Router password question

My sister has asked me to work on her computer system (she wants to hook up a wireless connection to her TV). I’m no expert but I took a shot at it.

I was doing okay until I got to the point where the device asked for the password to her wireless router. My sister and her kids have forgotten the password. Apparently their existing devices all sign in automatically.

So any advice on how I can get the password for the router? I have access to the router itself and a computer that is already connected to it. Is there some way I can access a password file? Will I have to call her ISP and would they know?

Reset it with the button on the back and the password will likely be ‘admin’. However, you will have to redo any custom settings that were programmed into it since the whole thing will be reset to the factory default.

That’s really the only way. I’m sure there are ways to hack into it, but assuming it’s a vanilla network setup with out heavy customization to the router, it’ll be easier just to do a factory reset and redo any settings (SSID, wifi password etc). If they don’t remember the network password, I’d be surprised if too much was changed since it came out of the box.

ETA if your looking for the wifi password (as opposed to the router password). Check the settings on all the devices that log into it. There’s a good chance at least one of them shows it in plain text. The router may very well also show it in plain text.

As I said, I’m no expert. I thought the router password and the wifi password were the same thing. It’s the wifi password I feel I’m looking for.

On an ordinary PC, running Vista I think, is there an easy way to find a setting that would show this password?

I’m running 7 on this computer, but go to the control panel then to the Network area. Click on the connections or the connection status or something along those lines and one of them should have a button that says “Wireless properties”. On 7, you can click on a tab that says “security”. The password will be right there, just click the box that says “show characters”.
It might take a few tries and some poking around, but you want to find the area that you would go to to setup the wireless network or to change the password. There’s usually multiple ways to get to that screen.

If they have a TiVo that’s connected wirelessly, I beleive it shows the password in plain text.

The wifi password is for getting a device onto the wifi network. The router password is the password for logging into the router (the admin panel).

Do the instructions for the TV and the router say that they support WPS (Wifi Protected Setup)? If so, it may be unnecessary to know the wifi password in order to add the device.

What is the make and model number of the router? I’m sure the manufacturer’s web site has a user manual you can download/read that will explain how to reset the password.

The router password allows you to access the router and do setup-configuration. If you reset the router there is a default login/password combo. You can usually find it by googling the router model number along with the words login" and “password”. If the manufs online site has a pdf setup manual for the router this will also usually have it along with the http address you use to access the router setup page. Many routers also have this info printed on the bottom of the case

The wireless password is usually setup up under the wireless security tab of the router setup pages once you login to the router setup.

You will also need to change the wireless password to the new password on any wireless devices attached to the router to enable connection.

What router are you using? Go to a computer that is connected to the router and internet. Do any of these get you a login screen?:

192.168.1.1
192.168.2.1
192.168.1.0
192.168.123.254

Before you reset it, try the default username and password to log in to the router. Once in, you should be able to view the wifi password.

If you open a command prompt and type ipconfig, the Default Gateway should give you the ip to log into the router. Many use admin/admin or admin/password as username/password. Google brand model default password to find out what it was originally and hope no one bothered to change it.

admin/[blank, i.e., just hit enter] is another common one. But, yeah, it’s easy to google the defaults.

No, they are two different things. The** router password** is set & contained only within the router hardware itself. It’s analogous to your PC’s BIOS or CMOS password (if you have one set). The only way to get past it if you don’t know what it is is to clear it with a hardware reset on the router (similar to having to reset a jumper on your motherboard to clear the CMOS password on the PC). There will probably be a recessed button in a hole on the back of the router labeled RESET (you’ll need a paper clip to push it). But as others said doing this will also clear most of your other router settings (though perhaps not all of them). Once you reset it it’s usually set to **admin **by default.

The** wifi password** is just a setting contained within a wireless router’s software (similar to your Windows sign-on password). Also, just to be confusing- I mean clear- neither of these is your** ISP’s sign-on password** either. IOW the one you use to sign into your Internet provider’s website (FiOS, Time Warner, Optimum etc.) to access your online account settings. That’s just an account password, like any other internet password. Same goes for your email account password, it’s a different thing too.

BTW, be creative with your wifi password, don’t use something simple like a dictionary word or name. Your neighbors will be able to steal your wifi. Also, unless you have a lot of people coming & going thru your house I’d write your router’s sign-on name & password on a piece of paper and tape it to the (bottom of) the router box itself.

When I was in the same situation, I called my ISP and they didn’t know it either. They said to look at the sticker on the underside of the router, and put in the alpha-numeric after WEP. It worked. Not sure if it’s the same as what you are after, but maybe. I have a router that is handed out by Verizon, even though that’s not my ISP.

I’ve been trying various ideas suggested here and elsewhere. But the solution was one of my nieces recalling the password.

It was her dog’s name.

^ Nice.

I was just going to mention, that my wireless router actually has the password on a sticker on the bottom of it.

I’d take it off for security reasons, but really, if someone broke into my place, I doubt my router would be the first thing on their mind.

Is it your password or the manufacturer’s default password? If it’s the former, no sweat. If it’s the manufacturer’s, you risk someone gaining access to your router.

Manufacturer’s default password.
I’m no worried. I live alone.
… Which is just a little sad for me.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that what I said above only applies to store-bought routers. Ones that you’ve bought and are using along side your cable modem. They’ll have brand names like** D-Link**, LinkSYS, **NetGEAR **etc. If your cable modem has a built-in router with wifi (right now mostly only Verizon modems do) the wifi password will be hard coded into it and unchangeable. It will appear on a data sticker along with the modem’s serial number etc. It will probably be listed as WEP and will consist of a string of eight letter/number pairs (EE B7 A1 etc.) Make sure you read it exactly correct (and don’t enter any spaces). I once spent a day & a half trying to get wifi to work only to discover I’d simply misread an 8 as a B (or vice versa)…

HA is correct.
If it’s a phone company or cable supplied device, they have a default password.

For example, one I ran across in my travels, was 2-Wire brand using the last 6 (hex) digits of the external MAC address on the sticker on the box. In fact, the no-login-required entry page for the router (put default gateway IP address into internet browser) actually showed how to find the address.

Login to the router as admin (or adminuser in the one case) and you can set the WiFi password to whatever you want.