In this article, you will learn how to reset your Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 back to factory settings. This is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Rebooting a router is simply turning it off and back on again. This is different from a reset because a reset completely erases all settings from the router.
Warning: Make sure that you fully understand the following before resetting your router. When you reset your router, the following will happen.
- The router's login credentials are reset.
- Your WiFi name and password are reset.
- Your ISP username and password will be reset, and you may have to contact your ISP.
- Any port forwards, firewall settings, or parental controls that you have configured will be removed.
A router reset should be considered the last resort when you cannot log in to your router any other way. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.
Other Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 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.
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.
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This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.2.3.28. We also have the following guides for the same router:
- Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.0.2.136 - Login to the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120
- Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.0.2.136 - Information About the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 Router
- Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.0.2.136 - Reset the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120
Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120
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 - 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 Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120
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Most routers have a small button on either the back or the bottom. Most reset buttons look like this:
Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. You may need a paper clip to push the reset button.
Watch the front panel lights while you hold the reset button down for at least 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.
Keep in mind that this will completely reset your Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 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 Nighthawk AX12 RAX120
Once the reset is complete, you need to login to your router using the default IP address, username, and password. You can follow the Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 Login Guide to find everything that you need to log in.
Change Your Password
After logging in to your router for the first time, you need to change your router's password. It is a huge security risk to leave your router's password set to the factory default. If you need help coming up with a strong password, check out our Choosing a Strong Password guide.
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 Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 Guides
This isn't our only Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 guide. We also have the following guides for this router.
This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.2.3.28. We also have the following guides for the same router:
- Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.0.2.136 - Login to the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120
- Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.0.2.136 - Information About the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 Router
- Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120 v1.0.2.136 - Reset the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 RAX120