How to Reset the Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router
One of the most popular pages on Technically Easy is the post titled Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router. In that post I outlined the steps needed to secure these particular wireless broadband routers to maintain your wireless network security.
The one problem I didn’t mention is how to reset the router back to the factory defaults. You may need to do this if you forget your router’s password or made a mistake and you can’t connect to the router. In this post I’ll outline two methods you can follow to reset your Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G router.
Reset Button
Note:
Resetting the router to the factory defaults will delete any changes you have made to the router, including any security settings. This should be used as a last resort.
The first method involves simply pressing a button located on the back of the router. The image below (courtesy of Linksys) shows where the button is located.
Linksys WRT54G Reset Button Location
To reset your router, use the following steps:
- Press the reset button for 30 seconds.
- Open up your Web browser and enter “192.168.1.1” in the address bar.
- For the login, leave a blank ID and enter “admin” as the password.
The settings should now be returned to the factory default settings, meaning any changes you had made would be deleted.
The router has now been reset. Follow the steps in Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router to secure your router and for securing a Linksys wireless network.
Through the Web Administration Pages
The second method involves logging into the Web administration pages of the router. Use the following steps to reset the router using this method:
- Open your Web browser and enter the IP address of your router. By default, the address is “192.168.1.1”.
- Enter your user ID And password when prompted. Hopefully this has been changed, but if it hasn’t, the default is no ID and “admin” as the password.
- At the top of the Web page, click “Administration” and then “Factory Defaults”.
- Beside “Restore Factory Defaults”, click “Yes”.
- Now click the “Save Settings” button at the bottom of the Web page.
Your WRT54G wireless router should now be reset to the factory defaults. Ensure you follow the steps outlined in Securing Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router to secure your router and for securing a Linksys wireless network.
Summary
This post has provided two methods you can use to reset your Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G router. If you are having problems with your router, try to reset the Linksys WRT54G to the factory defaults, and then make the changes again and see if the router starts working again.
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Default IP address is 192.168.1.245, not 192.168.1.1
It’s going to be different each time you reset, for example, before i reset, mine was 192.168.0.1, now it’s 192.168.1.1
i have 1 question, we have been trying to set a password for the wireless connection to prevent other users to connect to our network but we cant seem to figure it out.. what do i do?
sorry, I meant to say that it CAN’T find the server
The id (username) is changed on new releases to “root” not blank
It says so in the error message if you try to log in, but it’s easy to miss…
sorry, it can’t find the derver
Now it says it find the server 192.168.1.1
Well, I think the router did reset, because the name of the changed network is no longer visible, but neither is the default ‘linksys”. And when I try to go to 192.168.1.1 I get “Safari can’t connect because the server isn’t responding”
I have a WRT54GS v.5 with a MAC. I had changed the settings on the router but I have forgotten the password. When I tried to reset the router (pressed the reset button for 30-40 secs), but it hasn’t
worked. Do you have to unplug anything. When I enter the default IP in the address bar, it won’t load (“server not responding”) I can open the changed IP, but it wants a password. Any help?