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Reset the Netgear WNR1000

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Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 6 minutes

This article covers how to reset the Netgear WNR1000 router back to factory default settings. A router reset is a much bigger deal 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: This is not a step to be taken lightly. A router reset will affect the following settings:

  • The router's login credentials are reset.
  • All WiFi information such as network name, password, and authentication method are erased.
  • 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.

Resetting your router should be considered the last step. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.

Other Netgear WNR1000 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 WNR1000 v2. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear WNR1000

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 - Recover Lost or Forgotten Router Passwords

Only after you have tried to recover your missing router username and password should you perform a full router reset.

Reset the Netgear WNR1000

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NordVPN is the fastest VPN deal!

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

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. Notice how the lights on the front of the router are blinking. When the lights do something different, the router is reset. You cannot hold the button too long, and it will not hurt the router to hold the reset button down for longer than 10 seconds.

Remember, this will totally reset your Netgear WNR1000 router.

This last step should only be taken if you have tried everything else, such as using our Router Password Finder software, which can recover lost or forgotten router passwords.

Login to the Netgear WNR1000

Once the reset is complete, you need to login to your router using the default IP address, username, and password. Our WNR1000 Login Guide has all of the information that you need.

Change Your Password

After logging in, you should really change your router's password for added security. Leaving a router password set to default is a very serious security risk. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide can help you pick a strong password for your router.

Tip: A great place to write your new password down is on a piece of paper taped to the bottom of your router.

Other Netgear WNR1000 Guides

Here are some of our other Netgear WNR1000 guides that you might be interested in.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear WNR1000 v2. We also have the following guides for the same router: