How to Change the Name of a Wireless Network

This article shows you how to change the name of your wireless network. You can usually change the network name on your router’s settings page via a web browser, but you’ll need to find the router’s address first to access that page. If this doesn’t work, resetting the router’s settings and then reconnecting will allow you to change the network name.

Table of Contents

Find the router’s address on Windows

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Open Start

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. Click the Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen.

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Open Settings

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(Establish). Click the gear icon in the lower left corner of the Start menu to open the Settings window.

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Click

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Network & Internet (Network and Internet) with a globe icon in the Settings window.

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Click the Status tab in the upper-left corner of the window.

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Click the View your network properties link near the bottom of the page. This opens a list of the different types of Internet connections available on your computer.

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Scroll down to the “Wi-Fi” heading near the bottom of the list.

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See the “Default gateway” address. The number to the right of the “Default gateway” header in the “Wi-Fi” list is the address you’ll type into your web browser to access the router’s information page.

The access address usually looks like this: “192.168.1.1” or “10.0.0.1”.

Find the router’s address on Mac

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Open the Apple menu

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. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen to open the selection list.

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Click System Preferences… in the drop-down list to open the System Preferences window.

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Click Network with the globe icon in the System Preferences window to open a new window.

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Click Advanced… in the lower right corner of the Network window and the screen will display another window.

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Click the TCP/IP tab at the top of the window that appears.

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See the “Router” address. It’s the number to the right of the “Router” header in the middle of the page that you’ll type in your web browser to access the router’s setup page.

The address usually looks like this: “192.168.1.1” or “10.0.0.1”.

Change network name

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Open a web browser. The default browser for Windows computers is Microsoft Edge and Mac computers is Safari, but you can use any web browser at this step.

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Enter the router’s address. Type the number you found in the previous step into the address bar, then press ↵ Enter to access the router’s Settings page.

With some special routers, such as Google WiFi, you will be asked to download an app to your smartphone and manipulate it to set up the network.

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Enter the router’s password when prompted. If you set a password for the setup page when you installed the router, you need to enter the password to continue.

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Select the current name of the router. Depending on the settings page of each router, the operation at this step may be different. Normally, you can click the router’s name or click the Settings option to access the general information section of the router’s settings page.

Set the router to factory settings

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Know when to use this method. If the router page does not allow you to change the network name or the name change is not saved, you can reset the router to its original settings and then give it a new network name when you first log in. Since resetting the router will lose connection with devices, you should only use this method when there is no other way.

Resetting the router will change the network name to the default name (or “SSID”) printed on the back or bottom of the router.
If you reset the router, you need to reconnect each device in the house to the router in turn.

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Make sure the router has a password sticker. If you have used the router for many years, the default password sticker may fade or come off. You usually find the password pasted on the back or bottom of the router.

Without the default password, you cannot log in to the network after resetting the router.

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Find the router’s “Reset” button. This is a small, indented button usually on the back of the router.

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Press and hold the “Reset” button for about 30 seconds. You will need a paper clip or needle to do this step.

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Release the button after 30 seconds. Your router will turn itself off and start restarting.

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Wait for the router to finish resetting. After the router turns on again, you can continue.

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Connect the router from the computer. In most cases, you can change the router name when connecting to the router from your computer’s Wi-Fi menu:

Windows — Click the Wi-Fi icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, select the router’s default name, click Connect , then enter the default password, and click Next . You can enter the network name you want to use when asked.
On Mac — Click the Wi-Fi icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, select the default name of the router, enter the default password, and select Join . You can enter the network name you want to use when asked.

Advice

Resetting the router every year can improve the performance of the device.
The router’s IP addresses are usually:
- 192.168.0.1
- 192.168.1.1
- 192.168.2.1
- 10.0.0.1
- 10.0.1.1

Warning

Always make sure your wireless network is password protected.

Steps