How to change the router management password? I used the password left by the installer for half a year, changing my phone and computer to two different routes
two years ago, when I installed broadband, the technician came and quickly fixed both the optical modem and router in twenty minutes. Before leaving, he pointed at the router and said, "I've set the background password for you." I said okay, and then I never thought about it again. It wasn't until this year that I wanted to limit the speed of my child's tablet. When I entered 192.168.1.1 on my phone, the password box popped up, and I was stunned: the key to this machine was in the hands of the technician from start to finish, and I didn't even know what it was set to. I checked WeChat and asked the technician for a string of his usual passwords, and the moment I got them, I decided to switch to my own. This article breaks down the issue of changing management passwords clearly: how to change the computer, how to change the phone, what parts to change afterward—all of these were sorted out one by one during my night's turmoil.
first: the router has three passwords, don't change them to the wrong door
many people search for "how to change router passwords," half of them actually want to change their WiFi passwords. For the other half, please the about changing WiFi passwords on your phone. Today, we're talking about management password , also known as login password or administrator password—it's the key to accessing the backend. There are three keys on the router; let's first check the numbers:
| password | which door does it matter | what will it affect if you change it |
| manage password | enter the 192.168.1.1 backend | does not affect internet access, WiFi can be connected as usual |
| WiFi password | phone or computer connected wirelessly | all household devices must be re-entered |
| Broadband account passwords | dial-up internet access (PPPoE) | entered incorrectly will result in no internet access |
most frequently asked question is: If you change the management password, will your home WiFi disconnect? won't . Managing passwords only requires the backend door. The moment you change your save, WiFi still connects, and watching videos doesn't have buffering. Conversely, changing WiFi passwords won't change the management password—everything is kept separately. The only rule to remember is not to set the two keys exactly the same—if you get one right on the internet, it's like getting two right. I wrote about what to do first when logging into the backend in that article.
under what circumstances should you change the management password
sorted by urgency. The first type is the that the installer has installed—it's like mine. Installer technicians visit seven or eight stores a day, using only a few passwords, and their peers are basically clear. Your backend is basically semi-public. The second type is taking over someone else's machine—buying a second-hand router, renting a house left by the landlord, or a company scrapping it. You never know how many people the previous owner has given their password. The third type is whose family has had a freeloading incident. According to the article anti-internet access if you've caught an unfamiliar device, changing the WiFi password alone isn't enough; you change the backend password too, or else they can use the management privileges to change your new password back at any time.
another type is always using the factory-default . The old Mercury model defaulted to admin/admin, while the old Tengda simply left the password blank. I broke these rules in two articles: Mercury initial password and Tenda initial password —the default password is printed in the manual, effectively not set. New machines are generally designed for first-time users with self-design, which is somewhat better, but the setup is 12345678 for convenience and is essentially the same.
Computer Modification: Seven brands, each with its own
to be honest: the entry points for changing management passwords vary in brand locations, but if you look for words like "management password" and "login password," you can usually find them near the system settings. I organized the machines I have and those I have touched in my circle of friends into a table:
| brand | change password path | note |
| TP-Link (cloud router), route settings | → change administrator password | enter the original password |
| TP-Link (old interface) | system tools→ change login passwords | username and password must be entered |
| Mercury | system settings→ manage passwords | new and old interfaces with the same path |
| Tenda | system settings → manage passwords | and calculating passwords on the same page |
| more features | Huawei/Honor→ router management info | after changing it, you need to log in again |
| ASUS | system management→ system settings→ changing system passwords | and accounts can also be changed simultaneously |
| Xiaomi/Redmi | system management → account management | old firmware is in the security center |
two details. First all brands require you to enter your old password set up a new one—this is the threshold for anti-internet users to directly change your password. So while you still remember your old password (or can ask a technician), do it quickly. If you really forget to dig through three ways to recover your password, you'll have to take a long detour. Second, the new password has only one rule: don't duplicate WiFi passwords, be at least tens of digits long, and have letters sandwiched between numbers. My approach is to change a phrase only I know, like the community name plus the house number, then a symbol. After two taps, you'll get the hang of it, which is much harder to guess than just numbers.
mobile modification: There is also an entry point hidden in the app, except for Mercury users
don't want to open a computer, you can still modify it in the mobile app, and the entry point is even easier to find than the web version. In the TP-LINK app, tap "Login Management" in the "Routing Settings" section at the bottom, then tap "Change Administrator Password." Entering the old and updating the password completes the process. Xiaomi's Mijia App → toolbox → manage password , synchronized with the web version. In the ASUS app, under 'Settings → System Settings → Router Login Settings,' click Edit, verify the old password, and then change the new one.
here, I want to highlight Mercury: You can't find the management password in the Mercury WiFi App; it's exclusive to the web backend—log melogin.cn in and change it with your mobile browser, just like on a computer. So don't waste all your time searching in the app—it's not that you don't know how to use it, it's that they simply didn't put it in at all. There's an extra benefit to changing your password in the app: you can log in and verify it on the spot after you change, so you don't have to find a wrong letter and can't get in.
after fixing these four parts, you have to follow up; I missed the third point
the moment you change your password, it's not really over. There are still four places where your old password is stored. The first time I changed it, I missed the third one and had to remember it after suffering a loss.
First, browser's autofill . Most of the time, your computer browser remembers the old password. Next time you log in to the background, it will automatically fill in the old password for you, prompting an error in the password. You might think it's broken, but it's just a missed update. Go to your browser's password manager and update that record. Second, family members' phones and home password booklets that whoever helps you check the backend will ask and update the paper password slips together. Third, the backup file of the old configuration. This is the easiest way to overlook: configuration backup is stored in the bin file the management password. If you change the password today, tomorrow the machine has a problem and you import the backup from half a year ago, the password will revert to the old one, and you won't even remember what happened there. After changing the password, either make a new backup or remember the date of the old backup. Fourth, the note on the router's body is . Many people are used to sticking the WiFi password on the device, including the management password, and then tearing it off and rewriting it.
to wrap up: changing the password doesn't mean you've closed the door
say it's just pouring cold water on the situation. No matter how solid the management password is, it's just a new lock; other holes on the door need to be plugged separately: WPS the one-click connection close it when needed, and if the PIN code is brutally tested, no matter how complex your password is, it's useless; If the remote management switch is off, then don't turn it on. If you want to sell a second-hand router at home, besides unbinding first and then restoring to the factory, the reset itself will also erase the password, so the next supplier can set it up themselves, so you don't have to worry about it.
Also, don't try the new password blindly after you change it. Too many attempts and errors can cause some machines to lock you on the spot. Mercury's official statement is straightforward: there's no super password, so if you can't recover it, you have to reset it from the factory. So follow the table below in order, and the password process will be handled efficiently in one go:
| order | what to do | reminders |
| 1 | confirm which of the three passwords to change | managing passwords does not affect WiFi |
| 2 | while remembering the old password, the password change entry on the web or app | Mercury only allows |
| 3 | old password verification, set a new password of more than ten digits | avoid overlapping WiFi passwords |
| 4 | browser filling, Family's phones, old backups, and stickers are updated everywhere | old backups will bring back old passwords |
| 5 | conveniently close WPS, check remote management | change locks, and plug loopholes |
