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Reset the Netgear N450

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

This article covers how to reset the Netgear N450 router back to factory default settings. This 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: This is not a step to be taken lightly. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's login and password are reset.
  • Your WiFi login, password, and network name are reset.
  • If your router has any ISP settings they will be removed, and you will have to contact your ISP.
  • Any parental controls, firewall settings, or port forwards 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. Make sure that you have tried to recover your router password using our Router Password Finder first.

Other Netgear N450 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 N450 v3.01.06. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear N450

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.

Router Password Finder can save you a ton of time by recovering your lost or forgotten router password instead of doing a full router reset.

Router Password Finder - Lost or Forgotten Router Password Recovery Tool

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

Reset the Netgear N450

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On most routers you can find a small button on the back or the bottom labeled reset. A typical reset button looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. Sometimes the button is under a pinhole, and you need a paper clip to push it.

Hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds while watching the lights on the front of your router. The blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router should change when the reset is complete. Keep holding the button as long as you want, it will not hurt anything to hold it down too long.

Remember, this will totally reset your Netgear N450 router.

Be sure to only reset your router if you have tried everything else, such as running our Router Password Finder software, which can find your lost or forgotten router password for you.

Login to the Netgear N450

Now that you have finished resetting the router, you need to login to the router interface using the default username and password. We have a N450 Login Guide with all this information ready for you.

Change Your Password

After logging in, you should really change your router's password for added security. It's a very bad idea to leave your router's password set to the factory default. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide talks about choosing a strong password for your router.

Tip: After creating this new password, we highly recommend writing this down on a post-it note and attaching it to the bottom of your router for future reference.

Other Netgear N450 Guides

This isn't our only Netgear N450 guide. We also have the following guides for this router.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear N450 v3.01.06. We also have the following guides for the same router: