How to View or Change Your Wireless Network Password

Symptoms:

• You have lost or forgotten the password to your wireless network
• You have lost or forgotten the password for the router, access point or other network device
• You left the default password or used a weak password and someone has hijacked your network

Depending on the router, you can either view or reset the wireless network password (also referred to as the passphrase or security key) if you can log into the router.  Some routers mask the wireless network password, so while you cannot recover it, you can enter and save a new password.

If you cannot log into your router because you have forgotten the router password or your network has been hijacked, please refer to "Lost or forgotten password for router or other device" below.

To view or reset a wireless network password:

1. Launch your Internet browser and type http://www.routerlogin.net in or http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1 the address field for your browser. Enter the router's username and password.
   The default username is admin, the default password is password.
2. From the left-hand navigation menu of the Router administration interface, select Set Up > Wireless Settings
   Note: On some routers this option will be under BASIC > Wireless.
3. From the center screen, you find the current wireless security settings under the Security Options heading.
   

   • If the wireless network passphrase is visible, review it and use it to log devices onto your network.
   • If it is not visible, you can change your wireless passphrase; however, changing the passphrase will cause you to lose your wireless connection.  Connect your computer to the router with an Ethernet cable before entering a new passphrase into the text box and clicking Apply. 
     
     Read more about Securing your Wireless Network.

If you cannot log into your router:

- If you were routed to the NETGEAR website or getting the "Page cannot be displayed" message when trying to login to router, make sure you are connected to the NETGEAR router.  Check your wired connection and make sure cable is securely plugged in and LED is on. If wireless adapter is on, make sure you are NOT connected on a different wireless network. 

- Unfortunately, there is no way to recover a lost or forgotten password from a router or access point; you will need to reset the device to factory defaults. However, once the device is reset to factory defaults, you can use the default access information to reconfigure your router settings. NOTE:  Restoring factory defaults on a device will erase any customizations you have made.  You will lose any configurations saved to the device!

See the following articles for more information:

• Secure Your Wireless Network: WPA/WPA2 (Recommended)
• Reset and Restore a NETGEAR device to Factory Default Settings
• Default Password for NETGEAR devices

Document Type:

Knowledge Base > Manage your Device/Network

Published 12/08/2009 05:33 PM   |   Updated 03/18/2013 11:25 AM

Posted in: IT Knowledge