password of router
Community Forums/General Help/password of router
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| Hi all, 1. What would happen if one forget to change the default password of a router? 2. Does a cheap router has firewall function? Thanks in advance |
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| 1) Look the model up on the net and you'll almost certainly find it. Some common ones are: User: admin Password: admin User: admin Password: password User: admin Password: [blank] User: [blank] Password: [blank] 2) Depends on the router -- just go through its settings page and see. For most routers, you can get into the settings page like so: · Run command prompt and type "ipconfig"; · Look for the adapter that connects to your router (usually listed as Local Area Connection, Ethernet or Wireless Adapter); · Look for the "Default Gateway" address and type it into your web browser. |
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| Thanks, BlitzSupport. However, if I did not change the default password (admin), would it be easily hacked. Or, is this password used for wireless connection to router? I would like to know the importance of this password? |
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| Depends what password you're talking about. The password for changing the router's settings is a different password to the wireless key. The default settings password could be used by anyone who manages to successfully connect wirelessly to your router. If your router allows its settings to be managed over the internet (rather than just via a local connection), then that would also be very insecure. |
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| But usually routers only accept local connections for settings so it's pretty secure. |
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| 1. I'd always recommend changing the default router settings password. It's not like it's hard to do, either. 2. Even if your router has no specific firewall capability as such, it will be using something called NAT (Network Address Translation). This basically makes it hard for an outside computer to get access to any PC on your network because they only have internal IP addresses. Only the router itself has an external IP address (visible to the rest of the internet). The NAT functionality of the router handles the direction of traffic to and from the computers on your network, when connected to computers on the internet. |
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| However, if I did not change the default password (admin), would it be easily hacked. Or, is this password used for wireless connection to router? I would like to know the importance of this password? With the password you can change the ettings of the router, which can include things like the permitted MAC addresses port forwards, and the wireless settings including its encryption password. If it's a factory default password, then your neighbor might be able to connect wirelessly to your router, remove/change the wifi password, and lock you out. However, many of the routers have a small pinhole 'reset' button on the back that will reset it back to factory default settings (and username/password) when pressed, so it's not the end of the world... However, it seems a monumentally bad idea to leave it at the factory password, because it's definitely possible for others to screw around with you if you do that... (Unless the router won't allow access to the admin interface, but quite a few routers will do that without problems) There have also been some trojans over the years that will try to break into some of the home routers using the factory default settings, bricking them by flashing junk to them. (Can't think of their names, though) All in all -- why take the risk? |
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| 2. Does a cheap router has firewall function? Kinda-sorta, in most cases -- they tend to run NAT (Network Address Translation), so if you get an incoming connection from the internet directed at your IP address that was not initiated by one of your local PC's, the router will drop it. Some routers (including cheapo ones) allow you to block a series of 'known bad' ports, so only 'common' traffic is allowed through. Few will work at the application level though, any *outgoing* traffic will typically be allowed through regardless what program sent it (which would include virusses etc. phoning home) A software firewall that runs on the PC has much more control over that kind of traffic than a hardware router does. |
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| But usually routers only accept local connections for settings so it's pretty secure. My Cisco and MikroTik routers would disagree with both statements... |
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| 1. What would happen if one forget to change the default password of a router? 2. Does a cheap router has firewall function? 1. Many (e.g. Cisco) - but NOT all (e.g. MikroTik) - routers have a defined password recovery procedure. In worst case, you have to reset the router to the factory default. 2. Define cheap and define firewall function. MikroTiks have BY FAR the best value for their price in the industry. For 100 to 150 Euros you'll get a wireless router with professional software on it that even satisfies the needs of ISPs or commercial Hotspot providers out of the box. I even prefer Mikrotik devices over Cisco routers, although the latter are considered to be the top of the food chain. (Well, for many uses they are, but that's mostly because of their hardware compatibility, not because of their software.) |
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