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Protect your network with a strong WiFi password

Digital security is ever so important in our fast paced digital world. Even if you are looking for the ways to secure your home WiFi network, creating a good WiFi password is the first step in creating a secure environment that is inaccessible to a WiFi password hacker of any kind.
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You may have heard that a good habit to develop is to change WiFi password regularly, however another important thing is choosing strong WiFi passwords that can't be easily hacked.

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How do I change my WiFi password
How to find WiFi Password and make it strong
FAQ

How do I change my WiFi password

It is not difficult to change your WiFi password, just follow the steps below.

Step 1

Open your router's configuration page

On a computer connected to your network open your web browser and enter your router address there. Standard router addresses are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1, 192.168.2.1, or 10.0.1.1 (Apple) or 10.0.0.1 (Xfinity WiFi).

192.168.1.1 IP address

In case you can't connect to WiFi because you misplaced the password, use an Ethernet cable to connect directly to the router. In some cases you can use a designated software for your router settings.

Step 2

Enter your router's current username and password

If you have never changed your router's login details, look on the outside of your device for its username and password, or you can try an online search according to your router's model. In case you changed the login details previously, find the Reset button on your router, press it and hold for about 30 seconds.

Router’s username and password

Once settings are reset to default you can again look at the outside of your router to use the manufacturer's default login details.

Step 3

Go to the Wireless section

After you have successfully logged in to your router, open Wireless section of its configuration page. It may have a slightly different name in different brands of devices, but shouldn't be hard to determine.

Go to the Wireless section

Then proceed to Wireless Security page.

Step 4

Change WiFi password

Find the box named "Password", "Passphrase" or "Shared Key". There you can enter your new password and re-enter it to verify.

Change WiFi password
Step 5

What is your security type

WEP, WPA, and WPA2 are three main types of wireless encryption. WPA2 provides the most security, however it may not support some of the older devices, so you may connect to WPA or WPA/WPA2. WEP has been superseded by newer protocols quite some time ago, as it doesn't provide the needed security anymore and can be hacked easily.

Connect to WPA/WPA2

Using WEP encryption is not recommended.

Step 6

Change your network name

Change the name of your network from a default one to something more unique, but make sure not to include any personally identifiable information, as this name will be visible to everyone looking for networks to connect.

Change your network name

Usually a router with default name is considered to be an easier hacking target.

Step 7

Save new settings

Click Apply or Save button to finalize the process and remember your new settings. Now you can use your new WiFi password to connect to your wireless network.

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How to find WiFi Password and make it strong

Before you change your password, you should find out what the current password is. That way, you can ensure that the change will have a positive impact on your security.

How to find WiFi passwords on iPhone

There are three ways to find WiFi passwords on iOS, and none of them is particularly user-friendly. Here are your options sorted from the most complicated to the least complicated:

  • You can jailbreak your iPhone and install something like GoodWiFi to see more information about known WiFi networks.
How to find WiFi passwords on iPhone Step 1
  • If jailbreaking your iPhone isn’t something you’re willing to do, then you can turn on iCloud synchronization and use it to synchronize all passwords stored on your iPhone. You can then view them from your Mac computer (see the macOS section later in this article for more details).
How to find WiFi passwords on iPhone Step 2
  • Or you can simply log in to your router’s admin interface using the Safari web browser and view the password to your own network there. To do that, you need to enter your router’s IP address in the address bar, log in with the admin username and password (try admin/admin if you’re not sure), and go to the wireless settings section.
How to find WiFi passwords on iPhone Step 3

While being the easiest, the third method is also the most limited because you can’t use it to find passwords to networks you don’t administer yourself.

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How to find WiFi password on macOS

macOS keeps all saved passwords in the Keychain password management system, making it easy to retrieve them at any time:
  1. Press Command + Space to launch Spotlight.
  2. Type in “keychain” and select the Keychain Access option.
Keychain Access option
  1. In the search bar located in the upper right-hand corner, type in the name of the WiFi network whose password you want to find.
Keychain Access Search
  1. Double click the network from the list of results.
  2. Click the checkbox next to the “Show password” field.
Click the Show password checkbox
  1. Enter your username and password.
Enter your username and password

To view saved passwords, you must have administrator privileges on your Mac. If you don’t see passwords saved by your iPhone, then make sure the Keychain option under iCloud settings is checked.

How to find WiFi password on Windows

If you’re not afraid of using the command line, then you can display any saved WiFi password with a single command:

netsh wlan show profiles name=SSID key=clear

Just replace “SSID” with the name of the network whose password you want to see. If you would like to see all saved passwords, use this command instead:

netsh wlan show profile * key=clear

Alternatively, you can display the password of the network you’re currently connected to by following these steps:
  1. Open the classic Control Panel.
How to Find WiFi Passwords on Windows 10 Step 1
  1. Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
How to Find WiFi Passwords on Windows 10 Step 2
  1. Click the name of your WiFi network next to Connections.
  1. Click Wireless Properties and go to the Security tab.
Go to the Security tab
  1. Click the Show characters check box to see the Network security key.
Click the Show characters check box to see the Network security key

That’s how easy it is to find WiFi passwords on Windows. The above-described methods should work across all versions of Windows from 7 up.

How to find WiFi password on Android

Most modern Android smartphones and tablets support WiFi password sharing, allowing you to generate a scannable QR code with the password to the selected WiFi network encoded in it. You can then turn the QR code into plain text using an Android QR code scanner app like QRbot:
  1. Open the Settings app.
Open the Settings app
  1. Go to WiFi settings.
Go to WiFi settings
  1. Share the network whose password you want to see.
Share the network
  1. With the QR code displayed on your Android device, create a screenshot.
QR code Android
  1. Launch your QR code scanner app of choice and open the screenshot.
  2. Let the app turn the QR code into plain text.

The password should now be visible in a human-readable format, along with the name of the WiFi network the password protects.

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Make Your WiFi Password Stronger

Now that you know your current WiFi password, you can follow the tips below to set a perfectly reliable WiFi password that cannot be guessed and cannot be easily hacked by a WiFi password hacker.
Tip 1

Go for a longer WiFi password

A rule of thumb for the length of WiFi passwords is to make it at least eight characters long, and the longer it is, the harder it will be to hack.

Tip 2

The more random the better

Even a long password can be quite useless if it is a regular word from a dictionary. Specialized hacking software will quickly crack such password. Randomize letters, numbers, and symbols mixing in the uppercase letters in your otherwise lowercase WiFi password and vice versa.

Tip 3

Misspell a little, it is okay

If you are using real words or phrases in your strong WiFi password, try to make them unique and difficult to hack. For example for your "I watch Game of Thrones at 9.40" password use such form as "IwGoThr@9.40" or substitute the phrase "I love burgers" with "1LUv8uRgEr$!1".

Tip 4

WiFi passwords to avoid

Even if you used letters and numbers, you may still have created a very common weak WiFi password. By all means avoid using instances like "abc1234", "123456789", "password", "qwerty", "111111", "admin", "iloveyou" and "aaaaaa". Every WiFi hacking software will try these first.



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FAQ

How to create a strong WiFi password?

  1. It is better to have a longer password — 8 characters at least.
  2. Forgo regular dictionary words, they are very easy to hack. Think of a unique word and randomize letters, numbers, and special characters, mixing up the lower- and uppercase letters.
  3. You can play with spelling — deviating from the correct spelling is a good thing for passwords.
  4. Avoid weak obvious passwords like 1234567890 or abc12345. Combinations like these are the first ones hackers will try.

How do I change my WiFi password?

Here's what to do in order to change your WiFi password:

  • Step 1. On a computer on your WiFi network open a web browser and enter your router address there.
  • Step 2. Type/paste the current username and password for your router. The default ones can be found right on your device.
  • Step 3. After logging in to your router, open the Wireless section (it might be a slightly different name in different makes of routers). Then proceed to the Wireless Security page.
  • Step 4. There you should be able to set up your new password.
  • Step 5. As you are already there, look at your current security protocol. It is best to upgrade to WPA2, unless WPA3 is available, which is even better.
  • Step 6. You can also change your network name to something more unique, but make sure not to include any personally identifiable information.
  • Step 7. Don't forget to save the changes.
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