If you need to reset your Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 router back to factory settings, then this article shows you how. A router reset is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Rebooting a router is simply turning it off and back on again. Resetting a router erases all settings from it and returns it to factory defaults.
Warning: Proceed with caution; resetting your router can be a major headache. When you reset your router, the following will happen.
- The router's login credentials are reset.
- All WiFi login information and network names are reset.
- All ISP settings will reset to default, and you may have to contact your ISP.
- Any port forwards, firewall settings, or parental controls that you have configured 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 RAX50 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 RAX50 v1.0.12.120_2.0.83. We also have the following guides for the same router:
Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk RAX50
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
Just keep in mind that a router reset should be done as the last resort when you are unable to login to your router.
Reset the Netgear Nighthawk RAX50
Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.
You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.
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:
Reset buttons are usually tiny. Yours may look slightly different than this. You might find a pinhole on the back of the router that requires a paper clip to push the button hidden under it.
Hold the reset button down for 10 seconds and watch the lights. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. Do not be concerned about holding the reset button down too long. It will not hurt anything.
Remember, this will erase everything you have previously done to this Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 router.
Only take this last step of fully resetting your router after 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 RAX50
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 RAX50 Login Guide.
Change Your Password
Be sure to change your router's default password after you get logged back in. Leaving a router password set to default is a very serious security risk. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide talks about choosing a strong password for your router.
Tip: Write your new password down on a post-it note and stick it to the bottom of your router.
Other Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 Guides
If you want additional help with your Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 be sure to check out some of our other guides.
This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk RAX50 v1.0.12.120_2.0.83. We also have the following guides for the same router: