Reset the TP-Link TL-WR802N

Thumbnail image of Setup Router Staff
Setup Router Staff
Last Updated: | Reading Time: 3 minutes

This guide shows you how to reset your TP-Link TL-WR802N router. A router reset is very different than a router reboot. Every time your router loses power it reboots. A Router Reset completely erases the router and returns it to factory settings.

Warning: Before you continue, there are a few things you need to know. The following settings will be changed in your router:

  • The router's login credentials are reset.
  • All WiFi settings are reset, including network name and password.
  • 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 is the last step you should take in recovering your router's password. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.

Other TP-Link TL-WR802N 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-WR802N. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in TP-Link TL-WR802N

If the only reason that you are resetting your router is because you forgot your router password, then you may want to try running our Router Password Finder instead of resetting your router.

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 TL-WR802N

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

NordVPN faster than ever 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.

Most routers have a small button on either the back or the bottom. Look at your router and try to find something that looks like this:

Router Reset Button

Even though yours may look slightly different, you need to look for a tiny button. 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. After a few seconds the lights should blink differently. When this happens, the reset is complete. 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 TP-Link TL-WR802N 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 TP-Link TL-WR802N

Now that you have finished resetting the router, you need to login to the router interface using the default username and password. We have a TL-WR802N Login Guide with all this information ready for you.

Change Your Password

After logging in, you should really change your router's password for added security. Since factory passwords are well known, it's a huge security risk to leave your router set to the 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 TL-WR802N Guides

This isn't our only TP-Link TL-WR802N guide. We also have the following guides for this router.

This is the reset router guide for the TP-Link TL-WR802N. We also have the following guides for the same router: