Reset the Netgear WNR3500

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

This guide shows you how to reset your Netgear WNR3500 router. A router reset is a much bigger deal than a router reboot. Unplugging a router from the wall reboots it. This is very different from a reset, which erases a router completely and returns it to factory default settings.

Warning: This is not a step to be taken lightly. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's username and password are reset to factory defaults.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • Your ISP username and password will be reset, 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. Make sure that you have tried to recover your router password using our Router Password Finder first.

Other Netgear WNR3500 Guides

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear WNR3500. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear WNR3500

Before you resort to doing a full router reset, 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 - Automatically 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 WNR3500

You can usually find a small reset button on either the back or the bottom of a router. Most reset buttons look like this:

Router Reset Button

Reset buttons are usually tiny. Yours may look slightly different than this. Sometimes the button is under a pinhole, 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. The blinking pattern of the lights on the front of the router should change when the reset is complete. Do not worry about holding the button down too long; this is harmless.

Don't forget, this step will totally reset your Netgear WNR3500 router back to factory settings.

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 WNR3500

Now that you have finished resetting the router, you need to login to the router interface using the default username and password. You can follow the WNR3500 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. If you need help coming up with a strong password, check out our Choosing a Strong Password guide.

Tip: Write your new password down on a note and tape it to the bottom of your router for future reference.

Other Netgear WNR3500 Guides

Here are some of our other Netgear WNR3500 guides that you might be interested in.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear WNR3500. We also have the following guides for the same router: