Rebooting Router and Modem or the combined Modem/Router unit is the first recommended step to fix internet connectivity problems. You will find below the steps to Reboot Router and Modem.
Reboot Router and Modem
Before going ahead with the steps to Reboot Router and Modem, let us make sure that you know the basic difference between Router and Modem.
As you can see in the image below, the Modem brings internet connection from the service provider to the Router and the Router creates the WiFi network for all your devices.
Depending on your service provider, you may either have separate Router and Modem units or a combined (or single) unit that functions as both a Router and Modem.
Irrespective of whether you have a combined unit or separate Modem and Router, the steps to Reboot Router and Modem are practically the same.
How to Reboot Router and Modem
All that is required to Reboot Router and Modem is to disconnect these two units from the power supply, wait for a minute and restore back the power supply.
The fastest way to Reboot Router and Modem is to simply switch OFF the power supply to both Router and Modem units, wait for 30 seconds and switch ON the power supply to both units.
This should fix the problems in most cases. If this did not help, you can follow the proper way to reboot Router and Modem as provided below.
1. Unplug both Modem and Router (or Single combined unit) from the power supply.
Note: You will find the Power cable at the back of Modem and Router.
2. After disconnecting power supply to Router and Modem, wait for about 30 to 60 seconds.
The purpose of waiting is to allow the capacitors in the Router and Modem to completely discharge and erase their settings.
Another reason for waiting is to make sure that the modem completely disconnects from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and needs to establish a new connection when it restarts.
3. Plug the Power cable back into the Modem and Router (or the combined unit).
4. Wait for all the lights on the Modem and Router to light up.
Note: On certain Routers you may have to press a power switch on the Router.
After completing above steps, it may take a while for your devices to get back online.
Once WiFi connection is established on your phone or computer, try to use the internet and see if you are able to connect to webpages and if you are happy with the performance.
If you are still facing problems, you will have to perform additional troubleshooting using steps as provided in this guide: How to Fix Limited or No Connectivity Problem in Windows 10
Why Reboot Router and Modem?
The Router is basically a small computer with its own CPU, Memory and Storage running on an operating system.
Just like a computer, the Router can suffer from stuck processes, memory leaks, overheating CPU and other problems.
Hence, Rebooting the Router works similar to rebooting your computer when it gets stuck and is going through problems.
When you Reboot Router and Modem, stuck processes in the Router software will be terminated and the modem also gets a fresh restart.