How to Change Your Router Admin Password — and Why the Default Is a Risk
Contents
Your router has two passwords. The Wi-Fi password lets devices join the network; the admin password opens the router’s settings — the page where someone can change the Wi-Fi password, redirect your traffic through other DNS servers, open ports to your computers or switch off the firewall. Many routers still run with the factory login printed on their label or listed in public manuals. Changing it takes three minutes and is one of the most useful things you can do for a home network.
Why the Default Admin Password Is a Risk
Default router logins are not secret. Combinations such as admin / admin, admin / password or an empty password are published by manufacturers in their manuals and collected on sites like ours, because people need them to set up their routers. The same lists are available to anyone else.
The admin page is reachable from every device on your network. A guest’s infected laptop, a compromised smart gadget or a neighbour who learned your Wi-Fi password can all try the default login. With it, they can read your Wi-Fi password, change DNS settings to send you to fake websites, open ports to devices that were never meant to face the internet, or lock you out of your own router. If remote management is switched on, the same page may even be reachable from the internet.
Newer routers from TP-Link, ASUS, NETGEAR and others ask you to create your own admin password during first setup, which closes most of this risk. Older routers, routers set up by a technician and provider gateways often still have the default — check yours. Our pages list the defaults by brand, for example TP-Link, NETGEAR, ASUS and Linksys, and the full default login list; if your router accepts one of them, change it today.
How to Change the Router Admin Password
The steps are the same on every brand; only the menu names differ.
- Connect to the router by cable or Wi-Fi and open its address — usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, or a name such as tplinkwifi.net, routerlogin.net or router.asus.com.
- Sign in with the current admin login.
- Open the administration or system section and find the password, login or account setting.
- Enter the current password, then the new one twice, and save.
- Sign in again with the new password to make sure it works.
The router may log you out immediately after saving; that is normal. If the router also has an app linked to your account, the app keeps working — it uses your cloud account, not the local password — although some apps offer the same setting under System or Manage Password.
Where the Setting Is on Popular Routers
| Router | Where to change the admin password |
|---|---|
| TP-Link (web) | Advanced → System → Administration |
| TP-Link (Tether app) | More → System → Manage Password (or Tools → System → Login Account) |
| NETGEAR | Advanced → Administration → Set Password; Nighthawk Pro Gaming: Settings → Administration → Set Password |
| ASUS | Administration → System → router login name and password |
| Linksys Smart Wi-Fi | Connectivity → Basic → Router Password |
| D-Link | Management → Admin (or Tools → Admin on older models) |
| Provider gateways | Often in the provider’s app or the gateway’s admin tool; some providers lock it |
NETGEAR’s own instructions add an important option on the same page: Enable Password Recovery. With it switched on and security questions set, you can reset a forgotten admin password with the router’s serial number instead of wiping the whole configuration.
What Makes a Good Admin Password
You will type this password rarely, so it can be long. Use at least 12 characters, ideally a passphrase of several unrelated words, and keep it different from your Wi-Fi password — the people who know the Wi-Fi password, such as guests, should not be able to open the settings. Store it in a password manager or write it down and keep it with the router’s paperwork; losing it means a factory reset later.
Where the router lets you change the login name as well (ASUS does, for example), choosing something other than admin makes guessing harder still.
Lock Down the Admin Page Further
A strong password is the main defence. A few settings near it close the remaining gaps:
Remote management. Often called Remote Management, Web Access from WAN or Remote Access, it makes the settings page reachable from the internet. Unless you really need it, keep it off; manufacturer apps provide safer remote access through your account.
WPS. The push-button pairing feature lets devices join without the Wi-Fi password and has had weak implementations. Switch it off if you do not use it.
Firmware updates. Security fixes for the admin page itself arrive in firmware. Turn on automatic updates if offered, or check for an update while you are signed in.
UPnP. It lets apps on your network open ports automatically. It is convenient for games and consoles, but any program can use it; if you do not need it, switching it off is the safer default. If you need specific ports open, set them manually — see how to port forward.
If You Forgot the Current Admin Password
There is no way to read a lost admin password from the router. First try the default from the label in case it was never changed, and the provider’s or manufacturer’s app if it is linked to your account. NETGEAR routers with password recovery enabled offer a reset after three wrong attempts: you enter the serial number and answer your security questions.
If nothing works, the only route left is a factory reset. It restores the default admin login — and also erases your Wi-Fi settings and internet connection details, so have your provider’s login ready and set a new admin password straight after the reset.
Frequently asked questions
Is the router admin password the same as the Wi-Fi password?
No. The admin password opens the router’s settings; the Wi-Fi password lets devices join the network. Changing one does not change the other.
Will changing the admin password disconnect my devices?
No. Wi-Fi and connected devices keep working. Only the session on the settings page ends, and you sign in again with the new password.
How do I know if my router still uses the default password?
Try the default login for your brand on the settings page. If it works, change it. Newer routers that made you create a password during setup do not have a usable default.
Should I change the admin username too?
If the router allows it, yes — a username other than admin makes guessing harder. Many routers do not offer this option.
Can my internet provider still access the router after I change the password?
Provider gateways are often managed remotely through a separate channel, independent of the local admin password. That is normal for leased equipment.