Reset the Linksys E5400

Thumbnail image of Setup Router Staff
Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 3 minutes

In this article, you will learn how to reset your Linksys E5400 back to factory settings. A router reset is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Every time your router loses power it reboots. Resetting a router erases all settings from it and returns it to factory defaults.

Warning: Before you proceed, there are a few things you need to know. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's login credentials are reset.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • All ISP settings will reset to default, and you may have to contact your ISP.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and 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 Linksys E5400 Guides

Use a VPN

Have you considered using a VPN when you connect to the internet? A VPN is a great way to increase your security and anonymity while surfing.

We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes securely sharing your home network super simple. 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 birthday deal!

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 Linksys E5400 1.0.00.026. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Linksys E5400

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 - Lost or Forgotten Router Password Recovery Tool

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

Reset the Linksys E5400

Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.

NordVPN faster than ever deal!

You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.

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

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. 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 front panel lights while you hold the reset button down for at least 10 seconds. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. Keep holding the button as long as you want, it will not hurt anything to hold it down too long.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Linksys E5400 router.

Only take this last step of fully resetting your router after 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 Linksys E5400

After you are finished resetting your router, you need to login in using the original factory username and password. You can follow the E5400 Login Guide to find everything that you need to log in.

Change Your Password

Be sure to change your router's default password after you get logged back in. Since factory passwords are well known, it's a huge security risk to leave your router set to the default. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide can help you pick a strong password for your router.

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

Other Linksys E5400 Guides

If you want additional help with your Linksys E5400 be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the Linksys E5400 1.0.00.026. We also have the following guides for the same router: