Q: I'd like to change the password on our wireless router-modem, a Zyxel Communications Corp. model PK5001Z. How can I do that?
Dennis Crowe, Plymouth
A: There are two answers, depending on whether you want to change the modem's access settings (administrator name and password), or its Wi-Fi settings (network name, also called SSID, and password.)
To do either, go to the modem's web address by typing 192.168.0.1 in a browser (this works for certain brands, including yours). Close any error message. Type the "administrator username" and "administrator password" printed on the bottom label of the modem. Click "login."
To change the modem's access settings, choose the heading called "advanced setup." In the resulting list, look under the "security" heading and click "administrator password."
Under the heading "set the administrator username and password state" check "enable." Then enter the new "administrator username" and "administrator password" that you want to use.
Write down the new username and password and save them, because without them you can't change anything on the modem later. (You can choose whether to check "hide password," which will make your password appear as a collection of dots when you type it in.)
Click "apply" to save your changes.