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Reset the Netgear R6100

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

This article covers how to reset the Netgear R6100 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: Before you continue, there are a few things you need to know. The following settings in your router will be changed:

  • The router's login credentials 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 parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards 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 R6100 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 R6100. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear R6100

Instead of resetting your router back to factory settings, 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

A router reset should be the last thing you try if you are unable to login.

Reset the Netgear R6100

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NordVPN is the fastest VPN deal!

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Most routers have a small button on either the back or the bottom. This is what a typical reset button looks like:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. Sometimes the reset button is under a pinhole on the back of the router, and you 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. You can hold the button down as long as you like, it will not hurt anything.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Netgear R6100 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 R6100

Now you need to log in using the factory default username and password. You can follow the R6100 Login Guide to find everything that you need to log in.

Change Your Password

You need to change your router's default password after you log in for the first time. Since factory passwords are well known, it's a huge security risk to leave your router set to the default. 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 R6100 Guides

We have collected a lot of information about the Netgear R6100 router. You can find some of our additional content here.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear R6100. We also have the following guides for the same router: