Not sure if this question belongs in this section. Sorry in advance, if not. A friend got a Kindle for Christmas and he wants to connect it to his wireless network. The problem is that he doesn't remember his Comcast modem/wireless router setup password or the WPA key. He has tried to find it to no avail. Comcast is no help to him. He afraid to try to reset the modem/router, thinking it will mess up the settings Comcast has and make the problem worse. I told him to just take the modem back to Comcast and swap it for a standard modem with no router, then go buy a Netgear or D-Link wireless router and set that up as your wireless network. I got to thinking...could he buy a wireless router and connect it to the Comcast router via Ethernet and set up wifi on the 2nd router. Then he could configure the Kindle to connect to the 2nd router (SSID and WPA key on the 2nd router). Would that work? If so, what are the steps and what are the things to what for? If not, why? What am I missing. It seems simple and straightforward, but as we have learned nothing is as simple as we think. Thanks.
He could indeed or reset the router to default settings or if he has not changed the settings at all on the router simply try the default admin password
If the default password doesn't work, then Comcast should be able to help you get it set up again over the phone. If it comes down to it, then look for a wireless access point. That's what you would be looking for, and it's generally less expensive.
What MrTeckie wants to do WILL work as long as the two routers use different LAN IP addresses. I should know; I've done it....
You can connect another router with the first one through ethernet, as long as the other router has a different IP address. However, since your friend already has a gateway device (router+modem) from comcast, all he needs to do is to reset it to factory default. Do not worry, he will not mess up any settings on the gateway. The settings are assigned automatically by comcast, when the device is connected to the cable and rebooted. I bought my own modem for comcast and all I had to do was to connect it to the line and it picked up the setting automatically. I only had to give comcast its mac address afterwords, but my internet was working fine even before taking to comcast help line.
Thanks everyone for the quick replies. I will let my friend know his options so he can decide what to do?
It will mess up the Comcast settings but as noted above, they should automatically be reassigned once reset and the networked devices (computers, printers, etc.) reconnect. Note this will likely require all the connected devices be turned off completely (unplug to be certain) before the reset to clear out old settings and be ready to accept the new assignments from the router. I do not completely agree with the comments that connecting a second router will work. It certainly is possible to make it work as multiple routers are used routinely in larger organizations to isolate (or connect) separate networks, but the first router must be configured to accept more connected devices - and that's the key. Note, in most cases, the second router is not used as a router, but as a switch and/or a way to extend (in terms of physical distance in large buildings) the network. If the first router has been set, for security purposes (as mine ALWAYS are), to limit connections to a certain number of devices, or to use MAC filtering (to only allow specifically designated devices to connect), then you will be out of luck until you can gain access to the first router's admin menu, and edit those settings. See Comcast Home Networking Devices for the reset procedures and note the default password in most cases is "password" - the most common, and most insecure password out there.
While I did not do this to solve the same issue I can confirm that on 2 different setups I have a LAN to LAN (WAN on second router is left empty) connection making the second router nothing more than an extension of the first. In both cases the second router is wireless and everyone can access it.
Just so the OP knows, this is using the router as an access point. A wireless router is an access point, router, and switch combined into one package. So you can indeed hook up a wireless router and use just the access point, but it's less expensive to just get the access point if you're buying. But the others are right that it shouldn't be a real issue to do a 'factory reset' on the router. It should pick up settings automatically, but they'd also walk you through it over the phone if you end up needing any help.
