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Reset the Asus RT-AC68U

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Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 5 minutes

This article covers how to reset the Asus RT-AC68U router back to factory default settings. A router reset is very different than a router reboot. Every time your router loses power it reboots. This is different from a reset because a reset completely erases all settings from the router.

Warning: This is not a step to be taken lightly. The following settings will be changed in your router:

  • The router's username and password are reset to factory defaults.
  • Your WiFi login, password, and network name are reset.
  • Any ISP settings saved in your router will be removed. You may have to contact your ISP.
  • Any port forwards, firewall settings, or parental controls that you have configured will be removed.

A router reset should be considered the last resort when you cannot log in to your router any other way. Make sure that you have tried to recover your router password using our Router Password Finder first.

Other Asus RT-AC68U Guides

Use a VPN Instead

Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.

When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:

  • Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
  • Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
  • Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.

This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.

Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN!

Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.

Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.

This is the reset router guide for the Asus RT-AC68U Asuswrt-Merlin 384.5. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Asus RT-AC68U

Instead of resetting your router back to factory settings, you may want to try running our Router Password Finder first.

Router Password Finder is designed from the ground up to help you recover your forgotten router username and password, which can save you a lot of time.

Router Password Finder - Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

Just keep in mind that a router reset should be done as the last resort when you are unable to login to your router.

Reset the Asus RT-AC68U

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On most routers you can find a small button on the back or the bottom labeled reset. Look at your router and try to find something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Yours may look slightly different, but they are usually tiny. Sometimes the reset button is under a pinhole on the back of the router, and you need a paper clip to push it.

Watch the lights on the front of your router and hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds. You should notice that the blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router changes after a few seconds. You cannot hold the button too long, and it will not hurt the router to hold the reset button down for longer than 10 seconds.

Keep in mind that this will completely reset your Asus RT-AC68U router.

This last step should only be taken if you have tried everything else, such as using our Router Password Finder software, which can recover lost or forgotten router passwords.

Login to the Asus RT-AC68U

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. Our RT-AC68U Login Guide has all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

Be sure to change your router's default password after you get logged back in. The factory default passwords for routers are very well known. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide talks about choosing a strong password for your router.

Tip: After creating this new password, we highly recommend writing this down on a post-it note and attaching it to the bottom of your router for future reference.

Other Asus RT-AC68U Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the Asus RT-AC68U router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the Asus RT-AC68U Asuswrt-Merlin 384.5. We also have the following guides for the same router: