Chances are you have a Wi-Fi network in your home or near one (or more), and every time you turn on your laptop or check your phone, it pops up prominently on your list.
The problem is that if there is a padlock (also called SSID or Service Set Identifier) next to the network name, it indicates that the security system is active. Without a password or password, you can’t access that website or the sweet, sweet internet that comes with it.
Maybe you’ve forgotten your internet password, or your neighbor doesn’t want to share the benefits of Wi-Fi. Just go to the cafe, buy a latte and use the “free” Wi-Fi there. Download apps like Wi-Fi Map (Opens in a new window) (iOS (Opens in a new window)) (iOS (Opens in a new window)) for your mobile device to access millions of hotspots. The list that appears is free Wi-Fi. (including specific passwords for closed Wi-Fi connections, if used by a user app).
However, there are other ways to switch back to your wireless network. Some people need a lot of patience to realize that the idea of a coffee shop is great. If you can’t wait, read on.
Windows command to retrieve the key
This trick works to recover your Wi-Fi network password (aka network security key) when you forget the password you used before.
This works because Windows creates a profile for each Wi-Fi network you connect to. If you tell Windows to forget the browser, it will also forget the password. It doesn’t work in this case. But apparently very few do.
This requires you to log into the Windows Command Prompt with administrator privileges. Click on the star menu and type “cmd” (without quotes) and the command line will appear in the menu. Right-click this entry and select Run as administrator. This opens a black box filled with encrypted text. This is a line with a right arrow at the end, like C:\WINDOWS\system32\>. A blinking cursor indicates where you are typing. Starting with:
netsh wlan show profile
The user profile section appears in the results. These are all Wi-Fi networks (also known as WLANs or WLANs) that you have opened and saved. Choose the password you want to get, highlight it and copy it. At the prompt below, type: Replace X with the name of the network you are copying. Quotes are only required if the network name contains spaces, such as “Cup o Jo Cafe”.
netsh wlan show profile name = “XXXXXXXXX” key = clear
In the Security Settings section of the new data that appears, find the line Key Content. The words you see are lost Wi-Fi passwords or keys. (If you don’t like the command line, you can use a third-party password recovery program like Cain & Abel (Opens in a new window) or WirelessKeyView (Opens in a new window) to do this. Give up.)
On macOS, you can get the Mac equivalent from the command line by opening Spotlight search (Cmd + Space) and typing “Terminal”. Enter the following in place of the X in the network name.
security find –generic-password-wa XXXXX
Reset the router
It won’t work on anyone’s Wi-Fi next door. This requires physical access to the router. However, before doing a full router reset, make sure to connect to your router to a Wi-Fi network. Where you can easily reset your Wi-Fi password/key if you forget it.
It’s unlikely that you don’t know your router’s password. (The WiFi password and the router password are not the same unless you specify the same password for both.) Resetting the router will only work if it can be accessed via Wi-Fi (unless you have configured it) and It works with an Ethernet cable. .This only works if.
If you have a router provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), check the sticker on the device before resetting it. Your ISP can print your SSID and network security key directly to your hardware.
Nuclear options include: Almost all routers have a reset button. Press with a pen or long paper and hold for 10 seconds to reset the router to factory settings.
When the router is reset, a different username/password combination is required to access the router. Again, do it from a PC connected to the router via Ethernet. Resetting your current router may cause all Wi-Fi connections to be lost. The actual access is usually through a web browser, but many navigators on home mesh systems can now control the app.
Some routers may have a sticker that displays the default Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and network security key (password) to successfully switch to Wi-Fi after activation.
The URL you type into your browser to access your router’s settings is 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 or some variation. Let’s try random. Most of the time this works. To check if your PC is connected to your router via Ethernet, open the application and type ipconfig. Find gibberish for IPv4 addresses starting with 192.168.1. The other two spaces, called bytes, can be other numbers between 0 and 255. Note the third byte (maybe 1 or 0). The fourth is reserved for the PC you use to connect to your router.
Type 192.168.x.1 into your browser, replacing x with the number found in your ipconfig search. 1 and the last octet should point to the router. Routers are the first devices in the network. (See How to Access Wi-Fi Router Settings for more information.)
At this point, the router should ask for a username and password (which may not be the same as your Wi-Fi SSID and network security key). Assuming you haven’t dropped it yet, check out the manual. Alternatively, you can go to RouterPasswords.com (opens in a new window) and get a default username/password for your router that you created. In some cases you will need the model number of your router, but not all.
You’ll quickly find out which router manufacturers use the username “admin” and the password “password”, so you should try that first. Since most people are lazy and don’t change their assigned passwords, you can try these options before pressing the reset button. Once in the Wi-Fi settings, activate your wireless network and assign a strong but easy-to-remember password. Finally, you don’t want to share it with your neighbors without your permission.
Enter this Wi-Fi password easily, even on your mobile device. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to use some crap and not being able to connect your phone to Wi-Fi, even if it’s the most secure password you’ve ever created.
Breaking the code
You’re not here just because the title says “Reset your router.” You want to know how to crack Wi-Fi network passwords.
If you search for “Hack Wi-Fi Password” or any other option, you will find many links. Most of these are links to programs on sites where adware, bots and scammers pour out like snake oil. The same goes for many YouTube videos that promise how to hack passwords by visiting certain websites on your mobile phone.
If you download these programs or visit these website, you do so at your own risk. Many of these are the best fishing. If you use this method, we recommend using a computer that you can play with for a while. I tried this and thankfully my antivirus removed some devices before I tried to run the EXE installation file.