Look at the default password on the router
This method is suitable for your personal router or any other that you have physical access to. Most modern routers have a unique network name and password assigned by default. They are usually printed on a label with a serial number and other service information or on a special label.
You can only get to the router and carefully examine its back side. If there is nothing there, try to look in the instruction or google the router model. Surely you will find what you are looking for.
Learn the password from the Windows network settings
If you are connected (or once connected) to the network via Windows, then it will kindly prompt you for a forgotten password. Depending on the version of Windows, the names of the menu items may differ, but the meaning is approximately the same.
You need to go to the “Network and Sharing Center” and get to the list of wireless networks. Then open the properties of the necessary network and look at the password in the “Network Security Key” field, without forgetting to tick the “Show input characters”.
Look at the password in the Keychain in OS X
With Mac, everything is exactly the same. OS X stores the password from any network that you have ever connected to, and, of course, it can be seen.
This is done in the “Keychain”, where all your passwords are stored. Run it through Spotlight or from the “Applications” folder and select the “System” section in the left sidebar. Next, find the desired network in the list and click on the button “i” in the panel below. We put a tick near the “Show password” and after entering the administrator password we see our password from Wi-Fi.
Find the password in the web interface of the router
If you have access to the web interface, then the password of the router can be viewed there. To do this, go to the browser at 192.168.0.1 (or 192.168.1.1) and enter your login and password. The menu structure for each manufacturer differs, but the point is to find the Wireless Network section, in which there is a Security item with security options. It also contains our key, that is, the wireless network password.
It looks like the menu we need about this way. The default password is hidden, and to display it you need to click on the Display password button or something like that.
Reset the password and set a new one
Nothing can stand against brute force. If the password can not be obtained, then you need to crack it, that is, reset it. This method is only suitable if you need a password from your home router, but it works on absolutely any router, because each of them has a physical reset button. The only downside is that if your ISP uses specific connection settings, you will have to configure it again.
So, we take the router out of the closet, from the mezzanine – or where it’s hidden from you – and look carefully at the part where the ports and control buttons are located. Look for a small hole next to which is written Reset. This is the reset button. You need to press it with a paper clip or a needle and hold it for a few seconds (if it does not help, then hold down the reset and, without releasing the button, turn off the router for 30 seconds, and then keep the button on and turn it on after 30 seconds). After this, the settings of the router will be reset to standard ones and you will be able to learn the password by one of the methods described above.
