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Reset the Netgear Nighthawk XR500

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

This article covers how to reset the Netgear Nighthawk XR500 router back to factory default settings. A router reset is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Every time your router loses power it reboots. Resetting a router erases all settings from it and returns it to factory defaults.

Warning: Make sure that you fully understand the following before resetting your router. The following settings in your router will be changed:

  • The router's username 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 port forwards, firewall settings, and parental controls that you have configured will be removed.

Resetting your router should be considered the last step. 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 v2.3.2.40. 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 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 - Automatically Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

If you are unable to recover your lost router password, then you may have to proceed with a full router reset.

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. A typical reset button looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. You may need a paper clip to push the reset button.

Keep an eye on the lights on the front of your router while holding the reset button down for about 10 seconds. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. It is harmless to hold the reset button too long.

Remember, this will totally reset your Netgear Nighthawk XR500 router.

Be sure to only reset your router if you have tried everything else, such as running our Router Password Finder software, which can find your lost or forgotten router password for you.

Login to the Netgear Nighthawk XR500

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. You can find all of the information that you need in our Nighthawk XR500 Login Guide.

Change Your Password

After logging in to your router for the first time, you need to change your router's password. It's a very bad idea to leave your router's password set to the factory default. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide talks about choosing a strong password for your router.

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 v2.3.2.40. We also have the following guides for the same router: