[This thread was copied here from the old forum.]
kbjeff 9 September, 2012 - 10:38
Hi all,
I often need to tell visitors what my home wireless router WEP code is… These have the form of something like this:
F23496D828
So, 10 digits with a mix of letters and numbers. It looks like there can be different numbers of numbers and letters and no set rules on where they might appear within the 10 digits.
This would be dead simple for me if it were all numbers. I’m using PAO and would just have 1 PAO image + 1 PO image.
How should I attack this now that there are letters mixed in?
Thanks,
Jeff
Geoff 9 September, 2012 - 13:07
You’ll probably find that the letters are only from A to F. (look up hexadecimal)
If you want to do this using PAO you’ll need another 156 P’s A’s and O’s which is probably overkill for the task.
I’d suggest creating images for A to F and then treating each section separately:
F - 23496 - D - 828
Then remembering them using either linking or a short journey.
Alternately, your router probably also has a configuration webpage that lets you change the password to something that is easier to remember.
Josh Cohen 9 September, 2012 - 14:00
I use letter images based on the NATO Phonetic Alphabet mnemonics.
For WiFi passwords, I link everything together in a story.
First I look for obvious associations, for example “de” would be Germany and not my mnemonic images.
Sometimes I just visualize the letter – so “5o” might be a hook (#5) picking up a lowercase “o”. Or it could be Hawaii “5o”.
Here’s how I would memorize F23496D828:
F = foxtrot – ballroom dancers
23496 = 23, 49, 6 – using my mnemonic images
D = delta – my image is a shark’s fin
828 = 82, 8 – using my mnemonic images
If you use a 2-digit PAO, 23496 could be person-action (23-49) and then add a number shape image (6) at the end.
Then I would just make a mental note that all the letters are capital letters, or look for another pattern of capitalization.
Geoff wrote:
Alternately, your router probably also has a configuration webpage that lets you change the password to something that is easier to remember.
Good idea. 
WJW 12 September, 2012 - 15:23
For the life of me I can’t find the link, but I remember reading somewhere about remembering passwords. The gist is this…
Capital letters are male generic people (not your P from your PAO), small letters are female. Double/triple numbers are Dominic (depends on your setup) and single numbers are number-shapes.
In my case…
F23496 is a Fireman hosing down Bill Cosby (23) shakily filling a revolver (don kNotts 49) while Don is holding a golf club (6)
D828 is a Dentist working on Humphrey Bogart (82) holding an hourglass.
Zaphod 12 September, 2012 - 17:49
I change the WEP code of my router into something I easily remember, like my address…
kbjeff 12 September, 2012 - 17:52
Hmmm… I hope no hacker mnemonists know where you live!
Zaphod 12 September, 2012 - 18:40
I’m not worried, as supposing they know I use my address as wifi passwd, I use a ancient code called “French” which has enough subtleties in the spelling of numbers to make it near impossible for current hackers to spell my full address correctly…
For instance, in correct French, 80 is spelled “quatre-vingts” and 83 is spelled “quatre-vingt-trois” (notice how the “s” is dropped at the end of the “vingt” of 83).
To current teen-agers (and unfortunately many adults too), such subtleties date back to Simonides of Ceos
janardhangunjal1989 6 October, 2012 - 00:42
use the combination of alphabet system and dominic system
Alphabet system for capital letters
And dominic for the numbers…