Do you need to find your WIFI password?

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to find their WIFI password (encryption key) and type it into a new notebook, phone or tablet, I could afford to live in California. OK, OK, OK, I do live in California. Nuf said.

This does, however, bring us to today’s lesson. How to find your WIFI password. You can follow the fine YouTube video Geeks Tutorial posted online. 

Please note: this is not for illegal purposes. You are an adult. You are responsible for your actions. The publisher states: “This video shows you how to find any WiFi password without any software, but we are not recommend using others WiFi password without their permission.”

When would you need this?

Daphne has WIFI at her office and she uses it when taking her Windows notebook to the warehouse. She loves the convenience. One day, Daphne shows up with a new iPad and wants it on the same WIFI network as her notebook. She needs to find the password. Her notebook connects successfully, but the new iPad merely sees the WIFI network. It needs the password; Daphne does not have it. She calls.

I visit and use the Windows command prompt with administrator privileges and the netsh command. Together, these reveal the WIFI password that her notebook uses. I enter that into her iPad’s WIFI properties. It connects. Daphne jumps for joy.

Good documentation helps you avoid this.

With adequate documentation, Daphne could have avoided the hassle and service charge. I usually print a label with the WIFI password and affix it to the Wireless Access Point. I also add a sheet with the WIFI information in the client’s onsite Network Documentation Binder. Sometimes I do both. Regardless, make sure you have adequate documentation. This helps make life easier. If you don’t have adequate documentation or inherit a computer with an unknown WIFI password, this video should help you find it. Enjoy.