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Reset the TP-Link TL-WDR3500

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

In this article, you will learn how to reset your TP-Link TL-WDR3500 back to factory settings. This is not the same thing as rebooting a router. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. This is very different from a reset, which erases a router completely and returns it to factory default settings.

Warning: Proceed with caution; resetting your router can be a major headache. When you reset your router, the following will happen.

  • The router's login and password are reset.
  • Your WiFi login, password, and network name are reset.
  • All ISP settings will reset to default, and you may have to contact your ISP.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards will be removed.

A router reset should be considered the last resort when you cannot log in to your router any other way. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.

Other TP-Link TL-WDR3500 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 TL-WDR3500. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in TP-Link TL-WDR3500

Before you resort to doing a full router reset, 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 - Lost or Forgotten Router Password Recovery Tool

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

Reset the TP-Link TL-WDR3500

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There is usually a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. What you are looking for is something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Your reset button may look different, but usually they are very small. 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. Do not be concerned about holding the reset button down too long. It will not hurt anything.

Remember, this will totally reset your TP-Link TL-WDR3500 router.

Be sure to only reset your router if you have tried everything else, such as running our Router Password Finder software, which can find your lost or forgotten router password for you.

Login to the TP-Link TL-WDR3500

After you are finished resetting your router, you need to login in using the original factory username and password. Our TL-WDR3500 Login Guide has 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. 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: 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 TL-WDR3500 Guides

If you want additional help with your TP-Link TL-WDR3500 be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the TP-Link TL-WDR3500. We also have the following guides for the same router: