How to Hack Wi-Fi Passwords

Wi-Fi Passwords

Chances are you have a Wi-Fi network at home, or live close to one (or more) that tantalizingly pop up in a list whenever you boot up the laptop. The problem is, if there's a lock next to the name, that indicates security for the Wi-Fi network is turned on. Without the password or passphrase, you're not going to get access to that network, or that sweet, sweet Internet that goes with it.

Perhaps you forgot the password on your own network, or don't have neighbors willing to share the Wi-Fi goodness. You could just go to a café and buy a latte and use the "free" Wi-Fi there. Download an app for your phone like WiFi-Map, and you'll have a list of over 2 million hotspots with free Wi-Fi for the taking (including some passwords for locked Wi-Fi connections, if they're shared by any of the app's 7 million users).

But there are other ways to get back on the wireless, though some of them require such extreme patience and waiting, that café idea is going to look pretty good.

Reset the Router

Before you do this, just try to log into the router first. From there, you can easily reset your wireless password if you've forgotten it.

The problem is when you don't know the password for the router, either. (They're not the same thing, unless you set it up that way). Resetting the router is about as brute force a method as you get, and it only works if you have physical access to the router.

Almost every router in existence has a recessed reset button it. Push it with a pen or unfolded paperclip, hold it for about 10 seconds, and the router will change to the factory settings.

If you've got a router that came from your Internet service provider, check the stickers before a reset—they might have printed the router and Wi-Fi passwords (sometimes called the key) right on the hardware.

Once it's reset, you need another password (plus a username) to access the router itself. Generally you can do this in a Web browser of any PC attached to the router via Ethernet—you'll need that since the reset probably killed any potential Wi-Fi connection you had going in.

The URL to type is either 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, or some variation. Once you're asked for a username/password, what do you do? Check your manual. Which you probably lost or threw away. So instead, go to RouterPasswords.com. The site exists for one reason: to tell people the default username/password on just about every router ever created.