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Reset the Ubiquiti AirOS

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

This is the reset guide for the Ubiquiti AirOS router. Resetting a router is different than rebooting a router. Turning a router off and back on again causes a reboot. 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 and password are reset to factory defaults.
  • All WiFi settings are reset, including network name and password.
  • Your ISP settings are reset, which means you will have to contact your ISP to get them back.
  • All parental controls, firewall settings, and port forwards 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. Before you reset your router, you may want to try recovering your router password with our Router Password Finder.

Other Ubiquiti AirOS 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.

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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 Ubiquiti AirOS. We also have the following guides for the same router:

Recover Password in Ubiquiti AirOS

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.

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 - Lost or Forgotten Router Password Recovery Tool

A router reset should be the last thing you try if you are unable to login.

Reset the Ubiquiti AirOS

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There is usually a small reset button located on either the back or the bottom of a router. Look for something that 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 about 10 seconds while watching the lights on the front of your router. 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.

Just don't forget that this will totally reset your Ubiquiti AirOS router.

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 Ubiquiti AirOS

Once the reset is complete, you need to login to your router using the default IP address, username, and password. We have a AirOS Login Guide with all this information ready for you.

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 can help you pick a strong password for your router.

Tip: A great place to write your new password down is on a piece of paper taped to the bottom of your router.

Other Ubiquiti AirOS Guides

If you want additional help with your Ubiquiti AirOS be sure to check out some of our other guides.

This is the reset router guide for the Ubiquiti AirOS. We also have the following guides for the same router: