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Sky reveals secret code to check your Wi-Fi is receiving fastest speed possible

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5 months ago

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Sky reveals secret code to check your Wi-Fi is receiving fastest speed possible

SKY has revealed a little-known trick to check your router is getting the best possible speeds – and a mistake that could make you miss out.

Wi-Fi hubs occasionally receive updates just like your iPhone or laptop.

Check your router nowCredit: Alamy

These updates contain technical fixes and improvements which may improve your signal and broadband, thereby making it faster.

But it can be hard to know whether your router is actually receiving updates – and if you’re even up-to-date.

Sky has detailed how curious minds can check theirs.

Most of the time it happens overnight so you don’t experience any disruption to service.

This means you should never switch your router off – a mistake some people still make today, thinking it will save them on electricity.

“We sometimes need to update the software on your hub or booster to make improvements or add new features. It’s done automatically, so you don’t need to do anything,” Sky’s website says.

“While it’s updating, the power light on your hub or booster will flash and you won’t be able use your broadband for a few minutes.

“But because we usually update your hub or booster overnight (unless you’ve turned it off), you might not even notice.

“Tip: Don’t turn your hub off while its upgrading.”

So, how do you know if your router is up-to-date?

THINK TWICE BEFORE SHARING YOUR WI-FI

Checking your router is up-to-date

You can log into your Wi-Fi router’s settings to see if it is up-to-date.

To do this, start by making sure you’re connected to your Sky Broadband service and router properly.

Then you need to type the following code into your web browser: 192.168.0.1 and hit the enter key.

Go to the Maintenance page and enter your login details.

If you have a Sky Q Hub the username is “admin” and the password is “sky”.

If you have the Sky Broadband Hub or Sky Max Hub the username is “admin” and the password is your current Wi-Fi password.

Now, look under System Details and look for Firmware Version.

Check the code and see whether it matches the latest Firmware Version for your box listed here.

If it doesn’t match then you’re not up-to-date but don’t worry, as it should arrive sometime soon.

Read more on the Irish Sun

“We don’t update all hubs and boosters in one go,” Sky explains.

“We release software over a period of time so don’t worry if you aren’t on the latest software version yet.”

Time to change your router password

In 2019, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) compiled 20 of the most common passwords around.

Common passwords mean they’re easy for cyber thieves to guess – so if you’re using one of these on your router you might want to change it right now.

  • 123456
  • 123456789
  • qwerty
  • password
  • 1111111
  • 12345678
  • abc123
  • 1234567
  • password1
  • 12345
  • 1234567890
  • 123123
  • 000000
  • Iloveyou
  • 1234
  • 1q2w3e4r5t
  • Qwertyuiop
  • 123
  • Monkey
  • Dragon

Names, favourite football teams, musicians and fictional characters are also very popular and therefore easy to guess.

The best sort of password is long and easy to remember – so the NCSC suggests using three random words strung together.

Of course, you shouldn’t recycle passwords on various platforms either. Should a hacker gain access to one they could then go onto access your other accounts.

So use a password manager to securely keep track of them all – Google Chrome and Safari can store these for you.

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