If you have ever wanted to Reset EE Broadband Router Quickly and Easily then this is the article for you. Here's a quick guide on how to reset EE Broadband routers, also known as EE Bright Boxes. Even if you are not a tech expert, you can reset, restart, and power cycle your EE Broadband router with this guide.
You can easily and quickly reset your EE Bright Box with these helpful tips and tricks. Use our Amazon Associates recommendations below when shopping for a new router to enhance your current home WiFi setup as we have made some great suggestions.
In addition to having an Asus, TP-Link, Netgear, or some other brand of router installed in your home, this guide is incredibly helpful in understanding the basics about your home internet setup.
EE Broadband Router Reset
Key Takeaways
- You'll learn the difference between a factory reset, which wipes every change back to the details on the hub's base, and a restart, which reboots while keeping your settings.
- We walk through the quick factory reset for the EE Smart Hub and Smart Hub Plus, including the recessed pinhole button, the paperclip technique and the roughly 20 second hold time.
- You'll know what to expect after a reset; the network name and password revert to the card on the base, Guest WiFi and LED brightness settings clear, and any WiFi Extenders need re-pairing.
- We explain how to read the front light before resetting, so a flashing orange light connecting to broadband does not send you down the wrong path.
- You'll cover alternative reset routes, including logging in via the router IP address, using a manufacturer mobile app and applying these steps to third-party routers from Asus, TP-Link, Netgear and D-Link.
EE Smart Hub and Smart Hub Plus Factory Reset (Start Here)
This is the quick version for the two routers most EE customers have today: the EE Smart Hub and the Smart Hub Plus. A factory reset wipes every change you have made and returns the hub to the settings printed on the base; a restart simply reboots it and keeps your settings. We start with both so you can pick the right one before touching anything.
Factory reset (settings wiped, hub returns to defaults):
- Make sure the hub is switched on at the back.
- Find the reset button. On the Smart Hub and Smart Hub Plus it is a small recessed (pinhole) reset button; you will need a straightened paperclip or pin to reach it.
- Press and hold the recessed reset button. A flush button is held for roughly 5 seconds; a pinhole reset is held with a paperclip for roughly 20 seconds. Hold times vary by hub revision, so we suggest confirming the figure on EE's current help pages for your exact model before counting.
- Release and wait. The hub reboots and can take up to about 5 minutes to finish; the reset is complete once the light settles to aqua or blue.
After the reset the network name and password revert to the details on the card on the base of the hub, and changes such as Guest WiFi, Compatibility WiFi and LED brightness are cleared. Any WiFi Extenders will need re-pairing.
Restart instead (keeps your settings):
If you only want a reboot, press the On/Off button on the back to switch the hub off, unplug the power supply, wait about 30 seconds, then plug it back in and switch it on. This clears the temporary memory without erasing your configuration; for most dropouts we suggest trying this first.
Before you reset, it is worth reading the light on the front. We cover every state in what the lights on your EE router mean and how to fix them; a flashing orange light, for example, usually just means the hub is still connecting to broadband and a reset will not help. For other brands, our router lights guide explaining what every colour means is the place to start.
Common reasons to reset an EE Broadband router
You can easily reset your EE Broadband router on your own, which can save you lots of hassle, stress, and money on call out fees.
If you own an EE Broadband router, chances are at some point you have had problems with it. You may well have had trouble streaming media or downloading files online because it's acting up.
You will learn how to reset your EE Broadband router and fix all of these issues with a few basics in this guide. When you learn how to do it yourself, you won't need to call anyone else for your first line of troubleshooting and diagnostics. This new sense of independence makes living with an unpredictable internet connection much less terrifying.
What resetting an EE Broadband router actually means
'Resetting' a router is always a little confusing, even though it shouldn't be. The reason is that the term 'resetting' can mean a few different things, depending on who you ask and what their understanding of the process is.
Resetting often gets used instead of restarting or power cycling a router. Sometimes you will hear someone asking you to give your router a quick reset, when in fact they meant to say restart.
Resetting should actually refer to a configuration reset, such as a factory reset and not a restart or a power cycle. What makes this even more confusing is the fact that issues that you are trying to solve can sometimes be solved by a reset or a restart.
Knowing whether to reset or restart your router
The most obvious symptom is a lack of internet service. The first thing most people will do when faced with a similar issue is to simply restart the router, or power it off at the AC power and then power it back on again. Once the router has restarted, you can continue to troubleshoot your EE Broadband router.
The most common reasons why you might want to restart your EE Broadband router or EE Broadband router are:
- Slow internet
- WiFi signal keeps dropping
- No internet connection at all, red light
- Router frozen, lights no blinking
- Can't connect to the WiFi
You want to reset your router if you are experiencing issues like these:
- You have lost your login details for your router
- You cannot access your router via WiFi or Ethernet
- You suspect that unauthorised users are accessing your router and you can't change your WiFi password
- You want to sell your router and you want to erase all of your personal data from the unit
Reset Methods
There are many ways to reset your EE Broadband router, regardless of the make or model. We will cover some fundamental ways for you to reset your EE Broadband router or router, as well as other manufacturers. The good news is that it is very easy to do, no matter which method you choose, although in the case of a factory reset you will need to do a little prep work, which we will cover below.
Reset via login
Resetting your EE Broadband Hub is very easy, but you will need some details in order to accomplish this. The first thing that you will need is your router's IP address. Don't panic, this is printed on the underside of your router. EE Broadband default IPs normally look something like:
192.168.100.1
If you have set up your IP address to match a different subnet then you will need to consult your records and find out what it was set as. If you still can't find it, then you can try a few other things.
Log onto a Windows computer and press the following keys:
Windows + R
Next, type in the following command:
Next, type in this command:
tracert 8.8.8.8
This will show you a series of hops that your data takes to Google's DNS server 8.8.8.8. The first IP address is usually your router. In this example, the IP address is 192.168.101.1, so we would take it and enter it into a web browser. This will take you to the router's login page.
Once you login to your router, navigate to the settings or administration tab on your router. You will then find the 'Factory Reset' or 'Reset Router Defaults'.
Here is an example of an Asus router menu:
Reset via Mobile App (If applicable)
If your router happens to come with a mobile app then you can also perform a factory reset via your smart device like a mobile phone or tablet. Once installed, it is just a matter of opening the app and logging on with your router's credentials.
From there, you can use all of the same functionality as the web login, allowing you to reset your router from wherever you are, in some cases even when you are not at home.
Factory reset
Sometimes it is necessary to restore the defaults of your EE Broadband router, and this could be necessary for a few reasons. The first, and most common issue that people experience that necessitates a factory reset is a forgotten username and password to get into the router.
This is usually found on the underside of the router itself, but you are able to reset these to something more secure or memorable if you need to. Whatever the reason is for not being able to login to the router, all you need to do is the following.
- Look on the back of your EE Broadband router and find the small hole labelled 'Factory Reset' and insert a pin or paper clip until you feel a gentle click of the button being depressed.
- Hold it in until you see the LEDs on the device start to flash.
- Wait for the LEDs to go back into a ready state.
- Once this has completed then you can login with the supplied credentials under the router.
You can now log in and check that you are connected to the internet. If you are still having problems with your router then you will need to contact EE Broadband, or you can reach out to your router's support team if you are using a non EE Broadband router.
If a reset does not hold and the hub keeps dropping, the fault may be the hub itself rather than the line; reading the front light against our guide to what every router colour means usually tells us which. Where the EE hardware is past its best, a self-owned mesh such as the TP-Link Deco X20 gives a cleaner upgrade path than another swap of the same hub.
EE Broadband Support https://ee.co.uk/contact-ee
TP-Link Support https://www.tp-link.com/uk/choose-your-location/
D-Link Support https://www.dlink.com/en/support
Asus Support https://www.asus.com/support/
NETGEAR Support https://www.netgear.com/support/
Restarting EE Broadband Router
If you need to troubleshoot your router before taking the more drastic steps of a factory reset, then sometimes a simple router restart will do the trick. You will also hear the term 'reboot' thrown around, which is the same thing as a restart.
If you have a mobile phone or tablet running on the EE Broadband network, you can do a simple restart of your router via the mobile app. If those options are not working for you, then you can try one of the following methods as a quick fix.
Powering off the device (the classic off and on again)
Some people will tell you that you have to turn your router off completely to clear a fault. The easiest way to do this is to unplug the router's power cable, wait 5 to 10 seconds, and then plug it back in, and make sure that the power button is still on.
The time spent while switched off and unplugged allows for all the electronic components in the device to fully discharge, and lose the temporary data in their storage, allowing the device to operate as intended.
This temporary storage is also called volatile memory, and is designed to be emptied out when power is lost. The actual configuration settings of your router are stored in non-volatile memory.
Login and reset your EE Broadband router
It seems so easy to simply restart the router, so there are still good reasons to login and restart the router even when it only requires a simple power cycle. This is handy if you don't have physical access to your router (it is locked in another room, installed in a hard to reach space, or you need to restart the device remotely and you are not at home).
Every router model is different, so be sure to look at your specific model router on how to login and perform a restart. Simply log into your router and go to the admin panel. From there, look for a restart or reboot option, and click that. The router should restart and then come back online after a few minutes.
Factory reset your EE Broadband Router
Be sure to take note of your router's current settings before you perform a factory reset. EE Broadband routers retain the correct customer account data for your EE Broadband router, so it should reconnect without any further intervention needed from your end.
However, you should note all of the settings of your device before undergoing a factory reset in case there is a WiFi or network setting that you have changed or configured at some point in the past that you can't quite remember.
It is far easier to note these settings down than it is to reconfigure all of your wireless devices if your WiFi name or password suddenly changes.
Finishing up
We hope that you were able to get back online after rebooting, restarting, or resetting your router, and that you now understand how the different procedures work.
The process of resetting or restarting a router is very simple, but if you wish to troubleshoot it, you must know exactly what steps to take. Congratulations if your router is now up and running. You've taken the first step towards technical independence.
Until next time, happy surfing.