Internet password?

[awa355]

How do I go about re placing the password for our modem/internet? We had a tablet stolen from the house which had a wireless connection to the modem. I knew once but it's been so long, I am not sure what steps I take. Both laptops are running windows 7 home edition. They are not linked via a network.
Thanks.

[Akzle]

your internet: phone your isp.

Your router: should be changed from the defualt admin:admin login!!

You can usually get to them by 192.168.1.1 or 10.1.1.1 or 172.16.0.1.

If not, and they log in before you, they can lock you out.

You can then do a hard reset. Router specific so rtfm.

Once youre in, change your wireless shit, password included. But pref also bssid.

[Gremlin]

I think you're talking about two different passwords (Ok, potentially 3).

Internet password: This is from your ISP. They give you a username and password to enter in your modem (some just use port auth) and then you can connect to the Internet. To change this it's best to contact the ISP. If you have emails with them as well, this password change may affect the email connection (say if you're using an email client like Outlook).

Modem Password: This, along with a username is how you log into the modem itself, to change any details. Say it has wireless built in, you could log into the modem to change the name of the wireless, it's password etc. To change this, you need to log into the modem and locate something like User, or Management (this varies heavily from one modem to the next).

Wireless Password: This, along with the wireless name (called SSID) is how you connect to the modem, your local network, and ultimately, the Internet. To change this (again, varies from modem to modem for specific details) go into Wireless settings, and locate Security. When this is changed, all devices connecting to wireless will need the new details. For the likes of Windows, you may run into additional issues if the wireless name is the same but a different password. You can easily remove the old network under "Manage wireless networks" in Network and Sharing Centre, but the details are saved elsewhere which are a little more tricky to locate.

[neels]

If your laptops are on the wifi then you can check the ip address, if its dynamic then ipconfig from cmd will tell you, router is normally .1

You can log in by typing the address directly into your internet browser address bar, at which point you'll probably find you don't know that password either.

If you manage to log into the router you can change the wifi password

[awa355]

It would be the modem password as Gremlin alludes to. If a guest has found our modem on their laptop, we have typed in our pw and they have connected straight away. I have found the 'phone and modem' section in the control panel but no options there seem to be what I want. I will leave it for someone else rather than stuff things up myself.

[Gremlin]

If you're on a Win7 laptop connected via wireless, you want to go to Network and Sharing Centre (multiple ways to get to it, but type Network in the Start Menu and you'll get the option under Control Panel). Click "Change adapter settings" on the left hand side. Look for the connection "Wireless Network Connection (possibly with wireless name under that).

Double left click it, or right click status and click Details. The gateway address is very likely your modem address (as above, it's often .1 on the end, sometimes .254) which you enter straight into a web browser to get the modem's page.

As for details, that varies from brand to brand (and if someone has changed your details then it's anyone's guess). Often admin, admin, or admin, password or a number of variations. I use this: http://open-sez.me/ when I'm dealing with one I don't know.

[Winston001]

That's a handy link Gremlin - ta muchly. :D

My problem is I can ping the Thompson router (Telecom/Spark) and get 192.168.1.254 but cannot get past the login. Should be admin but no dice.

The router was sent to my wife from Telecom and apparently worked out of the box - I wasn't here to play with it.

Unfortunately my new laptop refuses to remain connected if it shuts down or its sunny or its a Monday... Works fine with other modems.

As best I can tell, I need to change something but have to get into the modem first?

[Gremlin]

Sometimes those ISP supplied ones either have details on the back, or the MAC or serial is the password, and so on.

Otherwise, if you have your details you could always factory reset and do it all again. Spark usually has port auth, so you don't even need your username and password (user@xtrabb.co.nz or something and do not use a blank password, use password or anything).

On a related note, I just played with WAN passthrough for the first time, put a PPPoE client on my firewall for the DSL PPPoA, works fine. Sweet... let the firewall manage everything, plus with it having the dynamic IP I can make use of it...

[Winston001]

Cool Gremlin and thanks.

Yes there are numbers on the back and I copied them ages ago. Didn't know the internet address was preloaded although I guess the Telecom computer assigns it from the phone number at first connection.

Could do a reset but then I'd have to face angry teenagers and reconnect all the damn devices in the household. First world problems lol.

[Akzle]

Unfortunately my new laptop refuses to remain connected if it shuts down or its sunny or its a Monday... Works fine with other modems.

As best I can tell, I need to change something but have to get into the modem first?

the last 6 digits of mac address.
I fkn hate when they ship flashed fkn firmware on a brand new router. Makes you wonder what else they slip through.

Bin it and buy a linksys. Then phone and abuse the company.

As for what you need to change, broadcast freqs. Try and find some less cluttered shit, ie toward either end of the spectrum, or if you have lots of neighbors, 3/4 either way.

[Gremlin]

Yes there are numbers on the back and I copied them ages ago. Didn't know the internet address was preloaded although I guess the Telecom computer assigns it from the phone number at first connection.
Spark runs on dynamic IP, so every so often you get a new address. Gotta pay extra (through the nose) for static IP.

Re wireless, you only have 3 distinct channels, 1, 6, and 11, the rest all have interference (so ideally one of them), but otherwise pick wherever is quietest. Re performance, either a cluttered range, possibly shifting to a different channel will help (or even fixing if the modem is set to shifting) or the laptop itself. Running on battery will reduce wireless performance on a standard setup (you have to dig through the settings to fix it) or crappy drivers that can sometimes be resolved by updating to a newer revision.

One client's son bought a laptop because he really wanted a certain spec that I couldn't get. No end of wireless issues even 5min after initial connection. HP couldn't help, had the wrong drivers and I had to go back to OEM to get a better driver.

[Winston001]

Thanks Akzle and Gremlin, appreciated.

My connection problem seems to be specific to this particular modem and this laptop. I sometimes use a Thomson at another location and it never drops out.

Its not a big deal - right click on connection and wait for it to reset the network adaptor. Just a bit frustrating when everything else in the house including phones hold the connection flawlessly.

Might have a play around once I get into the modem.

[Akzle]

if its an ilder laptop, the nic might only support 802.11 a/b/g and your router might be switching from g/n.

In theory n is compatible with g, but i'd trust windows to fuck up something as basic as network stability.

So you may find an option to set the nic (at the laptop) to force g, and you may find an option at the router to force g only. Although that likely cant be set for the laptop only, so you'd slow down every other device.

[Akzle]

alternatively, make sure you have oem (asus, hp, toshiba, ie) or actual manufacturers' (intel, tplink, broadcom, etc) drivers for the nic, NOT the generic winblows ones.

[ledaero]

My connection problem seems to be specific to this particular modem and this laptop. I sometimes use a Thomson at another location and it never drops out.

Its not a big deal - right click on connection and wait for it to reset the network adaptor. Just a bit frustrating when everything else in the house including phones hold the connection flawlessly.

Might have a play around once I get into the modem.

In my experience Thompson are junk only telco's would buy - and only because they get them for a ridiculous price in bulk. Pretty much anything is better - including the newer Chinese and Taiwanese routers... or buy an old Linksys and throw DD-WRT on it for some open-source shenanigans.

But... if other devices are connecting fine to your wifi, then it's likely that it's your PC that needs a birthday.