R8500

Name: R8500
Brand: Netgear
Rating: 77 (3 reviews)

Thumbnail for the Netgear R8500 router with Gigabit WiFi, 6 N/A ETH-ports and
0 USB-ports

The Netgear R8500 router has Gigabit WiFi, 6 N/A ETH-ports and 0 USB-ports. It has a total combined WiFi throughput of 5300 Mpbs.

The R8500 is featured in our
Best Mid- to high-end routers: buying guide

Quick links:
Default password/Login
User Manuals

R8500 router specifications (specs)

System specs
CPU: 1.4 GHz
RAM: 512 MiB
Flash: 128 MiB
Custom firmwares: None

Connectivity
WiFi: Gigabit (abgn+ac)
WiFi bands: 2.4GHz & 5GHz
WiFi throughput: 5300 Mpbs
WAN: 1 x N/A port
ETH: 6 x N/A ports
USB-ports: 0

Netgear R8500 review (quick overview)

Here is the quick comparison of how the Netgear R8500 compares to other routers on our site:

Average 77/100

Editor 74/100

WiFi 100/100

Hardware 57/100

Current price Find best price

For a full list of routers and how they compare to the R8500, check the Router Buying Guide which will help you buy the most price-competitive router.

Hard reset instructions for Netgear R8500

If your R8500 router is not working as it should, dropping connections or not being responsive, you should first do a reset of the router to see if the problems persist. Other scenarios where you might want to reset your router is if you've forgotten the password or misconfigured it and can't get access anymore.
Your can reset your Netgear R8500 in the following way(s):

With the reset button

Have the router powered on (if just booted wait around one minute for it to load)
With a sharp pen or paper clip, press down the Restore Factory Settings button and hold it for about 7 seconds
When the power light starts to blink you can release the reset button and wait for the router to start up
The power light will be solid (not blinking) once the router is started.

The 30-30-30 reset

If the above instructions don't work you can always try the 30-30-30 reset as follows:

When router is powered on, press the reset button and hold for 30 seconds. (Use a paper clip or something sharp)
While holding the reset button pressed, unplug the power of the router and hold the reset button for 30 seconds
While still holding the reset button down, turn on the power to the unit again and hold for another 30 seconds.

This process usually works for resetting any router to it's factory setting. If that doesn't work be sure to check out the questions and answers incase someone else has had similar problems resetting their router.

Note: It is worth reading more about how to reset routers with the 30 30 30 reset and what the risks and considerations are when resetting your router this way, instead of just rebooting it.

Default factory settings for Netgear R8500

If you have performed a reset of your R8500 device or not changed the defaults, you should be able to access it with the following settings:

Default Network name (SSID): NETGEARXX
Default username: admin Netgear router default password list
Default password: password
Default subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Note: If you are using the default settings you should change them to increase security and prevent unathorized access to your network.

R8500 Firmwares

Staying up to date with the latest firmware is a good idea to keep your router even more secure from various security flaws.
If you want to squeeze a little bit of extra functionality out of your router, consider flashing an open-source firmware like dd-wrt, openWRT or LEDE. Flashing a custom ROM can greatly increase the stability and functionality of your old router.
Following are the firmwares that we have identified existing for the Netgear R8500:

Netgear stock firmware for the R8500

Stock firmwares for the R8500 are available under the download section on the modem's support page. You can also refer to the router's manual for instructions on how to upgrade the firmware.