Modern smartphones, including popular models of the Redmi line, have the function of automatic connection to known networks, which makes the user’s life as comfortable as possible. You just come home or to the office, and the gadget finds a familiar signal without requiring long and complex combinations of characters. However, often there is a situation when you need to connect to the same network a new device, such as a tablet, laptop or guest’s phone, and the password itself is long forgotten or recorded in an inaccessible place.
Owners of Android devices, particularly MIUI shell users, often wonder where this data is stored and whether it can be retrieved without using third-party software. Fortunately, in current versions of the operating system, Xiaomi engineers have implemented convenient mechanisms for viewing and transferring access keys, which allows you to solve the problem in seconds without resorting to complex technical manipulation.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways to recover lost data for Internet access on the example of the smartphone Redmi 9. QR-And we'll talk about security and key storage in the cloud, and understanding these processes will help you manage connections in any situation.
Use of the QR-password-code
The easiest and fastest way to find out the necessary combination of characters on Xiaomi smartphones is to use a built-in generator. QR-This function came into existence in the shell. MIUI And a few years ago, it became the standard for fast data transfer between devices. You don't have to search for hidden menus or use engineering codes, everything is on the surface of the interface.
To start, you need to go to the wireless settings. Open the Settings app on the home screen and select the Wi-Fi partition. Make sure the wireless module is activated and your phone is currently connected to the network from which you want to know the key. If there is no connection, the system will not be able to generate the current code.
Next to the active network name, you'll see an arrow or gear icon, and a special code generation icon. Click on it, and a square barcode will appear on the screen. In most cases, this image will have a "Password:" line written in small print with the appropriate characters. If the text is hidden by dots, just take a screenshot of the screen.
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Take a screenshot of the screen with QR-If the password text is not clearly displayed, then open this screenshot through the code scanner in the Camera or Mi Scan app, and the system recognizes the text automatically.
Once you have an image on the screen, you have a few options: you can just read the text if it's visible, or you can use a second phone to scan it, and modern versions of MIUI allow you to copy the data to the clipboard with a single click of the Copy Password button, which eliminates errors when you manually type it.
Wi-Fi settings and management of saved networks
The access points management in Redmi 9 smartphones are logically organized, but some features can be hidden in additional menus. Knowing the MIUI settings structure allows you not only to see the current key, but also to manage the list of priority networks. This is especially useful if you often move between home, work and public places.
The Wi-Fi settings section contains a list of all previously used connections, which the system remembers for automatic connection in the future, but for security reasons, details of old, currently inactive networks may be hidden.
☑️ Checking network settings
Importantly, the interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version (Global, China, EEA). In some builds, the button (Share) can be placed in a separate menu called by a long tap on the network name. If the standard path does not work, try going through the notification bar with your finger on the wireless icon.
⚠️ Note: When you try to view network data, the system may request that the screen be unlocked by fingerprint or pattern lock.This is a standard Android security measure to prevent unauthorized access to your personal information if the phone ends up in the wrong hands.
Sync with Mi Cloud and Google account
Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers a powerful tool to back up important data, including wireless keys. If you have Mi Cloud sync enabled, when you lose your phone or buy a new device (for example, switching from Redmi 8 to Redmi 9), all saved access points will automatically recover, eliminating the need to re-enter complex combinations on each device.
To check what data is stored in the cloud, you need to go to your account settings. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud. Here in the "Storage Management" or "Sync" section, you can find the item responsible for Wi-Fi. If the switch is active, then your key is already stored on the company's servers.
A similar feature exists on Google services. Starting with certain versions of Android, passwords can be saved to a Google account. To check this, open the Chrome browser or Google account settings on any device that you sign in to. The "Security" or "Autofill" section often contains a list of stored network keys that you can view after you re-authorize.
Cloud services are not only convenient, they're also safe, because data is encrypted, but it's worth remembering that accessing them requires a stable Internet connection, which creates a vicious circle if the Internet is needed for the initial setup, in which case mobile traffic or previous synchronization helps.
Third-party applications and file managers
In situations where standard methods don’t work or the MIUI interface seems too stripped down, users turn to third-party software. In the Play Market, you can find many utilities that promise to show stored keys. However, you should be extremely careful, since many of these applications require a superuser right (Root), obtaining which can violate the warranty obligations.
No rights.root access to system file wpa_supplicant.conf, where all the keys in Android were historically stored, closed. 10 And above that, which is relevant to Redmi. 9) They have enhanced file protection, so applications that run without root rights are often just duplicated with the generation function. QR-code that we have already reviewed or show keys only for the current active network through special API.
If you do decide to use a file manager with access to system partitions (such as Root Explorer or MiXplorer with permissions), the path to the file will look like this:
/data/misc/wifi/wpa_supplicant.confIn this text file, you can find network blocks that have ssid (network name) and psk (password) inside, but again, without the superuser rights, this file will be unreadable, and the system will give you an access error.
⚠️ Note: Install applications from unknown sources or obtain Root rights may result in vulnerability of your personal information. Bank applications may stop working on modified firmware. Use such methods only if you fully understand the risks.
Entering the router settings as an alternative
If the phone cannot display a password and you need to connect urgently, there is always a “hardened concrete” method – logging into the web interface of the router itself. To do this, your Redmi 9 must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (even without the Internet) or connected to the router via a router via a Wi-Fi network. OTG-cable (if the model supports Ethernet adapters), or you can use mobile traffic if you know it. IP-The router’s address and access is externally available (which is rare for home networks).
The standard addresses for logging into the control panel are often on a sticker at the bottom of the device, usually 192.168.0.1, 192.168.1.1 or a domain name like tplinkwifi.net. By entering this address in your smartphone browser, you will be taken to the login page.
The login and password for the router settings are often the default admin/admin, unless you've changed them. Once inside, you'll find a section associated with Wireless or Wireless, and there'll be a password field in the security settings that can often be made visible by unchecking Hide characters.
| Router brand | Standard IP | Login by default | Password default |
|---|---|---|---|
| TP-Link | 192.168.0.1 | admin | admin |
| ASUS | 192.168.1.1 | admin | admin |
| D-Link | 192.168.0.1 | admin | (empty) |
| Xiaomi Mi Router | 192.168.31.1 | admin | set up |
| ZTE | 192.168.1.1 | admin | admin |
What to do if the router password is changed?
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Despite the simplicity of the procedures, Redmi 9 users may face a variety of technical difficulties, often not in the phone itself, but in the way they interact with a particular router or software version, and understanding the causes of the errors will help restore access faster.
One common problem is bandwidth incompatibility. A smartphone can see a 2.4 GHz network but not see 5 GHz, or vice versa, depending on router settings and regional constraints. If a phone writes "Authentication Error" when trying to connect, it doesn't always mean an incorrect password. It may have been a failure in the encryption protocol.
Also worth mentioning is the "Private Wi-Fi Address" feature introduced in newer versions of Android. It generates random Wi-Fi Address. MAC-Address for each connection, which increases privacy but can cause problems on routers with hard filtering MAC-If you are not allowed to access the network, try to disable this option in the additional settings of the specific network on the phone.
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If the phone says “Authentication Error”, try to delete the network first (forget the network) and connect again, carefully checking the keyboard layout and letter register.
In rare cases, resetting the network settings of the smartphone itself helps, which will bring all the parameters of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile network back to factory values. It is important to understand that this will delete all the saved passwords on the phone and have to be re-entered, but this can solve a software glitch that prevents the correct operation of the communication module.