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Reset the Asus RT-AC86U

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Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 4 minutes

This article covers how to reset the Asus RT-AC86U router back to factory default settings. This is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. A reboot happens every time a router loses power. However, when you reset a router you, return it back to its factory default settings.

Warning: This is not a step to be taken lightly. A router reset will affect the following settings:

  • The router's login and password are reset.
  • 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 firewall settings, parental controls, or port forwards that you have configured will be removed.

Resetting your router should be considered the last step. You should be sure that you have tried to at least recover your router password using our Router Password Finder before resorting to a router reset.

Other Asus RT-AC86U Guides

Use a VPN Instead

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  • Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
  • Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
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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.

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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.

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This is the reset router guide for the Asus RT-AC86U 3.0.0.4.386_40451. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Asus RT-AC86U

Before you resort to doing a full router reset, you may want to try running our Router Password Finder first.

Router Password Finder can save you a ton of time by recovering your lost or forgotten router password instead of doing a full router reset.

Router Password Finder - Lost or Forgotten Router Password Recovery Tool

Do not do a full router reset until after you have tried every other option to log in to your router.

Reset the Asus RT-AC86U

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You can usually find a small reset button on either the back or the bottom of a router. Look at your router and try to find something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Reset buttons are usually tiny. Yours may look slightly different than this. You might find a pinhole on the back of the router that requires a paper clip to push the button hidden under it.

Watch the front panel lights while you hold the reset button down for at least 10 seconds. You should notice that the blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router changes after a few seconds. Keep holding the button as long as you want, it will not hurt anything to hold it down too long.

Remember, this will erase everything you have previously done to this Asus RT-AC86U 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-AC86U

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. We have a RT-AC86U Login Guide with all this information ready for you.

Change Your Password

You need to change your router's default password after you log in for the first time. It is a huge security risk to leave your router's password set to the factory default. If you need help coming up with a strong password, check out our Choosing a Strong Password guide.

Tip: Write your new password down on a post-it note and stick it to the bottom of your router.

Other Asus RT-AC86U Guides

If you want additional help with your Asus RT-AC86U be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the Asus RT-AC86U 3.0.0.4.386_40451. We also have the following guides for the same router: