Reveal Wi-Fi Key Using Command Line

Can you memorize your wifi passkey or have you written it down and save for future use?. The fact that once a device connects to the wi-fi gateway and  memorizes it's SSID and passkey, we tend to forget to do this. as we do not realise when we need it again, like when a house guest asks for an internet access or set up a new device.  Here's a quick way of revealing this bypassing the need to log in   using the router's ip address  by using direct command lines.

Reveal Wi-Fi Key With Command Line

Command lines are powerful "magical" words and terms that can make changes in your computer. They are straight to the point commands that can fix, reveal, execute a function or even destroy a computer. And they are useful as long as you know the command line, you do not need to click through the visual keys of windows functions or path to go to a particular function.  Here's the few steps.

• Activate command line.

For windows 7 and earlier versions, click start, and at the search window type cmd. (1) At this point, do not be tempted to press the enter button yet. Wait until the search result comes up with cmd.exe. Right click cmd.exe and click run as administrator(2).

For windows 8 and above users, click the windows button + s to reveal the search window, type cmd, then click cmd run as administrator.

• Type this at the command prompt.

The console would pop up and at the prompt, type in the following:

netsh wlan show profile name=type the name of your wifi SSID here key=clear

For example, I have SKY4434E as my wi-fi SSID, I would then type(4)

netsh wlan show profile name=SKY4464E key=clear   

Remember that the SSID name is case sensitive.

The wifi key is revealed as key content(5)..

Click photo to enlarge.

3 Router Problems You Won't Believe Can Be Solved In Less Than 3 Minutes

My wife and I came home around 9am after fetching her from night duty work yesterday and decided to eat breakfast at home. The kids were still in their rooms so we shouted for them to come down and join us. As usual they did not comply immediately and I just knew why they were still in bed, busy with their phones doing internet stuff. So I decided to turn off the router by unplugging it from the mains. After a minute they were downstairs and joined us at the table. That confirmed that they were on their mobile devices. Whilst they were eating, I’d decided to plug in the router to warm up.

We spent at least 30 minutes eating and noticed that my phone was still not connected to our home Wi-Fi. The SSID was not broadcasting! Investigating further, the router's wireless (Wi-Fi) button was not lit up. Normally it should have been working after 2 minutes of turning it back on. So I tried to unplug and plug it again but it was still unlit. Only the power and the internet button were on. Interestingly, I did not have the problem of connecting to the internet with an Ethernet cable.  I attempted to log in to the ip gateway to see if the wireless function might have been disabled but the browser said, 'there has been changes to the network configuration...' so the router's command page was not showing.

I called sky and the technician started from the top, checking the line, the filter, the physical cord and toggling on and off, plugging and unplugging from the mains. There was no progress after 30 minutes of trying.

Then the technician asked me to press the reset button.  Yes of course, this should be the first attempt that I should have done. But I was thinking that if you unplug it from the mains, the router already resets itself. I was wrong.

Resetting is easy and depending on the kind of button the router has. Other models need a ball point pen or paperclip tip (2) to press the button and other models has an easier access (1) and just require your finger tip. Do not worry because the SSID and passkey are not affected with the reset. To reset, power it on then press the reset button until the lights turn off and the power button blinks then release.

After reset, the existing router problems were resolved.

1. The unlit (Wireless) Wi-Fi button light is now on.

After reset, the power button lit up followed by the wireless (Wi-Fi) button, then the internet button. The Wi-Fi has no problem broadcasting its SSID so that allowed devices automatically connect.

2. Reduced black spots/improved internet connectivity

Before this, there were a number of black spots (Wi-Fi weak connection problem) around the house when I am using my laptop although I do not have problem with mobile devices. It seemed that the only device that experiences a black spot in a particular place is my laptop. That was the reason I bought a power line wired connection. I was surprised that my laptop's ability to connect to the internet is better than before. 

3. Improved media streaming between apple TV and windows computer

The reset also resolved the connectivity of my windows laptop and the apple TV. It's been months that I have a problem streaming Windows movie content to an apple TV. Before when I try to connect to apple TV, my laptop says 'cannot detect apple TV in the network. Check Wi-Fi, make sure firewall allows appleTV..’ , even though both devices are connected in the same Wi-Fi, the same credentials  and apple TV is detected from the drop down list on my laptop’s  iTunes program!

Reusing My Netgear Router For O2 Broadband

I have just switched my broadband provider from AOL to O2. I have been with AOL for the last 8 years and this is the first time I have changed provider. O2's attractive offer for existing mobile customers and speedier connection were the factors why I have switched. My connection has improved from 3.1 MBPS (AOL) to 4.2 MBPS (O2) download speed, and from 0.254 MBPS (AOL) to 0.771 MBPS (O2) upload speed.

Get up to 12 months half price on O2 broadband here

The only thing I am not happy about is the router that comes with the package. It is a thompson brand and it seems like it's range is not as far as the netgear I have been using. The telephone access is downstairs and when we use the internet upstairs using wireless access, the signal from the router drops until it is no longer within range.

One of the solutions in mind to tackle this problem is to create a wired network using mains home plug wired LAN extenders which could costs at least £50 pounds. But the idea of wired access is not at all attractive, going wireless is cooler and more flexible. So I decided to reuse my aging netgear router.

Here's how it is done, it is easier than you thought!

The O2 broadband is already configured with the thompson router, and all I need to do is to use the netgear instead of the thompson. The idea then is to erase the AOL setting on the netgear to accomodate the new O2 configuration. Here's how!

1. Turn on the netgear router and connect the other end of ethernet cable into the router and the other end to your computer (obviously use laptops or PC's with ethernet port). At this time, do not plug in the telephone line into the netgear's socket yet.

2. Reset the netgear router into it's default setting by inserting a ballpen point or small paper clip into the tiny reset button hole. This will erase the setting from my previous AOL provider.

3. Open your web browser and type in http://192.168.0.1 (this is netgear's  address to get into it's settings)

• Default user name is admin
• Default password is password

4. Click Basic Setting (these settings are provided by O2)

•  Tick no for the question "Does your internet connection require's a log in?".
• Under internet IP address tick "Get Dynamically From ISP".
• Under Domain Name Server Address, tick "Get Automatically From ISP".
• Enable the Network Address Translation
• At Router Mac Address, tick "Use Default Address"
• Don't forget to  click "apply".

5. At the ADSL setting (these settings are provided by O2)

• Choose LLC Based at Multiplexing Method
• Set VPI to 0 value
• VCI is 101
• Click Apply

6. Secure your wireless connection

• Go to Wireless Setting 
• Type a name to your SSID e.g. EmpireNetwork(my home network)
• Select your region
• Select any channel
• Select g&b mode
• Tick "Enable Wireless Access Point"
• Tick "Allow Broadcast of SSID Name"
• Select your security options, (I did selected WPA-PSK)
• Then create network key (I did used 26 Hex digits here)
• Press OK or Apply

7. Connect the telephone socket into the netgear router. Wait about two minutes until the lights within the router turn into steady green.

Click Router Status to check the internet status. You should now be able to connect into the internet using the wired ethernet cable.

8. To connect wirelessly your computer into the newly configured wireless access, unplug the ethernet cable from the computer, and you need to remove your previous wireless connection for the netgear router by going to control panel, network and sharing, manage wireless networks, then highlight and  remove the network.

9. Then click the network connection icon and reconnect!

Type in the network key and you should be reconnected to the netgear's wireless network at this point!

This tutorial may only be applicable to O2 broadband and those that uses LLC's. If you have other broadband providers, you may need to contact your costumer service to provide you with the ISP details and to guide you the settings on how  to use other routers different  from the one they supplied .