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Reset the Netgear C7800

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

If you need to reset your Netgear C7800 router back to factory settings, then this article shows you how. A router reset is a much bigger deal 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: Since this erases everything you have done to the router, there are some things you need to consider first. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's login credentials are reset to factory defaults.
  • All WiFi information such as network name, password, and authentication method are erased.
  • If your router has any ISP settings they will be removed, and you will have to contact your ISP.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards will be removed.

Resetting your router should be considered the last step. Make sure that you have tried to recover your router password using our Router Password Finder first.

Other Netgear C7800 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 Netgear C7800 v3.01.38. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear C7800

Before you resort to doing a full router reset, 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 - Automatically Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

If you are unable to recover your lost router password, then you may have to proceed with a full router reset.

Reset the Netgear C7800

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Most routers have a small button on either the back or the bottom. A typical reset button looks like this:

Router Reset Button

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

Hold the reset button down for 10 seconds and watch the lights. 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.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Netgear C7800 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 Netgear C7800

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 C7800 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. You can follow our Choosing a Strong Password guide to help you pick a solid password for your router.

Tip: Write your new password down on a note and tape it to the bottom of your router for future reference.

Other Netgear C7800 Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the Netgear C7800 router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear C7800 v3.01.38. We also have the following guides for the same router: