How to Find Netgear WPA Codes

Netgear routers include support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WPA encrypts your wireless network, preventing people without the WPA code from snooping on your network activity or logging onto the network. If you don’t know the Netgear router’s WPA code, you can find it on the router’s setup screen or recover it from a computer that remembers it

Router

Find the Netgear router’s WPA code on its setup page. Access the setup page by typing “192.168.0.1” into your Web browser’s address bar and pressing “Enter.” If that number doesn’t work, try “192.168.1.1” instead. Type “admin” as the username and provide your router’s password. Use “password” if you haven’t set a custom password. Click “Wireless Settings” at the left side of the setup page and read the WPA code from the passphrase box on the page.

Windows

Windows can save WPA codes when a computer connects to your Netgear router. If you have access to a computer with the code saved, you can recover the code from the computer and use it to access the Netgear wireless network on another device. Windows doesn’t provide a way to view saved wireless network keys, but you can use a free, third-party program to recover them. Download and run a program such as WirelessKeyView, Network Password Recovery Wizard or Wireless WEP Key Password Spy to recover a saved WPA code.

Reset

If you’ve forgotten the password you need to access your Netgear router’s setup page, reset the router’s settings entirely. This process erases your WPA code, login password and all other custom settings. Reset the router by locating the small, recessed “Reset” button on the back of the router and pressing it with a narrow object. Hold down the button for 10 seconds and wait for the router to reboot. After resetting the router, you can log into your router’s setup page with the default password and create a new WPA code.

Change

You can change the WPA code from the wireless settings link in the router’s setup page. If you’ve reset your router, it’s important to set a new WPA code. Anyone can connect to your wireless network if you don’t set up a WPA code. Select one of the “WPA” security types under security options on the page, type a new code into the passphrase box and click “Apply.” Enter the new code on each wireless device after changing it.