Wifi password suddenly not working on all devices simultaneously - network update

[#1]

Hi 

Uggh, this problem drives me NUTS.

Every couple of years or so, there is a network update (I presume something done at Plusnet end) - I see a brief message flash up on my phone and then bam, my ipad, old iphone and new iphone all drop wifi and I cannot reconnect as it insists that the password is incorrect (even though the correct password has been stored on the phones/ipad and been working PERFECTLY for the past couple of years since the last time this happened!

I've done the usual - reset the router - turned it off, turned it on again, used the pin thing in the back. I've restarted all my devices. I've tried forgetting the network. I've tried turning location services off and on again (because weirdly that has sometimes fixed it in the past). I've tried every which way but this time, all I get consistently on all three devices is 'incorrect password' but the password has not changed - just some network setting has been changed which is nothing to do with me. This is exactly the same problem I've had before as mentioned and it's infuriating. I need to have my devices connected. Please can someone from Plusnet respond and either undo or fix whatever this is because it's maddening - or anyone who knows how to fix this.

[#2 · Accepted solution]

You see a brief message flash up on your phone and then bam...

Weird. In all my years I've never had a "network update" that messes up all my devices WIFI passwords.

Nor have I had a brief message from my phone that changes anything.

Go to your router settings and see what the WIFI password is. Change it, then change all your devices to match it.

Change your router login too. Perhaps someone has remote access to it.

Changing location services on your phone fixed the problem?

Network settings have changed?

Have you considered that your phone or other device has some kind of malware installed?

[#3]

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

Changing the wifi password worked - thank you.

It's still the weirdest thing though. No malware on any of my devices and no one interfering with it. And as I said, it's the exact same problem each time, always preceded by a quick 'network update' message on my iphone - I don't mean an iphone update, I mean something specific about the network. It's the fourth time in 8 years - as I say, every two years and also strangely always around January/February time as I just had a look back in my diary. The 'location services' fix was one I saw suggested on youtube - never expected it to work but oddly it did on that occasion - could possibly have been a fluke of course, occurring just as the system had decided to accept the password that had never been faulty after all. 

Anyway - I appreciate your help. Out of all the things I tried, changing the wifi password hadn't been on my radar so to speak - sometimes the simplest solution is the best eh.

Right - now I will go back to watching Stranger Things...which seems appropriate right about now. 

[#4]

Be aware that there are idiots out there who play a game called WAR driving. Look it up.

Where they drive around to find potentially weak WIFI routers and attempt to breach them to gain access to use the network or just cause problems for the owner. These kind of idiots think they are "hackers". They are just morons.

If you live in a big city at ground level you are more likely to experience this.

My advice to you is change the router to a robust & complex password AND ensure the router uses WPA2 for WIFI.

[#5]

I’d look for an issue with iDevices.

From time to time my iPhone will decided that the WiFi password is wrong … whilst other devices are fine … then with nothing being done, reconnect without issue.