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Reset the Netgear Nighthawk XR500

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

This guide shows you how to reset your Netgear Nighthawk XR500 router. A router reset 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: Before you proceed, there are a few things you need to know. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's login and password are reset.
  • All WiFi settings are reset, including network name and password.
  • Your ISP settings are reset, which means you will have to contact your ISP to get them back.
  • All port forwards, firewall settings, and parental controls that you have configured will be removed.

A router reset is the last step you should take in recovering your router's password. Make sure that you have tried to recover your router password using our Router Password Finder first.

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 v2.3.2.114. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear Nighthawk XR500

Instead of resetting your router back to factory settings, 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 - Automatically Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

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 XR500

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There is usually a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. Look at your router and try to find 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. The blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router should change when the reset is complete. Keep holding the button as long as you want, it will not hurt anything to hold it down too long.

Don't forget, this step will totally reset your Netgear Nighthawk XR500 router back to factory settings.

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

Once the reset is complete, you need to login to your router using the default IP address, username, and password. Just follow our Nighthawk XR500 Login Guide to find all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

Do not forget to change your router's default password when you log back into it. Since factory passwords are well known, it's a huge security risk to leave your router set to the default. If you need help coming up with a strong password, check out our Choosing a Strong Password guide.

Tip: Put your new password on a post-in note and stick it to the bottom of your router.

Other Netgear Nighthawk XR500 Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the Netgear Nighthawk XR500 router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear Nighthawk XR500 v2.3.2.114. We also have the following guides for the same router: