Your Wi-Fi password guards your wireless network against snoopers and drive-by hackers. It needs to be complex and difficult to guess yet still simple enough to remember and use.
Maybe your current Wi-Fi password doesn't cut it, but you're not quite sure how or where to change it. No problem. The actual steps vary depending on your router brand and model, but the basic process is the same.
There's only one real downside with changing your Wi-Fi password. After you reset the password, you have to log back into your network from every wireless device in your home. That lineup includes not just your PCs and mobile devices but also your smart TV, Blu-ray player, streaming media players, and any other smart devices. Whew, that's a fair amount of work. But if the move improves and enhances your Wi-Fi security, the results should be worth the effort.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Log Into Your Router's Firmware
Find Your Router's IP Address
Access Wireless Settings
Change Your Password
Type the new password in the appropriate field. Keep in mind the golden rules of creating a good password. If you need help creating a new, more secure password that you can actually remember, we can steer you in the right direction. If you're thinking about using a random password generator, we can help you there too. If you have a dual-band router (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band) with the same network name, or SSID, for both bands, then you only need to update the password for one band, and the change will apply to the other. If not, then you'll need to treat each band separately.
Click Apply. Your settings are updated, and you're done, at least as far as changing the password. Now comes the real work. You'll have to pay a trip to each wireless device in your home and sign back into your network with the new password.