Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
Following the instructions in a 2012 Apple post about chnging them, I have tried 3 times and the new ones don't take. I keep having to use the old password to maintain a WiFi connection. What am I doing wrong? There doesn't seem to be any ' check, just an 'OK' which I do every time.save'
iMac 21.5", macOS 10.14
All of that is correct, but the first task is to consult your Netgear equipment documentation to determine how to change the password it uses for the wireless network it creates. Start here: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/R6700V3
Change that password—and then provide it on your Mac, when connecting to that wireless network. Those instructions are here: How to connect to the Internet with your Mac - Apple Support.
It's also quite important to change your Netgear router's user name or password to something other than "Admin". The router device can and should be secured with a unique password—different than your wireless network password—and only you should know what it is. Leaving it set to defaults makes your wireless network a hacker's paradise. That's a disturbingly common oversight.
All of that is correct, but the first task is to consult your Netgear equipment documentation to determine how to change the password it uses for the wireless network it creates. Start here: https://www.netgear.com/support/product/R6700V3
Change that password—and then provide it on your Mac, when connecting to that wireless network. Those instructions are here: How to connect to the Internet with your Mac - Apple Support.
It's also quite important to change your Netgear router's user name or password to something other than "Admin". The router device can and should be secured with a unique password—different than your wireless network password—and only you should know what it is. Leaving it set to defaults makes your wireless network a hacker's paradise. That's a disturbingly common oversight.
I keep having to use the old password to maintain a WiFi connection.
That tells me you did not change your router's password. That change needs to be accomplished in your router. Consult its documentation.
After changing that password, you will need to provide that new password the first time you attempt to connect to that router with your Mac (or any other device).
To change the password of your Wifi, you will have to change the password on your router.
Go to a browser and paste in your IP address and then log in to the router.
Then change the Wifi password from there.
Regards.
Thanks for your quick response yet it leaves me a bit confused, since I realize I'm less technically apt than I sometimes think I am. When I googled "How to change my WiFi Network password" the first thing that came up was the Apple post (dated 2012 as in 'old') instructing me to to my Network in Preferences/advanced/ then delete (-) the network I ant to change, hit + sign , find Network and give it new PW--all within the Network System Preferences. And I gather from your reply that is wrong--perhaps it was the old way-- and that the change is done entirely on my router, a Netgear AC1750 model. And then I must ask, since I have to different Netgear logins in my PW List, one I call Netgear: routerlogin.net with Admin as the username, and another as my Netgear acct. I presume it would be the former.
Once you change your wifi password on the router you must then follow the instruction you refer to to change the password on your computer so that it matches your new router wifi password. Wifi passwords are controlled and set on the wifi router then updated on your computer.
What John says is exactly what u need to do but just one thing, connect with an ethernet cable to your mac and the router or get the ip address of the router and connect via your browser. For example
http://192.168.1.1 (common ip addres for routers) maybe you have luck and the netgear credentials are admin / admin.
Le us know and give it a try!
Thanks for all your responses, especially the last two. I'm quickly realizing that I'm not as technically proficient in some areas as I thought I was so the added detail is very helpful. I've got a full agenda for the next few days and will put this off for a few. Yet your help is much appreciated.
Which router or airport base extension are you using?
A Netgear AC1750.
I forgot, u can get the ip address of the router in system preferences / network
Many thanks, Ruskin. Very helpful. Thanks to an old Apple post I was going in the wrong direction.
Many thanks for your good advice!
Thanks, John, very much. Your providing me with extra detail is most helpful, and also appreciate your good advice about the default username.
Unable to update my WiFi network password
