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Reset the Asus RT-AC88U

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

This guide shows you how to reset your Asus RT-AC88U router. This is not the same thing as rebooting a router. 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 in your router will be changed:

  • The router's username and password are reset to factory defaults.
  • All WiFi information such as network name, password, and authentication method are erased.
  • Any ISP settings saved in your router will be removed. You may have to contact your ISP.
  • Any parental controls, firewall settings, or port forwards will be removed.

A router reset is the last step you should take in recovering your router's password. 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-AC88U 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-AC88U 3.0.0.4.385_20631. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Asus RT-AC88U

If the only reason that you are resetting your router is because you forgot your router password, then you may want to try running our Router Password Finder instead of resetting your router.

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 - Automatically Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

Only after you have tried to recover your missing router username and password should you perform a full router reset.

Reset the Asus RT-AC88U

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There is usually a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. Most reset buttons look like this:

Router Reset Button

Your reset button may look different, but usually they are very small. 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. Notice how the lights on the front of the router are blinking. When the lights do something different, the router is reset. Do not be concerned about holding the reset button down too long. It will not hurt anything.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Asus RT-AC88U 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-AC88U

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. Just follow our RT-AC88U Login Guide to find all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

After logging in to your router for the first time, you need to change your router's password. It's a very bad idea to leave your router's password set to the factory default. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide can help you pick a strong 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-AC88U Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the Asus RT-AC88U router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the Asus RT-AC88U 3.0.0.4.385_20631. We also have the following guides for the same router: