How To Change WiFi Password

1. Change the default passwords

There are two, maybe more, passwords that you should change: the “admin” password and the “wifi” password(s). The admin password is used to access and configure the router and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) settings while the wifi password(s) are used when connecting a device, like a phone or laptop, to the Wireless Access Point (WAP)- your wifi router’s wireless connection.

You really should change the default admin password on your WiFi access point.

If this is a “store bought” device, the manufacturer’s default passwords are well known and can be found by simple web searches. This means anyone that knows the basics can log into the administrative interface and change settings… and that is bad. It’s the equivalent of leaving the front door unlocked while you’re out of town on vacation.

Even if the device came from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Cable company, I’d recommend to change it to something that you set – both for convenience and for security.

Here’s a video I made discussing this (it was my first attempt at such a video and it’s not that… “polished”) I am using a Linksys E5400 for the demonstration. Your device will probably have different options and navigation menus but the principles are the same.

Change the default admin password

This is what the administrative login page looks like on the Linksys E5400. You can search the web or look for a sticker that tells you the default IP address to use to access this page. Typically, for most manufacturers, it is either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. The default username is “admin” and the sticker or web search should provide the usual passwords: admin, user, password etc…

Each device may have different menu options. In this case, navigate to the Configurations tab>Administration> Password and set a complex but easy to remember password

2. Change the wireless password and settings

The wifi password(s) are used when connecting your wireless devices. You’re WAP may have more than one frequency range, like 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. You can set a password and broadcast ID, called the SSID, to any name you like for each of those. For example, my old Linksys device has 3 options: a 5 GHz range, a 2.4 GHz range, and a “Guest” option. I can set the 5 GHz connection to use an SSID of “Backroom 5G” with a unique password, the 2.4 GHz connection with “Backroom-kids” with a different password.

Change the broadcast name (SSID)

Navigate to Configurations tab> Wifi>Basic Wireless settings. SSID Broadcast means that name will be visible to wireless devices. De-selecting just means the name is not visible, or broadcast, but it is still usable and can be manually entered when trying to get connected.

Change the WiFi Passwords

Now that we have new, descriptive SSID’s, it’s time to change the passwords used to get connected.

Navigate to Configurations tab>Wifi>Wireless security and select the type of encryption (security mode- learn more here) and enter complex but easy to remember passwords for each. See section 3 below for my thoughts on this.

Guest Access

Most modern wireless routers will give you an option to “isolate” the Guest connection meaning that any devices that connect to it cannot access, or see, any other device connected that is connected. The “guest isolation” is an important security feature to protect your home network- you never know when someone else’s device may be compromised or if they may just be curious and start poking around on your network.

In this case, I don’t have that option but I can limit the total number of connected “guest devices” or disable the feature completely. For this model of Linksys, it is using the 5 GHz frequency of my primary WLAN setup but forces them to authenticate via webpage- much like you might have experienced using a Hotel’s WiFi system.

Configurations>WiFi>Guest Access

3.Choosing Passwords

This a conversation that can really get “into the weeds” and there are several schools of thought on the topic. Feel free to research and dig as deep as you can stand- in fact, I encourage you to do so. With that said, here are the main ideas:

• use upper and lowercase letters- “t” and “T” are different characters
• use numbers and special characters like !@#$%
• longer is stronger
• don’t use the same passwords over and over- since I know you will anyway, make sure “admin” passwords are different than wifi, email, netflix passwords.
• don’t use easy to guess words and dates- like your birthday, or the name of the dog that is posted in all of your social media accounts, or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number

I like phrases or short sentences because they are easier to remember. Something like: !This h0use is R3d

Remember that the “spaces” count as characters so that password is 17 characters long but easy to remember!

If you have questions or other tips, please visit the Forums and start a conversation.