AT&T is a big name in the telecommunications industry. For over a decade, the top service provider has been offering reliable high-speed internet, a phone service, and IPTV entertainment to millions of American households. Typically, when people look for a reliable internet service provider in their area, they prioritize price, performance, and security (in no particular order).
Not only does AT&T offer high-speed internet at affordable prices, but maximum security with the connection. In addition to the sense of security that comes with subscribing to a trustworthy name in the ISP industry, when you get an AT&T internet plan you also benefit from solid protection with the AT&T security internet suite—which comes powered by McAfee.
While AT&T endeavors to provide maximum security for your online experience, you also must ensure the safety and security of your in-home network by taking necessary precautions.
The AT&T internet service comes with a Wi-Fi gateway device, an all-in-one modem/router. AT&T Smart Wi-Fi powers up your house with robust internet connectivity, and if needed you can use Smart Home Wi-Fi extenders for a stronger signal around the house. But, as with all internet equipment, this one also comes with a default network name and password. And, it is advisable to change this network name (SSID) and password as soon as possible.
Before we get into the details of how to change your AT&T internet password, it's important to understand why you need to change it in the first place.
Default network names and passwords are usually printed on the gateway device and in the manual. And, one of the reasons why home routers get compromised is that people continue to use the SSID and password they receive with the device. If you don’t change your device's particulars, anyone who has even a pinch of knowledge about default passwords can access your in-home network with relative ease.
Once a malicious hacker identifies your router they can access it and do a number of things to compromise the performance of your internet as well as your online privacy and security. Your device may slow down, programs may freeze, and apps may crash due to viruses, worms, or Trojans, that sit in the background eating up on your device’s resources.
You may find yourself consuming way too much data as opposed to the regular consumption pattern in your household. You can start seeing pop-up ads while adware may cause unsolicited clicks in the background to generate illegal profit. The worst is you can get locked out of your in-home network because your router settings are altered.
So, by not changing the default network name and password, you're giving hackers an open invitation to attack your in-home network. Whereas you can improve network security by changing the SSID and password of your router.
First things first. You need to figure out where your Wi-Fi name and password is to start with. There are 2 ways to get your default network name and password.
Find the sticker printed on the side of your gateway. The Wi-Fi name is ATT followed by the last 7 digits of the gateway serial number (SN). Or the name labeled as SSID. The Wi-Fi password is the 12-digit number and you’ll see it labeled as Wireless Network Key. Please note, if you are using a Mac OSX device, you may have to use “$” at the beginning of your password.
You may also get your Wi-Fi network information from any device, phone, or computer, connected to your Wi-Fi network. All you have to do is go to the ‘Gateway Settings’ and locate the Wi-Fi section. From here you can retrieve the Wi-Fi name labeled as the Network ID (SSID) and the Wi-Fi password labeled as the Network Key.
Before you move on to changing your Wi-Fi particulars, it is important to remember you must avoid using personal names, addresses, identifiable words, or phrases in your network info. Also, it is advisable to keep the same Wi-Fi name and password for both radio channels, so there is only one network. There are two ways to update your in-home network information.
AT&T Smart Home Manager App is a free tool that helps AT&T internet subscribers manage their in-home Wi-Fi network and personalize it with flexibility and convenience—from your smartphone, computer, or tablet. The Smart Home Manager lets you do a number of things—you can find or change your Wi-Fi network info, reboot your gateway, implement parental controls, run a speed test, track data usage by device and so much more.
Now, AT&T provides a variety of gateway devices—Arris BGW210 & NVG599, Motorola NVG589, Pace 5268AC, and others. But, whichever gateway device you may have, the process is very similar as far as changing your network info via the Smart Home Manager App. The process of changing network info via the Gateway Settings is however not as similar for the various gateway models.
Let’s take a look at how to change your AT&T Wi-Fi name and password for the most common AT&T gateway devices:
Below we list the steps you must take if you have been wondering how to change AT&T Wi-Fi Password BGW210.
Connect your internet-enabled devices using the new network info
You can also change the network info by using a device connected to your in-home network. Below are the steps you need to take for the BGW210.
Here is the answer to your questions about changing the AT&T Wi-Fi network name and password for Motorola NVG589. As we said earlier if you are using the Smart Home Manager, the process would be alike for all gateway devices.
This is where things get a little different for the Motorola gateway device compared to the Arris BGW210.
Looking to find a way to change the Wi-Fi name and password for your AT&T Pace 5268AC gateway device? Well, here is what you need to do to get the job done via the Smart Home Manager—the same way as with the other two gateway models we discussed earlier.
And here are the steps you must follow to change the network info using gateway settings. Again, you can see the slight difference compared to the processes laid out for the previous two device models.
As we said earlier, the Smart Home Manager app on your smartphone allows you to manage your in-home Wi-Fi network with flexibility and ease. You can download the FREE Smart Home Manager app for iOS or Android on your smartphones, and update your Wi-Fi network information.
Whether you are curious as to how to change your AT&T Wi-Fi password from iPhone, or Android, changing your AT&T internet password with the Smart Home Manager app is simple!
Security is a huge concern in this digital era. Having fast internet is a great thing, but it's useless if it's not secure. It's important to change your default network information as soon as possible in order to avoid any security mishaps.
If you wish to maximize the security of your AT&T in-home Wi-Fi network, you can also change the Device Access code that comes with the equipment. A custom Device Access code can be generated for all gateway models from AT&T.
We hope this guide answers your questions about how to change the AT&T Wi-Fi network name and password. The process is not complex, and once you get a hang of it, the Smart Home Manager from AT&T will make it as easy as 1.2.3.
Find the sticker printed on the side of your gateway. The Wi-Fi name is ATT followed by the last 7 digits of the gateway serial number (SN). Or the name labeled as SSID. The Wi-Fi password is the 12 digit number and you’ll see it labeled as Wireless Network Key.
You may also get your Wi-Fi network information online by going to the ‘Gateway Settings’ and locate the Wi-Fi section. Find the Wi-Fi name labeled as the Network ID (SSID) and the Wi-Fi password labeled as the Network Key.