Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Change the Wi-Fi Name and Password — TP-Link Archer AX23

Replace the factory network name and Wi-Fi password on a TP-Link Archer AX23 (AX1800) router
ApplicabilityThe TP-Link Archer AX23, sold as an AX1800 Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 Router, as covered by TP-Link's Archer AX23 user guide. The guide names Archer AX23 as the model number in its regulatory statement, and the model number is also printed on the label on the underside of the router. Other TP-Link routers use the same settings page and mostly the same menu names, but check the guide for your own model before you rely on a menu path.
Task time13 min to 23 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv1 · 2026-07-29
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

The Wi-Fi name and password your Archer AX23 arrived with are printed on a sticker on the underside of the router, so anyone who has ever turned it over can still get onto your network. Changing both is about ten minutes of work in the router's own settings page. The one thing that catches people out is that the router has two separate passwords: the one you type to get into the settings, and the one your phone types to join the Wi-Fi. This page changes the Wi-Fi one and tells you where the other one lives.

Every step carries a page link into TP-Link's own user guide for this router, so you can check any instruction against the manufacturer's document in one click. Nothing on this page is copied from that guide. The guide is 115 pages covering the whole router; this is the ten minutes of it that answers the question.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
Computer, phone or tablet with a web browserA device with a large screen makes the settings page more easy to read.
Ethernet cable optionalUse a cable to keep the connection while the router applies the new settings.
Paper and penWrite the new values before you close the settings page.

Prepare for the change

Estimated 4 min to 4 min

NOTEThe change stops every wireless connection in the home for a short time. Do this work when no other person needs the network.
Factory Wi-Fi password for your router
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THE PASSWORD FROM THE LABEL ON THE BOTTOM OF THE ROUTER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Read the network name and the password from the label on the router.
    • The label is on the bottom of the router.
    • These are the factory values.
    • Keep this label readable. It is the only record of the factory values.
    2m
  2. Make a list of the devices that use the network.
    • Include the printers, the televisions and the smart speakers.
    • Each device on the list needs the new password later.
    1m
  3. If you have an Ethernet cable, connect a computer to the router with the cable.
    • This is not necessary.
    • A computer with a cable keeps its connection when the router applies the change.
    1m

Open the web management page

Estimated 1 min

  1. Open a web browser on the connected device.
    <1m
  2. Type tplinkwifi.net in the address bar of the browser.
    • The device must be on the network of the router.
    • Set the network settings of the device to get an IP address automatically.
    <1m
NOTICE

KEEP THE LOGIN PASSWORD DIFFERENT FROM THE WI-FI PASSWORD.
Each password has a different function.

  1. Type the login password of the router.
    • Make a login password if the router asks for one. A new router has no login password.
    • A TP-Link ID is an alternative to the login password.
    <1m

Change the network name and the password

Estimated 4 min

  1. Open the Wireless page.
    • The same page is in the Advanced menu, under Wireless > Wireless Settings.
    • The router shows the current name and the current password.
    <1m
  2. Type a new name in the Network Name box.
    • Do not put your family name or your address in the name.
    • The router shows this name to each device that looks for a network.
    <1m
  3. Type a new password in the Password box.
    • The router obeys the letter case of the password.
    • A long password of unrelated words is more strong than a short complex one.
    • Do not use the login password here.
    <1m
  4. Keep the Security option at the factory value.
    • TP-Link recommends the factory security option.
    • Do not select None. A network with no security has no password.
    <1m
NOTICE

WRITE THE NEW NAME AND THE NEW PASSWORD BEFORE YOU CLICK SAVE.
A wireless device loses its connection when the router applies the change.

  1. Write the new name and the new password on paper.
    • Put the paper in a safe place in the home.
    1m
  2. Click SAVE.
    • The router applies the new settings immediately.
    • One name and one password apply to both radio bands when Smart Connect is on.
    <1m

Connect the devices again

Estimated 3 min to 12 min

NOTEDo this section again for each device that uses the network.
Reset button hold time
Manufacturer or standard verified
6 seconds

Source: TP-Link Archer AX23 AX1800 dual band Wi-Fi 6 router — user guide · tier 1 · accessed 2026-07-29

NOTICE

DO NOT PUSH THE RESET BUTTON TO CORRECT A WRONG PASSWORD.
A reset erases the internet settings and all other settings of the router.

  1. Select the new network name on the first device.
    • The old name is no longer available.
    1m
  2. Type the new password on the device.
    • Obey the letter case of the password.
    <1m
  3. Remove the old network name from the saved networks of the device.
    • This step stops the device from a search for a network that is not there.
    1m

Make a network for visitors

Estimated 2 min

NOTEThis section is not necessary. Visitors can use the internet on a guest network. The guest network is separate from your own network.
  1. Find the Guest Network section on the Wireless page.
    • The same section is in the Advanced menu, under Wireless > Guest Network.
    <1m
  2. Set the guest network to on for one radio band.
    • The router has a 2.4 GHz band and a 5 GHz band.
    <1m
  3. Type a name and a password for the guest network.
    • Select a security type. Do not select No security.
    • Keep this password different from the password of your own network.
    <1m
  4. Click SAVE.
    <1m

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

network name (SSID)
Also called: wifi name, ssid, network id, wireless network name, the name my wifi shows up as
Wi-Fi password
Also called: wifi password, wireless password, network security key, network key, wpa key, passphrase, wifi code
login password
Also called: admin password, router password, web management password, admin login, router admin
web management page
Also called: router settings page, router admin page, tplinkwifi.net, 192.168.0.1, the router website
guest network
Also called: visitor wifi, guest wifi, second wifi network

When to use a professional

Stop if the browser does not open the settings page after these steps. Speak to TP-Link support.

Do not open the case of the router. The router has no parts that a user can repair.

A reset returns the router to the factory settings. It erases the internet settings, the wireless settings and the login password. Push the Reset button. Hold the button until the Power light blinks. Then do the setup of the router again. Use a reset as the last action, not the first.

Speak to your internet provider if the router is their equipment. A provider can lock some settings.

Common questions

What is the difference between the router password and the WiFi password?

They are two different things and mixing them up is the usual reason this job goes wrong. The Wi-Fi password is what a phone or a laptop types to join the network. The login password is what you type at tplinkwifi.net to get into the router's settings, and TP-Link asks you to create it the first time you open that page. Changing one does not change the other. Keep them different, because anyone who learns your Wi-Fi password should still not be able to reconfigure the router.

Where do I find the original WiFi password on a TP-Link router?

TP-Link prints the factory network name and the factory Wi-Fi password on the label on the underside of the router. That is the only place they exist, so a worn or covered label means a reset is the only way back. This page does not print the factory password for your unit, because it is specific to your router and nobody else can read it for you.

I changed the WiFi password and now my printer will not print. What happened?

The printer is still trying to join the old network with the old password. Anything that connects over Wi-Fi and has no screen — printers, smart plugs, cameras, speakers, thermostats — has to be told the new password separately, usually through its own app or its setup mode. This is why the checklist asks you to list those devices before you change anything rather than discovering them one at a time over the next fortnight.

Do I have to change the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks separately?

It depends on one setting. The Archer AX23 has a Smart Connect feature that gives both bands the same name and the same password and lets the router decide which band a device uses. With Smart Connect on, one change covers both. With it off, the guide describes configuring each band on its own, so you will see two sets of boxes and you have to fill in both.

Should I hide the network name?

The router can stop broadcasting the name, and TP-Link describes what that does: the network no longer appears when a device scans, so you have to type the name in by hand on every device. It is not really a security measure — the network is still detectable — and it makes joining a new device more annoying. A long, unguessable password does far more for you than a hidden name.

What if I forget the router login password?

TP-Link gives two routes. If you signed in with a TP-Link ID, or you switched on the Password Recovery feature beforehand, use the Forgot password link on the login page. Otherwise the only way back is the physical Reset button, which returns the router to its factory settings and wipes the internet configuration as well, so you will have to set the router up again from scratch. That is why enabling Password Recovery while you are already in the settings is worth the extra minute.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1TP-Link Archer AX23 AX1800 dual band Wi-Fi 6 router — user guideTP-Link · accessed 2026-07-29 · re-verification due 2027-01-25

Revision history

Current version 1 · updated 2026-07-29 · next review due 2027-07-29

  1. v1 · 2026-07-29First draft. Built from the TP-Link Archer AX23 user guide fetched by scripts/manuals.py, with per-step deep links into TP-Link's own PDF.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

The comment system is not connected yet. Comments are stored in GitHub Discussions through Giscus, outside this site, so that a redeploy cannot destroy them.