How to Factory Reset a Router

To factory reset a router, leave it powered on, push a pin into the small Reset hole and hold it until the lights go out or change their blink. Each model wants a different hold, from 2 seconds to 30. Everything you set is wiped: the Wi-Fi name, both passwords and the internet login from your ISP. For slow or dropped internet, a restart is enough.

Restart or factory reset a router?

A restart keeps every setting, while a reset returns the box to the state it left the factory in.

Your situation	What to do	Settings kept?
Internet is slow or keeps dropping	Restart: power off, wait, power on	Yes
The LOS light on the fibre box is red	Restart the fibre box, then call the ISP	Yes
You forgot the admin password	Try recovery first, then reset	No
Someone changed settings you cannot undo	Reset	No
You are giving the router away	Reset	No

Jio’s help pages suggest a restart once a month to clear the router’s memory. Telkomsel’s IndiHome guide restarts with the power button: press it until the power light goes off, then wait 2 to 3 minutes before switching back on. For a forgotten login, read how to recover a router password without a reset before you reach for a pin.

Which password did you lose?

A reset is often more than the problem needs. Match what you lost:

You lost	Try this first	Reset needed?
The Wi-Fi key, but you can still sign in	Open the Wi-Fi settings and read or change the key	No
The admin password on a TP-Link linked to a TP-Link ID	Sign in with the linked TP-Link ID, then use Password Recovery	Only if recovery is missing
The admin password on a Netgear with recovery set up	Netgear’s password recovery	Only if it was never switched on
The admin password on a Huawei MiFi from a carrier	The nameplate, or ask the carrier, because carrier versions can differ	Only as a last step
The PPPoE password for your fibre line	Your ISP’s account portal, such as Afrihost’s ClientZone	No
The admin password, with no recovery option	Factory reset	Yes

Huawei reminds MiFi owners that the admin login is not the Wi-Fi connection password.

Reset button hold times by brand and ISP

Find your device below. Each name links to the maker’s or ISP’s own page for that time.

Device	Hold the button	What you see
TP-Link Wi-Fi routers	More than 10 seconds	SYS light goes from slow blink to fast blink
TP-Link 4G routers, recessed Reset type	2 seconds	SYS light blinks fast
Huawei Wi-Fi routers	Pinhole until the light changes; H or Hi button more than 10 seconds	Light goes off or flashes
Huawei 5G CPE (SIM router)	At least 2 seconds, CPE switched on	All lights go off
Huawei Mobile WiFi	About 5 seconds, back cover off	All lights flash
Huawei EG8145V5 fibre ONT	Longer than 10 seconds	Light goes off, then comes back on
ZTE H3601P from Webafrica	More than 5 seconds	Not stated; wait for the restart
ZTE MC801A 5G router	About 3 seconds	Not stated; wait for the restart
ZTE LTE routers from Afrihost	15 to 20 seconds, powered on	Router reboots
Tenda F6 and N301 (WiFi/RST button)	About 8 seconds	Light blinks fast
MTN Nigeria broadband router	10 seconds	Router restarts
Airtel India Wi-Fi routers	30 seconds	Then wait 30 more seconds
IndiHome modem	Until the power light goes off (no time given)	Back online after a few minutes

TP-Link’s 4G page covers 25 models, among them the TL-MR100, Archer MR200 and MR600. Their button is either a WPS/RESET button, held more than 10 seconds like the Wi-Fi routers, or a recessed Reset held for 2, so check which kind yours has. The Huawei CPE page is written for the 5G CPE Win, and Huawei notes that the button sits elsewhere on other CPEs. The ONT row comes from a Philippine ISP’s help centre, which quotes Huawei’s own manual. Retail brands outside the table: Netgear asks for 7 seconds with the power light on, ASUS for 5 to 10 seconds until the power light flashes, and GL.iNet for 10 seconds. For logins and models beyond resets, open the TP-Link router login page, the Huawei router guide, the ZTE router and ONT page or Tenda’s own user guide.

When a long press is the wrong press

Holding longer is not always safer. On several buttons, the wrong length does a different job:

• TP-Link 4G recessed Reset: past 5 seconds it switches the Wi-Fi off or on instead of resetting. Under 1 second starts WPS.
• Tenda WiFi/RST: 1 to 3 seconds turns the Wi-Fi off or on. The reset needs about 8.
• TP-Link WPS/Reset: under 5 seconds starts WPS, a quick pairing mode.
• Huawei ONT: Huawei’s manual text separates a short press from a long one. Only a press longer than 10 seconds restores the default settings.
• GL.iNet: 4 seconds runs a soft reset that repairs the network and, per GL.iNet, keeps Wi-Fi, VPN and system settings, while 10 seconds clears all user data. Do not press right after power-up, which can start a failsafe recovery mode.

If your Wi-Fi disappeared after a press, you probably hit the Wi-Fi toggle. Press for the same length again to bring it back.

Resetting an ISP router or fibre box

Many fibre homes have a fibre box (ONT, the unit the fibre cable plugs into), and some also have a separate Wi-Fi router cabled to it. Some ONTs broadcast Wi-Fi themselves: the Huawei EG8145V5 has its own WLAN button. Work out which box sends your Wi-Fi before you press anything, and reset only that one. If you have both, Airtel asks you to unplug the broadband modem from the router before a hard reset.

Check the ONT lights first. Webafrica’s fibre troubleshooting page reads a red or flashing LOS light as a fibre signal problem. A reset only changes settings, so it cannot mend a signal fault. Unplug the fibre box for 30 seconds, wait 3 to 5 minutes, then report the fault. If you need the ONT’s own page, see the 192.168.100.1 login for Huawei ONTs.

IndiHome users can skip the pin: Telkomsel says customer service on 188 can reset your IndiHome Wi-Fi remotely. Safaricom, JioFiber, Airtel Xstream, Vodacom, rain and Telkom fibre give no hold time in any of their help pages checked for this page. Before you factory reset a router from one of them, call support and ask three things:

1. How long to hold the button on your model.
2. Whether a technician must set the unit up again afterwards.
3. Whether they will send the PPPoE login or APN again.

For JioFiber, also read the notes on the 192.168.29.1 JioFiber page.

What to save before you press

Collect these while the router still works:

• The PPPoE username and password. PPPoE is the dial-in login some fibre lines use. Webafrica texts it by SMS. Per Afrihost’s WS5200 PPPoE guide, Afrihost uses PPPoE only on Openserve and Vodacom fibre. Its ClientZone shows the username, and Reset Password makes a new password rather than showing the old one.
• A VLAN number, if your ISP uses one. TP-Link keeps it under Advanced > Network > IPTV/VLAN.
• The APN on a SIM router. Afrihost says its Huawei 4G Router Lite comes with the Telkom APN set, and you enter it again after a reset. The setting lives on the 192.168.8.1 page for Huawei SIM routers.
• A photo of the label. Webafrica advises taking one with your phone. The label holds the admin address, admin password and the Wi-Fi key.
• Your current Wi-Fi name and key. The Wi-Fi name (SSID) is the network your phones look for, and Telkomsel suggests noting both before any restart or reset.
• A backup file, if the menu offers one. TP-Link 4G routers can load it back after the reset.

Reset a router to factory settings

These steps suit a phone user standing at the router. Once you have the details above, factory reset a router like this:

How long until it is back online

Wait before you decide it failed. Airtel allows another 30 seconds after the hold, and Netgear’s cable modems take about a minute. GL.iNet’s web reset runs for about 2 minutes. Telkomsel says an IndiHome modem needs a few minutes to come back online. If a fibre box was restarted too, Webafrica allows 3 to 5 minutes for the line to return.

Reset without the button, from a phone or PC

If you can still sign in, the settings page can run the reset for you. Join the router’s Wi-Fi, open the address printed on the label, then use the path for your brand:

Brand	Path	Button
TP-Link Wi-Fi routers	Advanced > System Tools > Backup and Restore	Factory Restore
TP-Link 4G routers	Advanced > System Tools > Backup & Restore > Factory Default Restore	Factory Restore
Huawei Wi-Fi routers	More Functions > System Settings > Back up & Restore	Factory Reset
Huawei CPE and Mobile WiFi	Advanced > System > Reset at 192.168.8.1	Reset
Huawei AI Life app (CPE, MiFi)	Show more > Advanced settings > Factory reset	OK
Tenda F6	Administration > Device Management	Reset
ASUS	Administration > Restore/Save/Upload Setting	Restore
IndiHome modem	Web settings page	Restore Default

Some TP-Link firmware shows System in place of System Tools.

What a factory reset erases

After the reset these are gone:

• The Wi-Fi name and key you chose. The label pair is back.
• The admin password for the settings page.
• The internet login: PPPoE details, VLAN, APN.
• Port forwarding and custom DNS servers (Airtel), and parental controls (TP-Link).
• A custom router address. TP-Link goes back to the IP printed on its label; find the router’s IP address if the old one stops working.

The firmware stays. Airtel notes that a reset does not roll back the installed firmware version. Huawei routers can keep the Wi-Fi name and key if you switch on “Retain network settings after factory reset”, but Huawei says a second reset clears everything, retained settings included.

Router login and password after a reset

Sign in with the address and login from the label, or from this list:

Device	Address	Login after reset
TP-Link routers	On the bottom label	admin / admin on older models; newer ones ask you to create a password
Huawei CPE and Mobile WiFi	192.168.8.1	On the nameplate; carrier versions can differ
Huawei WS5200 (Afrihost)	192.168.3.1	Password only, printed underneath
ZTE H3601P (Webafrica)	192.168.1.1, the common fibre router address	admin and the password on the label
ZTE MC801A and Afrihost ZTE LTE	192.168.0.1	Admin password on the label
Tenda F6 and N301	192.168.0.1	Password admin
MTN Nigeria broadband router	the 192.168.0.1 login page	Password admin
Netgear routers	On the label	admin / password

Airtel, JioFiber, Safaricom and IndiHome publish no post-reset login in the help pages checked here, so use the label or ask the ISP. The default router passwords by brand and ISP list covers more models. Then set the connection type and type in the PPPoE login, VLAN or APN you saved. Next, set a new Wi-Fi name and password and pick an admin password using these strong password tips.

Problems after a router reset

The old Wi-Fi name is still showing

The hold was too short, or a Huawei retain option kept the name. Hold again for the full time in the table and watch for the light change.

The Wi-Fi vanished right after the press

On TP-Link 4G routers with a recessed button and on Tenda WiFi/RST buttons, the wrong hold length switches the Wi-Fi off. Press for the short time again to switch it back on, then retry the reset with the correct hold.

The label Wi-Fi key is refused on the settings page

The label key joins the Wi-Fi; the settings page wants the admin login. Check the admin password line on the label, or the first-use screen on newer TP-Link and ASUS routers.

Wi-Fi works but there is no internet

The ISP details are missing. Enter the PPPoE username and password, VLAN or APN again, or ask the ISP to provision the unit.

The LOS light on the fibre box is red

That points to the fibre signal, not the settings. Unplug the fibre box for 30 seconds, wait a few minutes, then report a fault to the ISP.

The ISP login still fails after the reset

Some JioFiber owners report that a technician set the login, so no published default worked. Call the ISP rather than guessing passwords.

The lights keep blinking for a long time

Give it a few minutes and leave the power on. Netgear's cable modem guide warns that cutting power mid-reset can corrupt the firmware.

If the settings page will not open at all, follow the checks for a router page that will not load.

Conclusion

Before you factory reset a router, check whether a restart fixes the problem, and save the ISP login, VLAN or APN if the box came from your ISP. Then hold the button for your model’s exact time and stop when the lights change. If the page still refuses your password afterwards, the router login hub points you to the right address.