Member Avatar for bperegord

I'm trying to get my Wii online. I'm trying to enter my router. I have the address as When I enter that, the window comes up. When I leave the user blank and the password as "admin," it does nothing. After 3 tries a window pops up and says "401 Authorization required" Everything I just typed, I've learned in the last 3 hours. I don't know what to do!

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A quick diagnosis and a short, safe checklist to try before taking the router to a factory reset (following ’s observation that credentials might have changed). The 401 dialog shows the router (or some device on the local network) is answering the browser, so this is most likely an authentication or client-side issue rather than “the router is dead.”

Run these checks from the Windows machine with a wired connection if possible:

ipconfig /all
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ping <default-gateway>
arp -a
  • Confirm the “Default Gateway” shown by ipconfig is the device being reached. If the PC has an address like 169.254.x.x, DHCP failed and the client isn’t talking to the router — a renew or a direct LAN cable to the router’s LAN port will help.
  • ping and arp -a will show whether the gateway responds and the MAC vendor, which helps detect whether an upstream modem/router is answering instead of the Linksys.

Browser/credentials notes (common and easy to miss)

  • Browsers cache HTTP auth credentials. Close all browser windows or open a private/incognito window (or a different browser) to force a fresh login prompt.
  • Disable any browser proxy while testing; a proxy can intercept or reroute local-address requests and cause unexpected auth prompts.

Topology and last-resort advice

  • If the gateway isn’t the WRT54G (or ARP shows a different vendor), the ISP modem/router may be in front of the Linksys. Temporarily connect a PC straight to a LAN port on the WRT54G to rule that out.
  • A factory reset is the final option (it restores admin access but removes custom WAN/Wi‑Fi settings), so record any ISP/PPPoE/wireless settings first. Given ’s model is a WRT54G, the above non-destructive checks usually isolate whether the issue is credentials, browser cache, or a different device answering the login.

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Member Avatar for gerbil

Somewhere, in the router booklet or printed on the router case itself, will be the default username and pasword to use. If not, then gurgle for it using the router model.
The "401 Authorization required" is just telling you that you did not enter correct information. But otherwise, you're doing okay. Keep learning. [Try admin for username also].

Edited by gerbil because: n/a
Member Avatar for bperegord

Okay. I tried that. It says to enter "admin" just like I was doing. I've also tried admin for both, and admin for just the username with no password. Nothing. Please help

Member Avatar for gerbil

Well, if you have asked online with your router model for the detail, checked your booklet.... then it is time to press the Reset button on the rear. This does mean you will have to re-enter all non-default settings if you have not saved them in a backup file. We cannot help further because you have omitted to tell us your router model. Simple as that.

Edited by gerbil because: n/a
Member Avatar for bperegord

Sorry. My router is a Linksys WRT54g

Member Avatar for gerbil

Ok, then the default username is anything [it is not checked], the default password is admin, as you have tried. Perhaps you changed it? Anyway, a long press on the Reset button [inside a pinhole, press for 10 secs or so...] should get you past that problem. PW will then be admin.

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