wireless router Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

7 practical tips for extending the range, speed and security of your WiFi network

Posted on July 20, 2026

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Wireless routers make it very easy to share your high speed Internet connection with guests and family members.

They also make it easy to use your laptop or mobile devices in any room in the house without running cables all over the place.

But if you live in a large house and/or have multiple devices all using the Internet at the same time, chances are your WiFi connection is weaker and slower than it could be due to obstructions, distance and bandwidth limitations. [Read more…]

Q&A: What’s a good program for retrieving a router’s password?

Posted on July 1, 2026

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Question from Thomas: I hope you can help me Rick.

I can’t log into my router because I lost the password and I need to log into it to make some much-needed settings changes.

I’m so frustrated right now that I’m seriously thinking about not even putting a password on my router and Wi-Fi connection once I manage to get into the settings screen again.

I heard there are programs that you can download from the Internet that’ll hack into your router and give you the password. Can you recommend a good one? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I retrieve my forgotten Wi-Fi password from my router?

Posted on December 11, 2025

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Question from Sean: My wife and I both connect our computers to the Internet via Wi-Fi. We rented out a spare bedroom to a college student a while back, and while we were on vacation our router died.

Not wanting to have to do without Wi-Fi until we got back, our renter purchased this router and installed it.

When we got back from our trip she gave us the password she had put on the new router’s wireless network and we used it to log on to the network with our Windows PCs.

When our renter left she told us we could keep the router, and we were very grateful. The problem is we lost the paper with the Wi-Fi password on it.

Now, our problem: My wife had to have the hard drive in her laptop replaced and when they reinstalled Windows it wiped out her password. Do you know of any way to retrieve the Wi-Fi password from the router so she can sign back on to the network? [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I connect my PC directly to a modem that’s in another room?

Posted on January 17, 2025

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Question from David: Hi, Rick. I hope you can give me some advice about a networking issue.

My cable modem is located in my living room but my computer is in the bedroom. I’d like your recommendation on the best way to connect them.

I have decided that I’d rather not use Wi-Fi, so is there any way to connect my computer to the modem without using a router? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it safe to share my Internet with a neighbor?

Posted on April 16, 2024

Question from Natasha: A few days ago a guy rented the vacant apartment next door to mine. He moved in yesterday, and this morning me knocked on my door and introduced himself.

My new neighbor and I talked for a few minutes, and before he left he asked me if I would consider letting him piggyback off of my WiFi connection because he wouldn’t be able to afford Internet service of his own for a while.

He also said that if I’d accept his offer he’d buy me a brand new $200 wireless router kit to replace my old router as long as I’d be willing to accept it in lieu of his portion of the monthly Internet charge.

This sounds like a pretty good deal to me because I really do need to upgrade my router, but I was wondering if you know of any reason why I shouldn’t accept his offer? [Read more…]