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Reset the Netgear DGN1000

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Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 3 minutes

This article covers how to reset the Netgear DGN1000 router back to factory default settings. This is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Unplugging a router from the wall reboots it. However, when you reset a router you, return it back to its factory default settings.

Warning: Make sure that you fully understand the following before resetting your router. The following settings will be changed in your router:

  • The router's login credentials are reset to factory defaults.
  • All WiFi settings are reset, including network name and password.
  • Your ISP username and password will be reset, and you may have to contact your ISP.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards will be removed.

A router reset should be considered the last resort when you cannot log in to your router any other way. 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 Netgear DGN1000 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 DGN1000. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear DGN1000

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 - 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 Netgear DGN1000

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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. This is what a typical reset button looks like:

Router Reset Button

Reset buttons are usually tiny. Yours may look slightly different than this. You may need a paper clip to push the reset button.

Watch the lights on the front of your router and hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. It is harmless to hold the reset button too long.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Netgear DGN1000 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 DGN1000

Once the reset is complete, you need to login to your router using the default IP address, username, and password. You can find all of the information that you need in our DGN1000 Login Guide.

Change Your Password

Be sure to change your router's default password after you get logged back in. 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 DGN1000 Guides

This isn't our only Netgear DGN1000 guide. We also have the following guides for this router.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear DGN1000. We also have the following guides for the same router: