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Reset the Netgear VMDG485

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

If you need to reset your Netgear VMDG485 router back to factory settings, then this article shows you how. A router reset is very different than a router reboot. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. A Router Reset completely erases the router and returns it to factory settings.

Warning: Proceed with caution; resetting your router can be a major headache. A router reset will affect the following settings:

  • The router's login credentials are reset to factory defaults.
  • All WiFi information such as network name, password, and authentication method are erased.
  • All ISP settings will reset to default, and you may have to contact your ISP.
  • Any firewall settings, parental controls, or port forwards that you have configured will be removed.

Resetting your router should be considered the last step. You should be sure that you have tried to at least recover your router password using our Router Password Finder before resorting to a router reset.

Other Netgear VMDG485 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 VMDG485 v1. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear VMDG485

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.

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 - Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

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

Reset the Netgear VMDG485

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On most routers you can find a small button on the back or the bottom labeled reset. Look for something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Your reset button may look different, but usually they are very small. You may need a paper clip to push the reset button.

Hold the reset button down for 10 seconds and watch the lights. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. Keep holding the button as long as you want, it will not hurt anything to hold it down too long.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Netgear VMDG485 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 VMDG485

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. Just follow our VMDG485 Login Guide to find all of the information that you need.

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. 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 VMDG485 Guides

If you want additional help with your Netgear VMDG485 be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear VMDG485 v1. We also have the following guides for the same router: