Questions about Netgear router

[aggle-rithm]

I had quite an adventure with my Netgear router earlier this week. I wanted to go in and set up a static or reserved IP for one of my machines, but the password I had saved in LastPass didn't work. I thought maybe I had forgotten to actually change the password, or the change hadn't taken, so I tried the default password, "password". No luck.

Tuesday night I decided to do some quick maintenance: I would press "reset" and return everything to factory settings. According to the manual, this would reset the password to the default and allow me to log in. Unfortunately, it would also wipe out my wireless settings, so I would have to set it up again. But this would be easy once I could get into it.

I reset the device, hooked the computer up directly to the router via Ethernet and tried to log in.

Nothing. The default password wasn't recognized for the default user, "admin".

So it appears that everything in the router was set back to default EXCEPT the password. The router was now useless.

There was no way to restore the wireless settings manually, but I was able to get it going again eventually by installing the router software on my laptop and following the tedious wizard that showed me, via SLOOOW animation, that the various cables had to be plugged in at BOTH ENDS.

It was a rough few hours, but I'm finally back where I started; a router that works but can't be configured.

Has anyone encountered this problem? It seems to defy all logic, if we assume that what the manual (and every piece of information I can find on this router) says is accurate.

 

[icerat]

you may need to hold reset in longer to reset the password. What model is it?

ETA: not all netgear's have "password" as default. Try also "1234" and "admin"

 

[aggle-rithm]

you may need to hold reset in longer to reset the password. What model is it?

ETA: not all netgear's have "password" as default. Try also "1234" and "admin"

I don't know the model number off the top of my head. The default username/password is on the bottom of the device as well as in the manual for that particular model.

Also...I thought of holding the reset button down longer, on the theory that maybe it hadn't completed the reset when I let up on it. So I reset it again, this time holding it down about 20 seconds. Still no luck.

 

[madurobob]

Ummmm... my old netgear router had a default ID of "admin" and a blank password. Perhaps yours is the same?

ETA: my apologies, it was the old POS Linksys that had the blank PW.

 

[madurobob]

There is also a double-dog-dare version of resetting where you unplug the power to the router, push and hold the reset button while plugging back in, and hold the reset button for about a minute then let go and allow it to reboot.

 

[aggle-rithm]

There is also a double-dog-dare version of resetting where you unplug the power to the router, push and hold the reset button while plugging back in, and hold the reset button for about a minute then let go and allow it to reboot.

Huh...I might try that.

 

[Mister Earl]

Also, some routers require that you hold in the reset button as you power them back up. I'd try pulling the power cord, wait 60 seconds, hold down reset button, then plug it in.

Some have to be done like that just to wipe the memory and reset it.

 

[BazBear]

With the power hooked up, push and hold the reset button for a 30 second count. While still pushing the reset button, disconnect the power for 30 seconds. Then reconnect the power while still keeping the reset button depressed for 30 seconds. Let off the reset switch, wait about 30 seconds and try to configure it again. Note that in this process you keep the reset switch depressed the entire time. ETA- If it still acts up, redo this process and after the last 30 second wait after letting off the reset switch, unplug it for 30 seconds, then plug it back in (though I've only had to do it with this extra step with Linksys E-series routers)

The NVRAM in routers can be tricky little devils, and this is what I always use when I want to reset a router before flashing firmware. I know that's not what you're doing, but it's only process I've tried that will nearly guarantee a true factory reset on virtually any make or model router.