To prevent unauthorized access to your Netopia internet gateway, Netopia recommends that customers access the router from the Local Area Network (the LAN) and change the password to a more secure configuration. For the utmost in security, this procedure has been implemented for that purpose. This Technical Note describes the procedures to change the admin password configured in your Netopia Internet router. This document refers to the passwords used for access into the Netopia configuration menus only, not the passwords associated with your internet logon.

Please Note: The procedures outlined in this document are not applicable to the Netopia model 3341 router. Please refer to CQG_041 for instructions regarding the 3300 Series router.

Firmware Reference

• v6.3 and later -- Netopia 3500 Series

IMPORTANT---PLEASE NOTE:

• This procedure must be done from a computer on the Local Area Network. This cannot be performed from a remote location over the internet.
• Once the router has been rebooted, this process must be completed within TEN MINUTES. This procedure is completed once the new admin password has been configured in the router (see Figure 2 in the telnet method or Figure 8 in the web browser method).
• If the reset process should time-out at any stage of this procedure, it will be necessary to start over from the beginning by rebooting the router! Should the first reset attempt fail for any reason, it will be necessary to clear the browser cache (in the web-browser method) from the workstation to prevent a previously generated page from bypassing the security component of this procedure.

Password Reset

To make it easier to view the response code hexadecimal value while it is being input into the response value login field, first open the Response Code Generator on your desktop and leave this screen open in the background. This way you can view the response code on the desktop instead of writing down a 16-digit hex code. You can also cut & paste this value to the required field.

Step I: Access the Password Page Via Telnet or Console (CLI), or the Web (GUI) Interface

• Access Via Telnet Utility or the Serial Console
  1. Reboot the Netopia.
  2. Enter the unit via telnet. For instructions on using telnet please see CQG_100: Getting Started (Ethernet Access to the Netopia Router). By default, the LAN IP address of the Netopia is 192.168.1.254. If this has been changed and you do not know the correct ethernet address, please refer to Determining the Gateway IP Address. Return to this page by clicking on your <-Back button.
  3. At the login: prompt, enter admin.
  4. At the Password: prompt, enter the router's serial number (as if a password).
  5. The router will then generate a 16 digit challenge code.
  6. Now, go to the password response generator (see below). You can leave this window open on your desktop until you've finished with the reset.
     1. Enter the serial number of the router in the first field.
     2. Enter the 16 digit challenge code into the second field.
     3. Click on the Submit Query button. See Figure 1.
     4. The response code will be generated.
        PLEASE NOTE: The hex code will be letters a through f only and numbers zero through nine. There are no letter o's or l's in hexadecimal values.

     

     Figure 1: Challenge / Response Code Generator

  7. Immediately enter the 16 digit response from the code generator.
  8. Once this is successfully input, you will be prompted to enter a new admin level password. The password can be as many as eight characters long.
  9. Confirm the password.
  10. PLEASE NOTE: The password will not be visible as it is being entered
      to prevent unauthorized viewing as you type it.
  11. The password will take effect immediately and is case sensitive.
  12. You will then be allowed access to the router. See Figure 2.
      

      Figure 2: CLI Password Change

  13. When finished, type restart at the prompt and hit enter.
  14. The router will reboot itself.
  15. You can now log back into the router using admin for the user name and the new password you've just created.

  Please make sure that you complete these security precautions in order to avoid potential interruptions in your DSL Internet Service.

Hex Code Generator

To get the Response code for the Challenge code you have generated, CLICK HERE!

Remember:

• Once the router has been rebooted at the start of this procedure, it must be completed within TEN minutes to prevent timing out.
• Once the router has generated the challenge code, you will have FIVE minutes to input that value into the Response Code Generator (see Figure 1), get the Response hex code value. input that value at the Response prompt and change the password to prevent timing out.
• If the procedure is interrupted by timing out or an invalid entry, it will be necessary to start over from a router reboot.

Step I Continued

Access Via the Web Browser

1. Clear the cache from the workstation internet properties. Note: This is necessary only if the reset is unsuccessful the first time or has to be started over from a reboot.
2. Reboot the Netopia.
3. Browse into the router at http://192.168.1.254/login. This is the Factory Default setting. If your LAN is using a different network IP address, substitute that value for the 192.168.1.254 IP address followed by /login. If this address has been changed and you do not know the correct ethernet IP address, please refer to Determining the Gateway IP Address. Return to this page by clicking your <-Back button.

   

   Figure 3: Obtaining the Challenge Value

4. At the Backup Login box, enter the serial number of the router in the Serial Number field.
5. Click on the Submit button. See Figure 3.

   

   Figure 4: The Challenge Value

6. The router will generate a Challenge value.
   
   You must now enter this Challenge value into the password Challenge/Response generator dialog box.
   1. Again, enter the router's Serial# in the first field. See Figure 5.
   2. Enter the 16-digit Challenge value, 4 digits in each field, into the Challenge field.
   3. Click on the Submit Query button.
   4. The application will generate a 16-digit Response code. See Figure 6.
      PLEASE NOTE: The hex code will be letters a through f only and numbers zero through nine. There are no letter o's or l's in hexadecimal values.

   

   Figure 5: Response Code Generator

   

   Figure 6: Response Code generated

7. Now, with the Response code screen still visible on the desktop, go back to the router screen that initially displayed your 16-digit login challenge. See Figure 7.

   

   Figure 7: Response Code Value input field
   (from the screen in Figure 4)

8. This value must be entered into the Login Response box that the router has displayed beneath the login challenge value. When inputting this value, enter 4 characters in each box. The tab key will advance to the next box. Do not include the dashes. These are not case sensitive.
9. Click Submit.

Step II: Change the Admin Password See Figure 8

1. Configure the New Password you wish to use in the first field.
2. Confirm the new password.
3. Click Submit.

   

   Figure 8: Configure the New Password here

4. The password can be as many as eight characters long, and it will take effect immediately.
5. Click OK.
6. Remember, the passwords are case sensitive!

Please make sure that you complete these security precautions in order to avoid potential interruptions in your DSL Internet Service.

Conclusion

These outlines will provide you with the necessary information to reset the passwords for both user and for admin (read/write permission) level access.