Reset or change router password in Windows 7
By default, most wired and wireless routers come with a default password of either "blank" (no password protection), or with the word "password" as their password. Obviously, this is a less than ideal setup, and you should change the router password as soon as possible. And security conscious users will also want to reset and change their routers' passwords on a regular basis. In this tutorial, we will show you how to reset and/or change the password of Cisco's Linksys routers, one of the most popular brands.
Reset router password in Windows 7 for Linksys / Cisco home routers
Follow these steps to change your Linksys router's password:
- First, open Internet Explorer, Firefox, or another web browser of your choice.
- Then, type the following "IP address" inside the address bar, as shown on the screenshot below: 192.168.1.1 and hit Enter on your keyboard. This is the universal IP address for Linksys routers - a numerical network address, just like websites use behind the scenes.
- As soon as you do, Windows 7 will show the "Windows Security" password prompt box shown below - it may look a bit different depending on which browser you are using:
- Leave the "User name" text field blank, and type your current router password inside the "Password" text field below it; if you have not yet set a password for your router, try entering simply "password", or -if that doesn't work- leave the password field blank (empty).
- Then, click on the "OK" button or press Enter on your keyboard.
- Assuming you have entered the correct router password, you should now be looking at the Cisco Linksys Control Panel screen, with the "Setup" page automatically selected - what you are looking at may have a slightly different appearance then the screenshot below, depending on the firmware version currently installed on the wireless router. Click on "Administration":
- Make sure that the "Router Password" sub-tab is currently selected; if so, you should see at the top of the screen two password fields, respectively labeled "Password" and "Re-enter to confirm", both including in special characters your current password:
- Type over the current values in both text fields to reset and change to a new router password, and make sure to avoid typos (otherwise, you will get an error message when you try to save the new password). then, scroll down and click on the "Save Settings" button at the bottom:
- As soon as you click, your web browser will show the password-change confirmation screen for your router, which will say something like "Settings are successful. You will be returned to the previous page after several seconds". Your router has saved your new password!
And that's how you reset or change router password for the common Wireless G / Wireless N routers made by Linksys (now part of Cisco Systems). You can now close your router browser window.
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