How To Change Wifi Password

Frequently changing your Wi-Fi password is important for Internet and identity theft security. Changing your password will allow your anti-virus or firewall able to refresh for a new network security. Consider changing your password every 3 months and setting up a guest network for intermittent users. You can learn how to change a Wi-Fi password by accessing your account online.

Part 1 of 4: Wi-Fi Setup

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   Find the owner's manual for your wireless router. In some cases, you can access general information about Netgear, Linksys and other popular router brands on the company website.
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   Find your online account login and password. This is the login that you used when you initially set up the Wi-Fi network.
   • The administration password should be different from your wireless network username and password. It is a special admin account.
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   Choose a new password that is easy enough to memorize but complicated enough to avoid hacking. Do not keep it in a document saved on your computer.
   • Consider writing a password that is a sentence. This will allow you to use uppercase letters on the first word and proper nouns. Choose a sentence that isn't obvious to anyone but you and your family.
   • Choose a password that is 10 characters long. The more characters, in general, the harder it is to guess.
   • Make sure new passwords do not have many things in common with old passwords. Perhaps a different family member chooses a sentence each time. Do not use your name, address or other information that can be found through a basic Internet search.

Part 2 of 4: Accessing the Network

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   Find the web address on the back of your wireless router. Most routers and manuals have the address that you initially used to set up the wireless system. It says "[http" http"] followed by a series of backslashes, numbers and punctuation.
   • If you cannot find the IP for your wireless router, you may be able to do an online search using the model and brand of your wireless router, and the word "IP."
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   Type in the IP address in the URL bar on an Internet browser. Make sure you use a computer that is currently using this wireless system.
   • Signing in from a different Wi-Fi network requires you to have remote access, which also requires set up.

Part 3 of 4: Changing the Password

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   Log in to your Wi-Fi administrator account using your username and password.
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   Look for a tab on your Wi-Fi network dashboard that says "Security." You will want to find a section that lists the password or says "Change Password."
   • Consider changing your network name, if you have not already. If it simply says the name of the router, like "Netgear" when you search for local networks, you can change it to something that is easier to find. Choose something specific but non-personal, so that other people do not know which house is associated with the network.
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   Submit your new password.
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   Sign into the wireless network with your new network name and password.Most systems will kick you off the wireless network shortly after you change the password.
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   Sign into the network with the new password on all of your network devices.

Part 4 of 4: Guest Network

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   Log back into your wireless network administration panel using the IP address on the back of the router.
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   Type in your administration username and password.
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   Look through your network account settings. Look through the "Security," "Settings" and "Options" tabs to find a "Guest Network" section.
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   Click the option to set up a guest network.
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   Choose a name for your guest network. Most people include their primary network with a "-guest" designation at the end.
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   Choose a Wi-Fi guest network password that is very different from your own network password. Your aim in setting up a guest network is to limit the number of people who know your Wi-Fi password.
   • Choose a password that is easy to tell people verbally. You may give the password over the phone or in conversation, and it should be easy to communicate.
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   Test your guest network on 1 of your Wi-Fi enabled devices.