Internet, Networking, & Security Home Networking 38 38 people found this article helpful How to Change the Default Password on a Network Router Choose a password to secure your network by Bradley Mitchell Writer An MIT graduate who brings years of technical experience to articles on SEO, computers, and wireless networking. our editorial process LinkedIn Bradley Mitchell Updated on July 30, 2020 Home Networking Routers & Firewalls The Wireless Connection Network Hubs ISP Broadband Ethernet Installing & Upgrading Wi-Fi & Wireless Tweet Share Email An administrative account lets you manage your network router. As part of the router manufacturing process, vendors set a default username and default password for this account that apply to all units of a particular model. These defaults are public knowledge and known to anyone who can perform a basic web search. PXhere Change the Default Password on a Network Router You should immediately change the router's administrative password after installing it to increase the security of your home network. It doesn't by itself protect the router from Internet hackers, but it can prevent nosy neighbors, friends of your children, or other household guests from disrupting your home network (or worse). The exact steps will vary depending on the specific model of the router in use, but the process is similar in any case. It only takes about one minute. Log in to the router's administrative console (web interface) through a web browser using the current password and username. If unsure how to find your router's address, we can help you figure out what the IP address of your router is. Enter the default user name and password to log in to your router's dashboard. In the router's administrative console, navigate to the page where its password setting can be changed. In this example, the Administration tab at the top of the screen contains the Linksys router's password setting. (Other routers may keep this setting under Security menus or other locations.) Enter a strong password in the Password box, and re-enter the same password a second time in the space provided. The router intentionally hides the characters (replaces them with dots) as you type as an added security feature in case other people besides the administrator are watching the screen. The password change is not applied to the router until you save or confirm it. In this example, select the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page to have the new password take effect. You might see a confirmation window appear briefly to confirm you successfully changed the password change. The new password takes effect immediately; rebooting the router is not required. Do not confuse this password with the separate settings for WPA2 or another wireless key. Wi-Fi client devices use wireless security keys to make protected connections to the router; only humans use the administrator password to connect. Administrators should avoid using the key as the administrative password even if their router allows it.