How do I change my router username and password, and Nighthawk app.

[charleykyd]

This article tells me how to use the Nighthawk app to change my user name and password:

https://kb.netgear.com/000060891/How-do-I-change-my-WiFi-network-name-and-password-using-the-Nightha...

It begins with: Launch the Nighthawk app. But what is the Nighthawk app? That's different from logging into the router, isn't it?

Can I just log into the router to change my credentials? If so, how?

Thanks!

[FURRYe38]

Factory reset the router and setup using a wired PC and web browser. Walk thru the setup wizard there first. Be sure to write down important information for safe keeping. Then connect the NH app to the router. 

What router model do you have? 

[charleykyd]

I have a Nighthawk R6900.

Are you saying I must reset my entire router merely to change my password for logging into it?  I don't want to do that. 

What's the Nighthawk app? I could apparently use that tool to change my password.

[michaelkenward]

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@charleykyd wrote:

Are you saying I must reset my entire router merely to change my password for logging into it?  I don't want to do that. 

What's the Nighthawk app? I could apparently use that tool to change my password.

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Have you set a password for logging into the router? If so, can you remember it? Did you set up password recovery? If not, you are stuffed. A reset is the only option.

If you haven't set up a password, then the default router admin password is written on the device itself, along with the default wifi password. The router's password is, get this, password. Wifi will be something complicated.

Manuals are always a good place to start.

Visit the support pages:

Support | NETGEAR

Feed in your model number and check the documentation for your hardware.

That page will also have any software, firmware and drivers for your device, if they exist. There's even a link to the Nighthawk app.

Begin with the Quick Start/Installation Guide.

Check the section in the manual

Specify Basic WiFi Settings.

There may also be some helpful videos on what to do.

You may have done that already. I can't tell from your message.

I mention it because Netgear gave up on supplying paper manuals and CD versions some years ago and people sometimes miss the downloads.

[charleykyd]

I have the default user name and password when logging into my router. And, yes, I remember them. And so does Chrome.

So, again: How do I change my router's username and password?

[michaelkenward]

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@charleykyd wrote:

So, again: How do I change my router's username and password?

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Read the manual.

Look at the section: Change the admin Password

You cannot change the username.

[charleykyd]

Before asking my question, I searched for more than half an hour for the answer. I found tens of thousands of results in each search! But your suggestion gave me a search term that worked.  Thanks.

However, the Enable Password Recovery dropdown is empty, as the image shows. How do I populate it?

It's been a long time since I've seen an RTFM response in a forum. 

[michaelkenward]

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@charleykyd wrote:

However, the Enable Password Recovery dropdown is empty, as the image shows. How do I populate it?

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Look at that screen. See the bit at the top where it says?

"A router firmware upgrade is available...."

My inclination would be to start there.

If you have problems, that too is explained in the manual that you seem to have missed.

I would also tackle one thing at a time.

You seem to be at the bottom of the learning curve. Nothing wrong with that. We all started there. But progress is quicker if you take a methodical approach. And that, of course, starts with the manual rather than a probably misleading web search.

[charleykyd]

I guess I'll have to talk with Netgear on Tuesday. I got the message "Failed to update Firmware", and the manual doesn't have that text.

[michaelkenward]

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@charleykyd wrote:

I guess I'll have to talk with Netgear on Tuesday. I got the message "Failed to update Firmware", and the manual doesn't have that text.

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That may be because you are using an app to do the update. This is not a reliable way of going about it, especially if you are trying to jump from a very old version of the firmware.

The manual does explain how to update the firmware. Or read this:

How do I manually upgrade firmware to my NETGEAR router? | Answer | NETGEAR Support