How To Change your AT&T WiFi Password

If you use AT&T for your Internet service, you probably have an AT&T router/modem as your hardware connection point for the service. This router connects to all the devices in your home that you want to hook up to the Internet, including your computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, and other connected devices.

While the AT&T installation technician presumably left your equipment all setup and configured properly, complete with a default password, you may want to change that password to one of your own choosing or make other security-related changes. Changing your AT&T password to something more secure can protect your home network from unwanted guests.

In this article, I will show you how to make these changes to your AT&T equipment and increase the security of your wireless network. I’ll also show you how to adjust some other important settings on your AT&T router.

Your Hardware

AT&T Internet services have used a wide variety of equipment combinations for the router/modem hardware used for their service over the years.

Typically, Internet providers settle on a solid, reliably high-performing hardware combination and sell it for a while, until a better piece of equipment or a better price comes along and then they switch to that one.

The downside of this is that not every router has the same interface, so general instructions can be hard to provide. The upside is that the hardware diversity means that the Internet provider (in this case AT&T) has to keep things simple so that all of their supported hardware works on the service.

You should make a note of the hardware that you were provided with when you signed up for AT&T Internet service. It’s an excellent idea to take a photograph of the bo, along with the sticker that almost all routers now have which shows their default network names, passwords, etc.

This can save you a lot of headaches later when you are trying to configure the router remotely and can’t remember the TCP/IP address or the admin password.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at how you can change your AT&T WiFi password.

Smart Home Manager

One really nice feature of AT&T’s Internet service is that they provide a web-based interface for controlling your router along with an Android app and an iPhone app that do the same thing.

This service, called the Smart Home Manager, allows you to view and manage all your device connections, view all the devices connected to your network, and toggle WiFi access to each individual machine on your network — making it easy to keep your network secure.

You can also use Smart Home Manager to change your WiFi password and even change the network name. Just log into the service with your AT&T username and password and follow the screens to achieve your needed tasks.

However, not all routers and not all subscribers support the Smart Home Manager, so if you cannot use this useful tool, you’ll have to change your password manually using the instructions below.

Am I Going to Break Something?

Lots of people worry that they’re going to damage their Internet service somehow if they mess around with their router settings. Not everyone is a tech expert.

The truth is that if you really set your mind to it, you could break some things by getting into your router’s configuration page and changing things that you don’t understand.

The simplest remedy for this problem? Don’t change anything you don’t understand!

Fortunately, simple items like changing the WiFi password are pretty safe to do. You also have the ability to reset the router using the button on the back. This will reboot the whole unit and usually undo anything you may have messed up inadvertently.

If you’re worried about breaking something or messing something up, as long as you follow instructions, you should be completely fine.

How to Change Your AT&T WiFi Password

Changing the default WiFi password on the modem is usually the first thing you want to do once your service is connected. This isn’t just an AT&T thing — you should change your password whenever you get a new Internet service provider.

To do so, just follow these steps:

1. Look at the sticker on the side of the modem for the IP address for configuration and Device Access Code. The IP address might be http://192.168.1.254 or it might be something else.
2. Connect your computer to the network if it isn’t already.
3. Enter the IP address into your browser and enter the Device Access Code when prompted.
4. Select LAN and WiFi.
5. Select User Network and change the WiFi password where indicated.
6. Select Save at the bottom right of the page.

You will now be able to use your new WiFi password to access the network. If your computer is connected via WiFi, you may be kicked off the network and have to log in again.

Change the SSID on the 2Wire Gateway

The SSID (service set identifier) is the name of your network. The default SSID on an AT&T 2Wire Gateway, one of the most common modem/routers, is typically ‘2WIRE’ plus the last three digits of the modem’s serial number.

Everyone knows this and, while each modem has a different serial number, it doesn’t take a genius to try different number combinations to access it. If you live in a busy apartment complex or somewhere with lots of AT&T customers, this doesn’t help network identification either.

In addition, naming your network is an opportunity to be creative. Sure, you could go with “Sue’s Network” but wouldn’t “The Domain of Doom” look cooler? And either one is better than “2WIRE361.”

So let’s change the SSID. Just follow these five steps:

1. Log into your 2Wire Gateway modem using http://192.168.1.254 in a browser.
2. Select LAN and WiFi.
3. Select Network Name (SSID).
4. Change the default name to something else.
5. Select Save at the bottom right of the page.

Changing the SSID is a simple step that makes a minor positive impact on security. However, it is more useful for network identification when there are lots of WiFi networks. When coming up with a name, try to make it memorable without giving away private information. So, rather than ‘JohnSmithsNetwork’ or ‘Apartment26WiFi,’ make it something that doesn’t identify you by name or address. This is another minor security precaution but one that is worth doing while you’re configuring your modem.

Enable WPA2 Security on the 2Wire Gateway

One additional tweak for your AT&T 2Wire Gateway is to ensure it is using the latest encryption. Newer installations have WPA2 encryption enabled by default which is a plus point for AT&T. Older modems may still be using WPA which is much weaker. If you want to fully secure your WiFi network you will want to ensure you are using WPA2.

Follow these steps to enable WPA2 security on your 2Wire Gateway:

1. Log into your 2Wire Gateway modem using http://192.168.1.254 in a browser.
2. Select LAN and WiFi.
3. Scroll User Network and find Authentication Type.
4. Confirm it is WPA2 or change it if it isn’t.

AT&T uses WPA2-PSK (AES) which is the current standard for security. It should keep your wireless network safe until WPA3 comes along. If you change the encryption type, you do not need to change your password again or perform any other changes. Your devices will automatically detect and configure themselves for the change.

Change the Frequency Band

Newer Internet installations will generally have a modem/router which supports two different signal frequencies — 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. There are a few important differences between the bands.

2.4 GHz signals penetrate solid objects like walls and floors better than 5 GHz signals and have a somewhat longer range as a result. However, 5 GHz connections provide higher throughput.

Either band is generally going to give you a fast, reliable signal. The 2.4 GHz band is used by things like baby monitors and garage door openers. In addition, the 2.4 GHz band has only 3 consumer channels while the 5 GHz band is used only for networking and has 23 channels.

In general, if you can get a good 5 GHz signal for your connected device, that’s the band to use. Most new routers support (and broadcast/receive) simultaneously on both bands, in effect running two different networks. One will usually have the words “5 GHz” or something similar appended to the SSID, so you might see “2WIRE291” and “2WIRE291 5 GHz” when you search for connections. It’s usually a question of picking the right network for your device when you connect it to the network.

However, you may have to choose which band your router works on. In that case, follow these instructions to set the frequency on your router. As of this writing (April 2019), AT&T has three different router models that permit a manual band selection.

Technicolor TC7200

1. Enter 192.168.0.1 in your browser.
2. Log in using your information or use admin as the user name and password.
3. Select Wireless, then select Radio in the 5 GHz section.
4. In the top selection field, you can now activate 5 GHz.
5. Click Save.

Thomson TWG870

1. Enter 192.168.0.1 in your browser.
2. Leave the user field empty and use admin as the password.
3. Select Wireless from the menu.
4. In the 802.11 band selection field, you can select 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.
5. Click Apply.

Ubee EVW3226

1. Enter 192.168.0.1 in your browser.
2. Log in using your information or use admin as the user name and password.
3. Select Wireless from the menu.
4. Select Radio on the left-hand side in the 5 GHz section.
5. In the top selection field, you can now activate 5 GHz.
6. Click Save.

Read More

To improve your home network security, it’s not a bad idea to change your AT&T password after having your Internet installed.

Fortunately, changing your AT&T WiFi password is fairly straightforward. Just follow the steps outlined above to quickly and easily change your network password.

Do you have any other suggestions for administering your AT&T wireless network? Share them with us in the comments below!

We have a lot of other great tutorial material to help you get the most out of your WiFi!

Having trouble getting disconnected from WiFi? Check out our tutorial on fixing disconnection problems.

Wonder which channel to use? See our article on the best channels to use with 5 GHz broadcasting.

Concerned that you’ve got a leech? We’ll show you how to tell whether someone is using your WiFi…and once you’ve found them, how to kick them off.

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