Reset the Netgear Nighthawk D8500

This is the reset guide for the Netgear Nighthawk D8500 router. This is not the same thing as rebooting a router. Every time your router loses power it reboots. However, when you reset a router you, return it back to its factory default settings.

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 username and password are reset.
• Your WiFi name and password are reset.
• Your ISP settings are reset, which means you will have to contact your ISP to get them back.
• 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. 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 Nighthawk D8500 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.

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 Nighthawk D8500. We also have the following guides for the same router:

• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Setup WiFi on the Netgear Nighthawk D8500
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Netgear Nighthawk D8500 User Manual
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Netgear Nighthawk D8500 Login Instructions
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Netgear Nighthawk D8500 Screenshots
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Information About the Netgear Nighthawk D8500 Router

Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk D8500

Instead of resetting your router back to factory settings, you may want to try running our Router Password Finder first.

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

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

Reset the Netgear Nighthawk D8500

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

There is usually a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. A typical reset button looks like this:

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 lights on the front of your router and hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds. The lights on the front of the router should do something different when the reset happens. 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 D8500 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 Nighthawk D8500

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 Nighthawk D8500 Login Guide.

Change Your Password

After logging in, you should really change your router's password for added security. Leaving a router password set to default is a very serious security risk. 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 D8500 Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the Netgear Nighthawk D8500 router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk D8500. We also have the following guides for the same router:

• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Setup WiFi on the Netgear Nighthawk D8500
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Netgear Nighthawk D8500 User Manual
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Netgear Nighthawk D8500 Login Instructions
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Netgear Nighthawk D8500 Screenshots
• Netgear Nighthawk D8500 - Information About the Netgear Nighthawk D8500 Router