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Reset the Netgear Nighthawk XR500

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

If you need to reset your Netgear Nighthawk XR500 router back to factory settings, then this article shows you how. A router reset is very different 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: Proceed with caution; resetting your router can be a major headache. The following settings in your router will be changed:

  • The router's login credentials are reset.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • If your router has any ISP settings they will be removed, and you will have to contact your ISP.
  • Any firewall settings, parental controls, or port forwards 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 XR500 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 XR500 v2.3.2.32. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk XR500

Before you resort to doing a full router reset, you may want to try running our Router Password Finder first.

Router Password Finder is designed from the ground up to help you recover your forgotten router username and password, which can save you a lot 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 XR500

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Usually there is a reset button located on the back or bottom of a router. What you are looking for is something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Reset buttons are usually tiny. Yours may look slightly different than this. 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. You should notice that the blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router changes after a few seconds. You cannot hold the button too long, and it will not hurt the router to hold the reset button down for longer than 10 seconds.

Remember, this will totally reset your Netgear Nighthawk XR500 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 XR500

Now you need to log in using the factory default username and password. Just follow our Nighthawk XR500 Login Guide to find all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

After logging in to your router for the first time, you need to change your router's password. Since factory passwords are well known, it's a huge security risk to leave your router set to the default. You can follow our Choosing a Strong Password guide to help you pick a solid password for your router.

Tip: A great place to write your new password down is on a piece of paper taped to the bottom of your router.

Other Netgear Nighthawk XR500 Guides

This isn't our only Netgear Nighthawk XR500 guide. We also have the following guides for this router.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk XR500 v2.3.2.32. We also have the following guides for the same router: