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Reset the TP-Link TD-W9970

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

This guide shows you how to reset your TP-Link TD-W9970 router to factory default settings. A router reset is very different than a router reboot. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. However, when you reset a router you, return it back to its factory default 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 and password are reset.
  • Your WiFi name and password are reset.
  • Your ISP settings are reset, which means you will have to contact your ISP to get them back.
  • Any firewall settings, parental controls, and 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. Make sure that you have tried to recover your router password using our Router Password Finder first.

Other TP-Link TD-W9970 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 TP-Link TD-W9970 0.9.1 0.1 v0025.0 D-Smart. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in TP-Link TD-W9970

Instead of resetting your router back to factory settings, you may want to try running our Router Password Finder first.

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

Just keep in mind that a router reset should be done as the last resort when you are unable to login to your router.

Reset the TP-Link TD-W9970

Don't forget to sign up for NordVPN's promo deal before it's gone.

NordVPN is the fastest VPN deal!

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.

There is usually a small reset button located 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. You may need a paper clip to push the reset button.

Keep an eye on the lights on the front of your router while holding the reset button down for about 10 seconds. The lights on the front of the router should do something different when the reset happens. 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.

Don't forget, this step will totally reset your TP-Link TD-W9970 router back to factory settings.

Only do this once 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 TP-Link TD-W9970

Now you need to log in using the factory default username and password. You can find all of the information that you need in our TD-W9970 Login Guide.

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. Our Choosing a Strong Password guide talks about choosing a strong password for your router.

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 TP-Link TD-W9970 Guides

This isn't our only TP-Link TD-W9970 guide. We also have the following guides for this router.

This is the reset router guide for the TP-Link TD-W9970 0.9.1 0.1 v0025.0 D-Smart. We also have the following guides for the same router: