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Ditdah
join:2012-12-18
Pickerington, OH

Ditdah

Member

WOW Columbus - Router access, or use own?

We just had WOW installed last night for our home phone and internet. (Not TV service.) When the installer was setting it up, I asked for the router login and password, so I can edit my home network settings. He replied that he doesn't give those out, because customers who don't know what they are doing can lock themselves out of their own networks. I told him I did understand, but I've set up the network for all of our previous providers, and am comfortable adjusting network settings. He still said he couldn't give me the information.

I called customer service to ask for this information, but the person I spoke with clearly wasn't familiar with any technical details, because they kept telling me my SSID and WPA key (which is ridiculously simple to figure out.) When I kept explaining that I wanted access to the router settings, through the default ip address, the person I spoke with said I can't change my SSID or password, and continued to repeat my WPA password to me.

I'm not comfortable with the standard setup they provided... my SSID is all but a few digits of my account number, and the WPA key is the entire account number. Additionally, I've had trouble in the past with some of my devices and needed to go in and add MAC addresses manually, change various settings, etc... I don't like having a generic SSID and password, and have edited this setup with every other carrier I've had in the past.

So, my questions... Was I just speaking with someone who wasn't familiar with my request, and I should try again? Not being familiar with WOW, I'm not sure if there's a personal networking department/number I should contact, or if I should ask for a certain service level when I call?

If they do not allow admin access to their routers, can I have them change our setup to allow me to use my own modem, and therefore have control over my own network settings?

If I preform a reset on the gateway provided by WOW (an Arris TG862) and restore it to factory settings, I assume I will then be able to access the router settings. But will the box still connect, or do I then have to contact WOW for assistance re-connecting to their service?

(FYI, I am able to get to the router login page, and I know the default login for the TG862 is admin/password. That does not work. I've also tried a blank password, user, 1234, WOW, etc. with no luck.)

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

AlexE4
join:2006-12-16
Chicago, IL

AlexE4

Member

They should be able to give you the username and password, and if support continues to be of no help, check this thread out.

»TG862 - Add my own wireless router

Your best bet is to ask WOW_Dan for some help it looks like, or ask for the "Home Networking Department" when calling. Good luck!

tryit
@wideopenwest.com

tryit to Ditdah

Anon

to Ditdah
Just hold down the reset, i dont think they can lock the settings on those modems yet. Then set it up how you like.
Ditdah
join:2012-12-18
Pickerington, OH

Ditdah

Member

If I do that, will the modem be able to re-connect to the WOW service on its own? I don't want to have to pay for a tech rep to come back out and set it up again.

AlexE4
join:2006-12-16
Chicago, IL

1 edit

AlexE4 to Ditdah

Member

to Ditdah
It will re establish an internet connection at the very least on its own. All the settings will be wiped obviously though, like your SSID and WPA key.. which shouldn't really matter since you can just login and set them to your liking.
Ditdah
join:2012-12-18
Pickerington, OH

Ditdah

Member

said by AlexE4:

It will re establish an internet connection at the very least on it's own.

That's what I needed to know - thanks!!

I don't care if it wipes the SSID, key, etc... because I plan on setting all that up myself anyway. But my concern was that WOW would have to be involved to re-connect it to the Internet and the phone lines. And if they get involved there, they'll just lock it down again like they did when they installed it.