explain it to me. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-wireless-router-had-its-password-reset/415902/12 "2007-08-17T23:40:29Z")
[QUOTE=Sigene] Excuse me; don’t mean to hijack, but I don’t understand this comment, could you explain it to me. [/QUOTE] It’s an inside joke from a game we’re playing on another board.