Factory Reset

A factory reset restores StartWRT to its default state at unboxing. There are two ways to reset: from the web interface (soft reset) or from a microSD card (reflash).

Soft Reset (Web Interface)

A soft reset erases the overlay filesystem where all configuration changes are stored, then reboots the router. The base firmware (read-only squashfs) is untouched — only your customizations are removed. The Wi-Fi password survives because it is re-read from the router’s EEPROM on boot.

1. Navigate to System > Settings.

2. Click “Factory Reset”.

3. Confirm the action.

The router will reboot. After reboot:

• Wi-Fi works immediately using the original sticker password (re-read from the router’s EEPROM on boot).
• The admin password is cleared — you will be prompted to create a new one via the captive portal.
• All settings (security profiles, VPN configs, firewall rules, SSH keys, etc) are wiped.

Warning

A factory reset cannot be undone. Create a backup first if you want to preserve your settings.

Reflash (microSD)

A microSD reflash boots the router from a StartWRT image and replaces the firmware entirely. The router enters setup mode and brings up the StartWRT Wi-Fi network limited to a single client, with a captive portal that auto-opens the setup wizard.

1. Create a bootable microSD card — see Installing StartWRT.

2. Power off the router, insert the microSD card, and power it back on.

3. Connect to the StartWRT network via ethernet or by using the Wi-Fi password printed on the sticker. The captive portal opens the wizard automatically.

4. Choose a reflash path:

   • Keep settings — Keeps your settings, prompts for a new admin password, and replaces the firmware. Your configuration (including Wi-Fi and profile settings) is preserved. User-installed extra package binaries are wiped, so you will need to reinstall them — but their config files are retained. See also Updating.
   • Fresh Start — Wipes everything and installs a clean copy of StartWRT. You set a new admin password, and the timezone is auto-detected from your browser (you can change it later in Settings). After reboot, Wi-Fi comes back up automatically using the sticker password re-read from the router’s EEPROM — no Wi-Fi credentials are carried over from the old configuration. Equivalent to a factory reset plus a firmware reinstall.

5. When the wizard completes, power off the router, remove the microSD card, and power it back on.

Note

On a DIY or unprogrammed board with no Wi-Fi password in the EEPROM, the wizard is reachable over Ethernet only, and the reflashed router boots with no Wi-Fi until you run startwrt-cli set-wifi-password. See Installing StartWRT.

What Gets Wiped

The Wi-Fi password survives in every case. For Soft Reset and Fresh Start — which wipe the overlay — it is re-read from the router’s EEPROM on boot. With Keep settings, the existing Wi-Fi configuration (including any password you set yourself) is preserved as-is.

Lost Wi-Fi Password

The Wi-Fi password is printed on the sticker on the bottom of your router and stored in the router’s EEPROM. The EEPROM value is the password restored by a factory reset; during normal operation the active password is whatever is in the running configuration, so if you have replaced the Default entry with your own, that password is what’s in effect. If you are still logged in, you can also reveal or copy it on the Points of Entry > Wi-Fi > Passwords page (the Default entry). On a DIY or unprogrammed board that has no EEPROM Wi-Fi password, set one via the GUI (if connected via ethernet) or with startwrt-cli set-wifi-password. See Installing StartWRT for details.