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Reset the Asus RT-AC86U

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

This guide shows you how to reset your Asus RT-AC86U router. Resetting a router is different than rebooting a router. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. This is very different from a reset, which erases a router completely and returns it to factory default settings.

Warning: Since this erases everything you have done to the router, there are some things you need to consider first. The following settings will be changed in your router:

  • The router's login credentials are reset to factory defaults.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • If your router has any ISP settings they will be removed, and you will have to contact your ISP.
  • All port forwards, firewall settings, and parental controls that you have configured will be removed.

Since a router reset is such a drastic step, it should only be done as a last resort when you cannot recover your router's password using any other methods. 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

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-AC86U 3.0.0.4.382_16466. 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.

Our Router Password Finder can recover your lost or forgotten router password without doing a full router reset, which can save you lots of time.

Router Password Finder - Lost or Forgotten Router Password Recovery Tool

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-AC86U

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Most of the time you can find a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. What you are looking for is something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Your reset button may look different, but usually they are very small. You might find a pinhole on the back of the router that requires a paper clip to push the button hidden under it.

Hold the reset button down for 10 seconds and watch the lights. The lights on the front of the router should do something different when the reset happens. Do not worry about holding the button down too long; this is harmless.

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

Only do this once you have exhausted all other troubleshooting options, such as running our Router Password Finder software, which can recover a lost router password for you.

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. Our RT-AC86U Login Guide has all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

You need to change your router's default password after you log in for the first time. Leaving a router password set to default is a very serious security risk. You can follow our Choosing a Strong Password guide to help you pick a solid password for your router.

Tip: A great place to write your new password down is on a piece of paper taped to the bottom of your router.

Other Asus RT-AC86U Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the Asus RT-AC86U router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the Asus RT-AC86U 3.0.0.4.382_16466. We also have the following guides for the same router: