Picture of the Netgear AC 750 EX3700 Wi-Fi range extender, connected and operating, front view, showing the lights in normally-functioning condition.

How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender

In this post, we cover how to factory reset Netgear WiFi extender routines.  Indeed, Netgear® has created a vast line of WiFi range extenders. Many of these have a factory reset button.  This button, when pressed, erases any custom settings. It then returns the Netgear extender to factory default values. E.g. A factory reset restores the settings to what they were when the unit shipped from the factory.  Reset the Netgear WiFi extender to factory default state if it shows strange symptoms.  These could include failing to link to the primary Wi-Fi network.  Or, the extended or extension network slows or freezes, and so on.  Try factory resetting before buying a new range extender.  A simple reset might save you the cost of that  new extender.

Here, we offer a simple method for how to factory reset a Netgear WiFi extender. Hopefully, a Netgear extender reset will fix most problems you might see in these WiFi network extenders.

How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender

1. Find Good AC Power

Never interrupt power during the hard reset.  Why not?  Because this can corrupt the extender’s memory or break the installed firmware.  Thus, the WiFi extender may not start up after reset.  So, we suggest plugging your WiFi extender directly into a well-fitting and non switched AC wall outlet.  Do not attach it through an extension cord.  This avoids the loose and spotty connections often found in cheap or worn out cords.

2. Power On your Netgear WiFi Extender

Wait until the Netgear extender finishes booting before proceeding to the next step.  Typically, booting can take between thirty seconds and one minute.

3. Write Down Any Extender Settings you’ve Changed to Continue with How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender

Save any changed settings you’ve made to the extender before reset.  These might include the extended WiFi network name, password, WiFi channel numbers used, and so on.  Since the WiFi extender erases these settings during factory reset, write them down first.  You’ll need this settings list after the reset.  With it, you can easily apply them again if you wish.





4. Start Factory Reset by Either of Two Ways

If you want to use the physical reset button on the WiFi extender itself, skip ahead to step 9.  Or, do a hard reset via the device’s admin web pages. Most Netgear® WiFi extenders give both options).

To reset via the web, go on to the next step.  Resetting though the web, saves you from digging out the extender from behind furniture to get at the reset button.  But using the web may not always be easy, like when the extender freezes or locks up. So, choose how to reset based on your specific circumstances.

How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender via the Netgear® Genie® Web Site

How to factory reset Netgear WiFi extender. Picture of the Netgear EX3700, displaying the Genie first page for Setup.
How to factory reset Netgear WiFi extender. Netgear EX3700, displaying the Genie first page for Setup.

1. Log In to the Netgear WiFi Extender’s Admin Web Site

Once the WiFi extender powers up and fully boots, connect a computer to it.  Then, on that computer, bring up q web browser.  Then, visit the  http://mywifiext.net/  site.  The Netgear® Genie® web site front page then displays.

Then, follow the prompts through the WiFi extender Netgear login to the site.

2. Find the Hard Reset Option on the Netgear Genie Web Site

You often find the factory default reset link under the Settings->Other section.

3. Click the Factory RESET Button

This brings up a restore factory defaults confirm prompt screen.  You may choose not to reset the WiFi extender at this point.  In that case,  just leave the reset page.  But if you still wish to factory reset, move on to the next step.





4. Click the YES Button to Continue with How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender

Clicking or tapping this link is like pressing the reset button on the unit. That is,  resetting takes the Netgear extender offline while it restores the factory default settings.

The WiFi extender will also log you off of the http://mywifiext.net/ web site during this time. Lights will go out for some seconds, then start flashing as the reset takes effect.

5. Done with How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender via the Web Site !

Now, you may move your extender to a new spot and set it up there.  Or, it’s now ready for the next user if you’re going to sell or gift it.

How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender with its Factory RESET Button

1, Find the Reset Button

The button is quite small. Plus, you often find it inside a hole on either the back or bottom of the range extender.  The button is red, black, or silver in color, and likely in a hole in the case surface. Use a flashlight if you put your WiFi extender in a dark spot.

2. Press and Hold the Reset Button for Ten to Twenty Seconds

Since the reset button port is often small, use the tip of a pen or paper clip to reach it.  Also, this button is delicate and so, easily broken or jammed.  So, raise your pressing pressure only until you feel the button give (click) into the pressed position.  Then, keep pressing with that same strength until the extender starts resetting.





3. Release the RESET Button to Continue with How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender with the Button

You can tell when reset begins because the lights will all go out, except for perhaps the power lamp.  You need not continue holding the reset button in, once resetting starts.  Pressing for too long can, again, damage the button.  So, only hold it in as long as it takes to start factory resetting.

4. Wait for the WiFi Extender to Finish Factory Resetting

This can take up to four minutes.  So stay calm, and DO NOT UNPLUG (POWER DOWN) YOUR EXTENDER WHILE RESETTING!!! 

Again, turning off most any network device while it’s resetting can brick it. If that happens, you may have to send the extender to Netgear® for proper re flashing. That is,  if they can re flash at all.  For cheaper extenders, factory re flashing may not be worth the expense.  So, get it right the first time.  That is, never stop a WiFi extender while factory resetting.

Reset is done when the lights on the WiFi extender stop blinking.  You should also see the extender’s admin setup web pages at http://mywifiext.net/  after reset.

5. Reapply Any Customized Settings

Once the hard reset is done, make any changes to the extender’s settings that your specific network might need, at the http://mywifiext.net/ site.

6. Done with How to Factory Reset Netgear WiFi Extender Using the RESET Button !

What ever way you reset your Netgear extender, it is now ready for setup.  Note that you must set up your extender anew after a factory reset.  It will not extend any networks until you enter the WiFi networks you wish to extend.  Do this on the extender’s setup web pages.

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Revision History

  • 2019-03-25: Added tags and shortened meta description.
  • 2018-04-26: Revised post title and content for better keyword focus.
  • 2017-02-28: First published.