Reset the Netgear Nighthawk RAX20

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

If you need to reset your Netgear Nighthawk RAX20 router back to factory settings, then this article shows you how. This is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. 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. The following settings will be changed in your router:

  • The router's login and password are reset to factory defaults.
  • Your WiFi login, password, and network name are reset.
  • 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.

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 RAX20 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 Nighthawk RAX20 v1.0.1.62_2.0.32. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk RAX20

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 - 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 Nighthawk RAX20

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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. What you are looking for is something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. If you find a pinhole on the back of the router then that may be the reset button. You will need a paper clip to push it.

Watch the front panel lights while you hold the reset button down for at least 10 seconds. The lights on the front of the router should do something different when the reset happens. You can hold the button down as long as you like, it will not hurt anything.

Remember, this will totally reset your Netgear Nighthawk RAX20 router.

This last step should only be taken if you have tried everything else, such as using our Router Password Finder software, which can recover lost or forgotten router passwords.

Login to the Netgear Nighthawk RAX20

Now that you have finished resetting the router, you need to login to the router interface using the default username and password. You can follow the Nighthawk RAX20 Login Guide to find everything that you need to log in.

Change Your Password

After logging in, you should really change your router's password for added security. The factory default passwords for routers are very well known. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide can help you pick a strong 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 Nighthawk RAX20 Guides

Here are some of our other Netgear Nighthawk RAX20 guides that you might be interested in.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk RAX20 v1.0.1.62_2.0.32. We also have the following guides for the same router: