Locked out of your router: what actually works, by make
It depends entirely on the make. Some routers let you back in using a second credential printed on the unit. Others have no recovery route at all, and a factory reset that destroys your configuration is the only way in.
Find out which kind you have before you press anything.
First, work out which problem you have
Three different things get called "the router password", and people routinely try the wrong one for an hour before realising.
- The Wi-Fi password connects devices to the network. Usually printed on the unit.
- The admin password opens the settings page. Often a different value entirely, and on provider-supplied hubs it is usually printed alongside the Wi-Fi details but labelled separately.
- The broadband account details are what the router uses to log in to your provider. You may need these after a reset, and only your provider can give them to you.
Check the unit before anything else
On most provider-supplied hubs the admin password is printed on the hardware — on a pull-out card, a sticker on the base, or a label behind a sliding panel. It is worth genuinely looking, including behind removable panels, because manufacturers often print it in a second place specifically for when the card gets lost.
Which makes can be recovered
| Model | Recoverable? | How the login works |
|---|---|---|
| Aruba Instant On AP22 | Usually, without a reset | App-managed, no web login |
| BT Smart Hub | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| BT Smart Hub 2 | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| BT Home Hub 4 | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| BT Smart Hub 3 | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| BT Home Hub 5 | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| Google Nest Wifi | Usually, without a reset | App-managed, no web login |
| Google Wifi | Usually, without a reset | App-managed, no web login |
| Openreach ONT (fibre modem) | Usually, without a reset | No local admin login |
| Sky Broadband Hub | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| Sky Hub | Usually, without a reset | Documented fixed default |
| TP-Link Archer AX73 | Usually, without a reset | You set it during setup |
| TP-Link Deco X50 | Usually, without a reset | App-managed, no web login |
| TP-Link Archer VR2100 | Usually, without a reset | You set it during setup |
| TP-Link Deco M5 | Usually, without a reset | App-managed, no web login |
| Virgin Media Hub 5 | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| Virgin Media Hub 4 | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| Virgin Media Super Hub 2ac | Usually, without a reset | Unique password on the device label |
| ASUS RT-AX88U | No — reset is the only route | You set it during setup |
| Vigor 2865 | No — reset is the only route | Documented default — check the label too |
| Vigor 2866 | No — reset is the only route | Documented fixed default |
| Vigor 2927 | No — reset is the only route | Documented fixed default |
| Vigor 2765 | No — reset is the only route | Documented fixed default |
| Vigor 3910 | No — reset is the only route | Documented fixed default |
| Vigor legacy models | No — reset is the only route | Varies by hardware generation |
| Hyperoptic Hyperhub | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| NOW Hub Two | No — reset is the only route | Documented fixed default |
| Plusnet Hub Two | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| Plusnet Hub One | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| Ruckus R550 | No — reset is the only route | Documented fixed default |
| Sky Q Hub | No — reset is the only route | Documented fixed default |
| TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| TalkTalk Super Router | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| TalkTalk Wi-Fi Hub Black | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| UniFi U6+ | No — reset is the only route | App-managed, no web login |
| Virgin Media Hub 3 | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| Vodafone Ultra Hub | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| Vodafone WiFi Hub | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
| Zen FRITZ!Box 7530 | No — reset is the only route | Unique password on the device label |
If there is no recovery route
Then you have two options, and they are both worse than finding the password. Track down whoever set the unit up. Or factory reset it and rebuild the configuration from nothing.
A configuration backup does not save you here. The backup contains the same admin password you do not know, so restoring it puts you straight back where you started. This catches people out constantly.
Before resetting a working business router, be honest about whether you can rebuild it: the WAN settings, the firewall rules, the port forwarding, the VLANs, the VPN tunnels. If the answer is no, get someone in who can.
