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Reset the Netgear WNR3500L

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

In this article, you will learn how to reset your Netgear WNR3500L back to factory settings. Resetting a router is different than rebooting a router. Unplugging a router from the wall reboots it. Resetting a router erases all settings from it and returns it to factory defaults.

Warning: Make sure that you fully understand the following before resetting your router. A router reset will affect the following settings:

  • The router's login and password are reset.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • 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.

Since a router reset is such a drastic step, it should only be done as a last resort when you cannot recover your router's password using any other methods. 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 WNR3500L 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 faster than ever deal!

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 WNR3500L. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Netgear WNR3500L

If you are resetting your router because you forgot your router password, then you should 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 - Automatically 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 WNR3500L

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You might notice that most of our site doesn't have ads on it. This is because we use partnerships with companies like NordVPN to keep the site running. Thank you for supporting us by using our referral links.

Most of the time you can find a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. A typical reset button looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Reset buttons are usually tiny. Yours may look slightly different than this. If you find a pinhole on the back of the router then that may be the reset button. You will need a paper clip to push it.

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. You can hold the button down as long as you like, it will not hurt anything.

Keep in mind that this will completely reset your Netgear WNR3500L 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 WNR3500L

Now that you have finished resetting your router, you need to log in using the default username and password from the factory. You can follow the WNR3500L Login Guide to find everything that you need to log in.

Change Your Password

Do not forget to change your router's default password when you log back into it. It is a huge security risk 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: Put your new password on a post-in note and stick it to the bottom of your router.

Other Netgear WNR3500L Guides

This isn't our only Netgear WNR3500L guide. We also have the following guides for this router.

This is the reset router guide for the Netgear WNR3500L. We also have the following guides for the same router: