[HowTo] Restore your lost broadband password ..

This tutorial has its origin on a thread at Digit forum where a member asked if we can restore lost password from router. I decided to put my CCNA skills to use. And indeed after some adventures with ATMOS commands, I figured it out. So here it goes.

The problem this guy had was this: He had an Airtel connection and Huawei MT880 Adsl router. His ISP username and password is saved on the router and it gets connected when he turn on the router. Now he forgot his password and wanted to change it. And couldn’t because it was saved in the router. Using those asterisk removing utilities didn’t work too. So he was stuck there. Now if you have the same story, you could try this too :

You will need your router password to reset your ISP password. This is different from your ISP acount’s password. On most routers, the default username / password combination is admin/admin or admin/1234 . If you have changed your router password and forgot it too, then I cant help you. You can though reset router password with Reset slot in your router.
I’ll be using HyperTerminal for Telnet as it has got some nice functions. You can use other telnet utils too… So lets start:

  • Run HyperTerminal by Start > Programs > Accesories> Communications > HyperTerminal.
  • Enter any name for the Connection. Click on OK.
  • In the Connect Using combo box, select TCP/IP (WinSock) and enter 192.168.1.1 as Host address. (192.168.1.1 is usually your router’s address ). If you have customized your router’s ip address then enter the customized address. The Port Number 23 is fine, no need to change it. Click on Connect.
  • You will get a login prompt. Enter your router username and password here. If all goes allright you will get a prompt saying “Login Successful”.
  • Now on the console, type this:
  •       console enable {Press Enter}
  • You’ll get a prompt like this:
  •       Quantum>
  • Now on the prompt, type this:
  •       Quantum> fm {Press Enter}
  • The prompt will change to Quantum fm>.
  • Now in HyperTerminal, click on Transfer > Capture Text. Enter a location to save the settings file. For example My Documents\mysettings.txt .
  • Click on Start. You will be back to the router prompt.
  • Now type this:
  •       Quantum fm> cat im.conf {Press Enter}
  • This is quite a big file and it will take a while to list. Just wait until the listing is complete and you get back to the prompt.
  •       Click on Transfer > Capture Text > Stop.
  • Now the tough part is over.
  • Type these commands on the console to quit telnet:
  •       Quantum fm>home {Press Enter}
  •       Quantum>exit {Press Enter}
  •       >user logout {Press Enter}
  • Now you can quit HyperTerminal .

Now open the file we saved in Notepad and press Ctrl F.
Enter weLogin in the string to find.
And here you can see your ISP login details in clear text. 😛 …

I have tested this on Huawei MT880 and MT 882 routers. I cannot guarantee that they work on other routers too. But Atmos commands are usually same on all devices so they should work on other routers too.. And finally, you shouldn’t try it if you aren’t comfortable with command line usage. Don’t hold me accountable if you screwup doing things you shouldn’t be doing. Hope this helped… !

94 thoughts on “[HowTo] Restore your lost broadband password ..”

  1. hello, this is going to sound very noobish, but is the isp password the password that you are asked when typeing 192.168.1.1 in your browser? if so, i am using a linksys BEFW11S4. i am trying to get my password back, but your tutorial is not working for me. i am pretty sure i know the user name, but i can not remember the password. if you can help at all, please i would appriciate any form of help. i need my router unlocked asap. thank you and have a good night

  2. i lost my broadband pasword….i know the user name only how could i get the pasword? please help me..

  3. Dear Shahab
    Thanks for the tutorial.
    i was able to login to the router with the admin/admin combination. i have Huawei MT880 router.
    I logon to the Hyper Terminal and able to login and was able to furnish all the details but when i give the command “cat im.conf” it is giving me and error that unable to open the file.
    Can you please help me in the same.

    Thanks
    Saurabh

  4. Hmm .. when you login to the router and you are on the console, did you type fm and pressed enter ? fm will envoke your router’s file manager and your prompt will change to Quantum fm> . After your prompt changes to Quantam fm> , try typing ls and pressing enter. What files do you see ? im.conf should be there.

  5. Dear Shahab
    When i do ls i doesnot see im.conf
    The only files i see are DHCLIENT and DHCP files.
    I was in the Quantam fm> on my console.

    Thanks
    Saurabh

  6. its not working on mt 841. everything’s fine. just weLogin portion isn’t quite working out. any suggestions?

  7. I use a Linksys WRT54G router with a Huawei MT841.
    My router stores the password but I cannot remember it. I need to remove the router now and set it up elsewhere. So I have to have the password to be able to connect, but I don’t want to go to the BSNL guys. Can anyone help me with this?

    I tried to login to the router using hyperterminal but it doesn’t allow me to even connect using port 23.

    Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

  8. @Ramesh Gururaj – Ramesh login to the web interface of your router and find the setting for Enable telnet. Maybe telnet to the router is disabled on your router. The setting should be someware in Admin or System menu. I dont have that router so cant exactly tell the location.

  9. hi,
    i am using bsnl broadband
    router in use SmartAX MT41 (HUAWEI)
    it is not working. have their any other solution?

  10. hello Shahab!

    can u pls help me??

    about my ADSL modem of Dareglobal DB108

    The prob is, when i go in the configuration page(192.168.1.1)
    it says to upgrade its firmware version(software image) with a BROWSE button and noithing more.

    Cud u pls send me the configuration file of this modem in my e-mail id

    [email protected]

    Thanx in Advance, coz i know u & only u can do it………….

  11. I have a HUAWEI MT880 ADSL router. I gotta reset it.
    I will reset it through the reset slot given at the rear panel of router.
    I want to know what configuration will be required after reset? I mean what necessary things like IP, DNS etc will be required?
    What will be default login name and password?

  12. OK.
    Hi i m a BSNL dataone UL plan 900 user.
    and if someone has taken my username and password and using it..Can i be able to know tht who is using it and where…???

    Or her/his phone no. through he/she is accessing my account.

  13. Hey Shahab, I’m using a MT 800 router and am trying to use HyperTerminal to access the password as suggested.
    The problem is I’ve come up until the welcome screen and have logged into the router successfully. However, when I type “console enable” in front of the $ sign, I get an error message “Error: Invalid Command”.
    Anything I’m doing wrong here?

  14. Originally Posted By Lost man
    Hey Shahab, I’m using a MT 800 router and am trying to use HyperTerminal to access the password as suggested.
    The problem is I’ve come up until the welcome screen and have logged into the router successfully. However, when I type “console enable” in front of the $ sign, I get an error message “Error: Invalid Command”.
    Anything I’m doing wrong here?

    Hmm… Looks like your ISP has put on a modded firmware on your router ..?? What happens when you type in help ?

  15. Why i still getting invalid command when i put the “console enable”, my modem is ADSL Modem DB102, pls tell me hw can i view my password thx…

  16. i have forgotton my pass ward to connect my broad band connection with bsnl. the usuer name is susa0350. please help me to restore my pass ward. i can remember my old pass ward. last time i have changed the pass ward that i have forgotton.

  17. I am looking for the command to disable / enable the wireless of my router (Huawei WA1003A).
    I can login through telnet.
    Please help me.
    Regards
    Vikas

  18. It worked for me on my BSNL Broadband connection with Huawei/ZTE ZXDSL 831AII Router. But the problem is that i am not able to find out the so called weLogin string and no username or password at all.

    But i enjoyed the exercise…

  19. hello, Nice work,,, but in my case i have Siemens ADSL SL2-141,
    and when i try console enable cmd, i get “console enable: not found” so i entered Help and got lots of commands…
    logout
    reboot
    adsl
    atm
    brctl
    cat
    ddns
    df
    dumpcfg
    echo
    ifconfig
    kill
    arp
    defaultgateway
    dhcpserver
    dns
    lan
    passwd
    ppp
    remoteaccess
    localaccess
    restoredefault
    route
    save
    swversion
    wan
    ping
    ps
    pwd
    sntp
    sysinfo
    tftp
    wlctl
    gpio

    so i think i should follow different cmds for this Router but got no idea what they can be :D,

    thanks for your help.

  20. @Sagar

    Thanks a lot!!! The whole day I was doing every possible thing to get my password…and this thing worked like a charm…thanks a ton 🙂

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  22. Dear Shahab,
    was following your tutorial and i got stuck at enter ‘console enable’ where is that console… i’m definitely typing that command in the hyperterminal (ignorant me) b’cos i get invalid command as a result. Tell me like you would tell a child where the console is so i can move to the ‘quantum’ step…
    many thanks

  23. To get broadband password
    start>run>telnet 192.168.1.1
    password:admin
    Beetel> show all

    exmaple:
    Beetel> show all

    RAS version: TM4-0Q-008__TME-0Q-002
    System ID: $2.11.65.2(RE5.C21)3.10.30.0 20090814_V005[Aug 14 20
    romRasSize: 1317806
    system up time: 9:31:26 (345146 ticks)
    bootbase version: VTC_SPI1.4 | 2009/5/26

    Hostname = Beetel
    Message =
    ip route mode = Yes
    bridge mode = Yes
    DHCP setting:
    DHCP Mode = Server
    Client IP Pool Starting Address = 192.168.1.2
    Size of Client IP Pool = 253
    Primary DNS Server = 0.0.0.0
    Secondary DNS Server = 0.0.0.0
    DHCP server leasetime = 259200
    TCP/IP Setup:
    IP Address = 192.168.1.1
    IP Subnet Mask = 255.255.255.0
    Rip Direction = None
    Version = Rip-2B
    Multicast = IGMP-v2

    RemoteNode = 0
    Rem Node Name = Node1(ISP)
    Encapsulation = PPPoE
    Multiplexing = LLC-based
    Channel active = Yes
    VPI/VCI value = 1/32
    IP Routing mode= Yes
    Bridge mode = Yes
    PPP Username = 0XXXXXXXXX_tn@airtelbroadband.
    in
    PPP Password = XXXXXXXXXX

    Service name =
    Remote IP Addr = 0.0.0.0
    Remote IP Subnet Mask = 0.0.0.0
    IP address assignment type = Dynamic
    SUA = Yes
    Multicast = IGMP-v2
    Default Route node = Yes

    RemoteNode = 1
    Rem Node Name = Node2
    Encapsulation = RFC 1483
    Multiplexing = LLC-based
    Channel active = Yes
    VPI/VCI value = 1/35
    IP Routing mode= No
    Bridge mode = Yes
    Remote IP Addr = 0.0.0.0
    Remote IP Subnet Mask = 0.0.0.0
    IP address assignment type = Dynamic
    SUA = Yes
    Multicast = None
    Default Route node = No

    RemoteNode = 2
    Rem Node Name = Node3
    Encapsulation = RFC 1483
    Multiplexing = LLC-based
    Channel active = Yes
    VPI/VCI value = 0/35
    IP Routing mode= No
    Bridge mode = Yes
    Remote IP Addr = 0.0.0.0
    Remote IP Subnet Mask = 0.0.0.0
    IP address assignment type = Dynamic
    SUA = Yes
    Multicast = None
    Default Route node = No

    RemoteNode = 3

    RemoteNode = 4

    RemoteNode = 5

    RemoteNode = 6

    RemoteNode = 7

    Beetel>

  24. i am having GTPL Broadband in NADIAD in India,
    i lost my password of my user name
    could u help on the same.

  25. show all done the trick! Thanks dude…It will give all credentials of router including ur username and password set by ISP.

  26. Thanks for the info. Very useful given the total lack of manual supplied with the router – or available from Huawei!

  27. since i hv forgotten the PASSWORD then how will i enter the PASSWORD when prompted to me in the telnet???

  28. Thanks, helped me a lot. BSNL told me my password was “password” but it was actually something different, that I had not set at all! This helped me retrieve the password from my old modem and use it on my new one!

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