Your home should be a place of safety. In today’s age, that also should include your home network. When setting up a router, it’s easy to leave the default password and get on with your daily internet needs, but default or weak passwords are like leaving your front door open 24/7…it invites trouble.
Below, we’ll show you how to change your Wi-Fi password in just three easy steps, how to change the name of your Wi-Fi, and a couple of other helpful tips.
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How to Change Wi-Fi Password
Step 1: Access Your Router Settings
The first thing you’ll need to do in order to change your Wi-Fi password and name is to access the router settings on a device that is already hooked up to your Wi-Fi. Here’s how you do it:
- On a device connected to the Wi-Fi, open up your web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc.), type in the default gateway address into the URL bar, and hit Enter. The most common router addresses are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.2.1, or 10.0.1.1 for Apple.
- That should take you to a page that requests you enter your router credentials. Unless you’ve already changed it, the username is most often defaulted to “admin” and the password is simply “password” (alternatively, the password could be set to “admin” as well). If “admin” and “password” don’t work, look on the back or bottom of your router, as they are sometimes listed there.
- Note: If you’re having trouble with this step, you should be able to find the information by looking up the router’s model number on the manufacturer’s website.
Step 2: Locate Your Wi-Fi Security Settings
Once you get into your router settings, you’ll be greeted with a number of different tabs. Don’t worry, while it can look confusing at first, all you need to do is navigate to a tab that is often labeled “Wireless” or something very similar. Once there, you’ll see a box labeled “Password” or “Shared Key” (it might be a slight variation, but it should be pretty clear if you keep those two in mind), which is where you’ll enter your new Wi-Fi password.
Step 3: Change Your Wi-Fi Password
Now that you’ve found the correct box, you’ll simply want to enter the password of your choice. Make sure it has the characteristics of a strong password, containing some mix of upper-cases, lower-cases, numbers, and special characters (such as !, #, or $).
You might also notice some different options when it comes to setting your Wi-Fi security type. The best practice is to use WPA2, as it’s the current Wi-Fi security standard.
How to Change Router Login Credentials
Rewinding back to step one for a second, remember how you accessed your router by entering “admin” and “password” into the boxes on your browser? Well, anyone who gains access to your Wi-Fi could do the exact same thing, so you’ll want to change those as well. Here’s how:
- Complete step one above.
- Search for a tab labeled “Administration” or something similar.
- Within this tab, look for another tab labeled “System” or “Router Account.”
- Once there, you should see boxes for the router login name and router login password. Change these to something secure but memorable.
- IMPORTANT: DO NOT make these the same as your Wi-Fi username and password!
How to Change Wi-Fi Name
Securing your Wi-Fi and router with updated passwords is obviously priority number one, but while doing so, it doesn’t hurt to also change the name of your Wi-Fi to something more personalized and easy to distinguish from other nearby networks.
- Complete step one above.
- Navigate to the “Wireless” tab.
- Look for a box labeled something along the lines of “Wireless Network Name” or “SSID.”
- Enter your desired Wi-Fi name in the corresponding box. This will be the name that shows up on devices when looking to connect.
- Note: Most modern routers provide both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, so you’ll want to make sure the names are slightly different should your router provide both (the easiest way is to simply add “5G” at the end of the 5 GHz name).
Why It’s Important
The router is one of, if not the most important pieces of technology in your home. It is in charge of all the information going in and out of your devices. That means if anyone is able to compromise your network, they can quickly gain access to pretty much every device you own.
Beyond that, your home router comes with all sorts of security features to help keep you protected. Should someone access your router (not terribly difficult if your password is literally “password”), they are capable of tearing down those protections without you ever knowing, leaving you open and vulnerable to a plethora of malicious network traffic.
Other Router Tips
Forgotten Password
When it comes to your home Wi-Fi password, it doesn’t hurt to jot it down on a piece of paper and keep it stored somewhere in case you forget. However, should you lose the password and just can’t get it right, there is a way to reset your router.
Doing so will require a factory reset of your router, which will return it to its fresh out-of-the-box settings. To do so, you’ll have to go to your physical router and locate the small pinhole-sized reset button on the device. After resetting the router, you’ll have to re-complete the steps above, as well as reconnect all existing devices.
Firmware Updates
For most people, routers are a setup-and-forget deal. But, just like most other pieces of technology, routers will occasionally get software updates that boost security and patch vulnerabilities. To take advantage of these updates, you’ll want to once again follow the instructions from step one above, and then look for a button that will read something along the lines of “Firmware Upgrade” or “Router Update.” If you don’t immediately see it, check under the “Administration” tab, and then go ahead and click any button that prompts a check for the latest update.
Know Who Has Access
It’s not uncommon these days to give any guests in our homes access to our Wi-Fi. This includes all kinds of guests, ranging from friends to acquaintances and even to maintenance workers. While the odds are that all of these people are trustworthy, it only takes one wrong person getting on your network to get in and do damage.
Beyond monitoring devices connected to your network (which you can do within your router settings), knowing who’s requesting access to your Wi-Fi doesn’t hurt. Whether you’re sharing your Wi-Fi with workers in your home, your neighbor, or even a houseguest, knowing who you’re sharing with can help you stay safe. With Spokeo’s People Search tool, you can find out a bit more about who you’re inviting into your home (and home network), just to ensure you aren’t handing over network information to a cybercriminal.
Fortunately, routers and Wi-Fi don’t require a ton of fuss after the initial setup, but before you put it in the back of your mind and go back to scrolling, make sure your router credentials and Wi-Fi have been given adequate passwords.
Cyrus Grant is a writer from Southern California with a background in law and dispute resolution. When he isn’t writing, he can be found deep-diving into the latest technology trends or simply spending time at the beach.