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Reset the Netgear VMDG480

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

This guide shows you how to reset your Netgear VMDG480 router to factory default settings. This is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. Resetting a router erases all settings from it and returns it to factory defaults.

Warning: Since this erases everything you have done to the router, there are some things you need to consider first. The following settings will be changed in your router:

  • The router's login and password are reset.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • Any ISP settings saved in your router will be removed. You may have to contact your ISP.
  • 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. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.

Other Netgear VMDG480 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 VMDG480 v2. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear VMDG480

If the only reason that you are resetting your router is because you forgot your router password, then you may want to try running our Router Password Finder instead of resetting your router.

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 VMDG480

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Most routers have a small button on either the back or the bottom. Look at your router and try to find something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Your reset button may look different, but usually they are very small. Sometimes the button is under a pinhole, and you need a paper clip to push it.

Watch the lights on the front of your router and hold the reset button down for about 10 seconds. The lights on the front of the router should do something different when the reset happens. Do not worry about holding the button down too long; this is harmless.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Netgear VMDG480 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 VMDG480

Now you need to log in using the factory default username and password. Our VMDG480 Login Guide has 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: After creating this new password, we highly recommend writing this down on a post-it note and attaching it to the bottom of your router for future reference.

Other Netgear VMDG480 Guides

Here are some of our other Netgear VMDG480 guides that you might be interested in.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear VMDG480 v2. We also have the following guides for the same router: