Modems, routers & WiFi
How to log into your modem and change the WiFi name and password
To log into your modem, join its WiFi or plug in a cable, then type its address into a web browser: usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, or mymodem on a Telstra Smart Modem. The address and login are usually on the sticker underneath. The internet doesn't need to be working, only the modem.
On this page
Most people only need to get into their modem once or twice: to change the WiFi password after a visitor has had it for years, to give the network a name the family will recognise, or because the provider on the phone said “just log into your modem”. It is easier than it sounds, and there are only a few settings you should touch. If you would rather someone sat with you and did it, home tech support that sets up the modem and every device on it is exactly this job.
What do you need before you log into the modem?
You need three things: a phone, tablet or laptop joined to the modem, the address of the modem’s settings page, and the login printed on the sticker. The internet itself does not have to be working.
- A device connected to the modem. Join the modem’s own WiFi, or better, plug a laptop into one of the yellow ports on the back with a network cable. A cable will not drop out halfway through when you change the WiFi.
- The sticker. Turn the modem over. Underneath or on the back is a label with the WiFi name, the WiFi password and, on most modems, the address and password for the settings page. Take a photo of it before you start.
- A web browser. Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox all work. The address goes in the bar at the top, not in a Google search box.
- WiFi name
- YourNetwork
- WiFi password
- on your sticker
- Settings address
- 192.168.1.1
- Settings password
- on your sticker
Your own name and passwords are gone
Joining the WiFi
To join the WiFi on a phone, a TV or a laptop, you need these two lines: the network name and its password.
Opening the settings
To change the WiFi, type the settings address into the bar at the top of a web browser, then log in with the settings password. On some modems it is the WiFi password; on others it is a separate one.
After a factory reset
A factory reset brings back every detail on this sticker and wipes the name and passwords you set. Keep a photo of the sticker and a note of your own details.
The settings page lives inside the modem, not on the internet. You only need to be connected to the modem, which is why it still works when the internet is down and your phone says “connected without internet”.
No lead in the drawer, or a laptop with no network port? These are the two bits that get you onto the modem by cable.
We earn a small commission if you buy through our Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
| Product | What it is for | Link |
|---|---|---|
| UGREEN Cat6 lead, 2 m | Laptop to modem, modem to switch | View on Amazon for the UGREEN Cat6 lead, 2 m (opens in a new tab) |
| UGREEN USB-C to Ethernet | A network port for a laptop | View on Amazon for the UGREEN USB-C to Ethernet (opens in a new tab) |
What is the login address for my modem?
The address is usually printed on the sticker, and most modems in Australian homes use one of a short list. Find your modem below; the model name is on the same label.
| Your modem | Address to type | Where the login is |
|---|---|---|
| Telstra Smart Modem | mymodem or 192.168.0.1 | On Gen 3 and Gen 4, the WiFi password on the bottom of the modem. Telstra's support page lists the older models |
| Older Telstra modems | telstra.gateway or 10.0.0.138 | Telstra's setup guide for your model, or ask Telstra |
| Belong modems | 10.0.0.138 or 192.168.1.254, depending on the model | On the back or bottom of most models. Belong's support page lists each one |
| Optus Ultra WiFi Modem | 192.168.0.1, or the My Optus app | On the base of the modem |
| TPG and iiNet modems | 192.168.1.1 (some older iiNet modems use 10.1.1.1 or 192.168.0.1) | On the barcode sticker on most models. TPG's and iiNet's pages list each one |
| Vodafone Wi-Fi Hub | 192.168.1.1 | On the label underneath the modem |
| Aussie Broadband NetComm NF20MESH | 192.168.20.1 | On the sticker underneath, under Gateway Login Page. It is not the WiFi password |
| A TP-Link router you bought | tplinkwifi.net or 192.168.0.1 | On newer models, you create it the first time you log in |
| A TP-Link modem router you bought | tplinkmodem.net or 192.168.1.1 | On newer models, you create it the first time you log in |
| A NETGEAR router | routerlogin.net or 192.168.1.1 | The password set when it was first set up |
Not sure which Smart Modem you have? Find yours by its model number, and what its light means.
The numbers look technical, but they are just a street address for a box inside your own home. They only work from inside your own network, so typing 192.168.1.1 opens your modem and nobody else’s. Telstra’s guide to its modem settings (opens in a new tab) and TPG’s WiFi password guide for each of its modems (opens in a new tab) go model by model if yours is not on the list.
Some providers also let you change the WiFi from their app. Optus’s own setup guide names the My Optus app, and TPG and iiNet name the My Internet Connect app for their Wi-Fi Max modems. The app does the same job as the settings page, with bigger buttons.
How to log into your modem, step by step
Logging in takes a couple of minutes. Do it from a laptop on a cable if you have one, and from the phone if you do not.
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Connect to the modem itself
Plug the laptop into a yellow port on the modem, or join the WiFi name printed on the sticker. If you have a mesh system, join the modem's own network for this, not the mesh's.
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Turn off mobile data on a phone
Otherwise the phone may quietly use the mobile network instead, and the page will not open.
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Type the address into the address bar
Use the address from the sticker or the table above, such as 192.168.1.1, and press Enter or Go. Do not type it into a search box.
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Log in with the details from the sticker
Read the labels carefully: on some modems the settings password is the WiFi password, and on others it is a separate one. If the sticker has no settings password, the table above says where to look.
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Look before you change anything
Find the section called WiFi, Wi-Fi Settings or Wireless. That is the only part most people need.
If the page will not open, the usual reasons and fixes are further down, under “The modem login page won’t open”.
How to change the WiFi name and password
Open the WiFi section, type a new name and a new password, and save. On a Telstra Smart Modem the section is called Wi-Fi Settings or Wi-Fi, and the password box is called Wi-Fi Security Key. On TPG and iiNet modems it is Wi-Fi or Wireless.
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Use a cable if you can
The moment you save, the WiFi you are on changes, and a phone on the old WiFi will be thrown off. Vodafone's own guide says a cable is best for exactly this reason.
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Open the WiFi section
It may be called Wi-Fi Settings, Wi-Fi or Wireless. Some modems show one network; others show a 2.4GHz and a 5GHz network separately.
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Type the new name
Something the household will recognise, with nothing personal in it: not your surname, unit number or street.
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Type the new password
Long and unique: three or four unrelated words strung together is easier to type on a TV remote than a jumble, and harder to guess.
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Change both bands if they are listed separately
If the modem shows 2.4GHz and 5GHz as two networks, change both. For several of their modems, TPG's and iiNet's guides say to keep the two names and passwords matching.
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Save, wait, rejoin
Press Save or Apply. Give the modem a minute or two, then join the new network name with the new password.
Write the new name and password down and keep the paper somewhere safe, near where you keep other important papers. The sticker still shows the old ones, and in a year nobody will remember which is which.
The Australian Government’s cyber security advice on securing your WiFi and router (opens in a new tab) says the same things in more detail: no personal information in the network name, a long unique password, and WPA3 or WPA2 security rather than the old WEP setting.
What should you not touch in the modem settings?
Leave everything except the WiFi section alone unless your provider is walking you through it. The rest of the settings are what connect the modem to your provider, and a wrong change there stops the internet altogether.
- The internet or WAN settings. Connection type, usernames and passwords for the service, and anything called PPPoE or VLAN. These are your provider’s settings, and when they are wrong the modem has WiFi but no internet.
- Factory reset or Restore defaults. A reset wipes your WiFi name and password and puts the modem back to how it came out of the box. On some services the provider’s settings go with it, and the modem has to be set up again. Restarting the modem is a different, harmless thing; how to restart your modem and NBN box explains the difference.
- Advanced settings you do not recognise. Port forwarding, DNS, DHCP, firewall rules. If a setting means nothing to you, it was set that way for a reason.
- Firmware files from anywhere but the maker. Updates are good and many modems do them on their own. Only ever install one from the maker’s own site.
Our technician’s advice on the phone is simple: if you do not really know what a setting does, do not muck around with it. Changing the WiFi name and password is safe. Most of the rest is not worth the risk for a home.
What happens to your devices after you change the WiFi password?
Every device on the WiFi drops off the moment you save, and each one has to be joined again with the new password. Devices plugged in by cable keep working as they were.
Before you start, walk around the house and make a list:
- Phones, tablets and laptops. The easy ones. Pick the new network name and type the new password.
- The TV and any streaming box. Go into the TV’s settings, then Network, pick the network name and enter the password with the remote. If the TV is the stubborn one, why a smart TV won’t connect to WiFi goes through it.
- The printer. Most have a WiFi setup on their own little screen, or a setup button and an app; if it says offline afterwards, here’s how to get the printer back on the WiFi.
- Smart plugs, speakers, cameras and the like. Devices with no screen are joined through their own app. Some will not take a new password at all until you reset the device and set it up again from the start.
- A mesh system. If the house has mesh units, they make their own WiFi with their own name and password. Change that one in the mesh’s app, not in the modem.
There is one trick worth knowing for the day you get a new modem. Telstra’s own guide says that if you give the new modem exactly the same WiFi name and password as the old one, your devices connect to it by themselves. It usually works with other makes too, and it saves going around the house.
Change the modem’s own admin password too
The password that opens the settings page is a different password from the WiFi one, and it is the one almost nobody changes. On many older modems it was the same default on every unit of that model, and the government’s cyber security advice warns that defaults like that can be published online for anyone to see.
Change it in the section called Administration, Management, System or Security, depending on the modem, and write it down with the WiFi details. If it is ever forgotten, getting back in usually means a factory reset, which brings back the sticker’s details and wipes everything else.
While you are there, two more settings from the same government advice are worth a look: turn off remote management if it is on, and turn off WPS, the push-button pairing feature, if you do not use it. If either one is missing from your modem’s menus, leave it.
The modem post on keeping your router secure covers the rest, and what to do if you think your router has been hacked is a real case of strange settings that mostly had ordinary explanations.
The modem login page won’t open
When the page will not load, the device is nearly always talking to something other than the modem. Check these in order.
- You are on the wrong network. The phone is on the mesh’s WiFi, a neighbour’s, or mobile data. Join the network name on the modem’s own sticker and try again.
- The address went into a search box. Type it into the bar at the very top of the browser.
- It is the wrong address for that modem. Check the sticker or the table above. An old modem kept from a previous provider may use a different one.
- The network name is hidden. Someone may have set the modem not to show its WiFi name. Plug in a cable instead, and you can get in that way.
- The browser shows a security warning. Some modems’ pages do this. If you are not sure it is your modem, stop and ring your provider.
- The provider says to log in, but you cannot even see the network. Then the WiFi itself may have stopped, which is a different problem: see WiFi connected without internet for working out which part has failed.
If the WiFi name shows up but nothing will join it, while a laptop on a cable works fine, the modem’s WiFi has most likely failed. When your provider supplied the modem, that is theirs to replace: ring them, tell them the cable works and the WiFi does not, and ask for a new one.
When to call a technician, and when you don’t need one
Changing the WiFi name and password is yours to do, and with the sticker and the steps above most people manage it themselves. If the modem itself has stopped working, that is your provider’s: ring them before anyone else.
Where we come in is the part after. Home tech support covers setting up a new modem, changing the passwords and getting every phone, laptop, printer and gadget back onto it in one visit, and showing you how it works before we leave. A television that will not take the new password is smart TV setup. If the WiFi does not reach the rooms you use, that is a WiFi technician to fix the coverage, and if the internet itself keeps dropping out, an internet technician to find the fault.
Not sure which one you need? Send us a message or ring 02 9188 1577, and tell us what you are trying to do.
Frequently asked questions
What is 192.168.1.1?
It is the address of the settings page inside many modems, including the ones TPG, iiNet and Vodafone supply. Type it into the address bar of a web browser while your phone or laptop is joined to that modem's WiFi, or plugged in by cable. It only works from inside your own home network, so it opens your own modem and nobody else's.
Where do I find my modem's login password?
On most modems it is printed on the sticker underneath or on the back, next to the WiFi name and WiFi password. On some it is a separate password, not the WiFi one, so read the labels on the sticker carefully. If the password has been changed and nobody remembers it, your provider can tell you how to get back in.
Will changing my WiFi password disconnect my devices?
Yes. Every phone, tablet, laptop, TV, printer and smart device that uses the WiFi drops off as soon as you save, and each one has to be joined again with the new password. Devices plugged in by cable are not affected. Make a list of everything on the WiFi before you start, so nothing is forgotten.
Do I need the internet working to log into my modem?
No. The settings page lives inside the modem itself, so you only need to be connected to the modem, by its WiFi or by a cable. Your phone may say connected without internet, and that is fine for this. Turn off mobile data on the phone first, so it does not wander off to the mobile network instead.
Need this fixed rather than explained?
This is written from the field. When the fault needs a technician on site, this is where to go next.