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Reset the Netgear R4500

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

This article covers how to reset the Netgear R4500 router back to factory default settings. A router reset is very different than a router reboot. Unplugging a router from the wall reboots it. This is different from a reset because a reset completely erases all settings from the router.

Warning: This is not a step to be taken lightly. A router reset will affect the following settings:

  • The router's username and password are reset.
  • All WiFi settings are reset, including network name and password.
  • If your router has any ISP settings they will be removed, and you will have to contact your ISP.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards will be removed.

A router reset should be considered the last resort when you cannot log in to your router any other way. Make sure that you have tried to recover your router password using our Router Password Finder first.

Other Netgear R4500 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.

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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 R4500. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear R4500

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 - 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 R4500

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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.

Usually there is a reset button located on the back or bottom of a router. Most reset buttons look like this:

Router Reset Button

Your reset button may look different, but usually they are very small. 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.

Hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds while watching the lights on the front of your router. You should notice that the blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router changes after a few seconds. Do not worry about holding the button down too long; this is harmless.

Remember, this will erase everything you have previously done to this Netgear R4500 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 R4500

Now you need to log in using the factory default username and password. You can find all of the information that you need in our R4500 Login Guide.

Change Your Password

After logging in, you should really change your router's password for added security. It is a huge security risk 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 R4500 Guides

Here are some of our other Netgear R4500 guides that you might be interested in.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear R4500. We also have the following guides for the same router: