Rebooting your Internet Modem

If your computer or device is unable to connect to the internet, the modem may be the culprit.

As with many technologies, the simplest means of fixing the issue is often to reboot your modem by turning it off and then turning in on again. Your internet service provider may have furnished model-specific directions for restarting your modem; if they have not, most modems function similarly, and the following directions will offer a good overview of the process.

  1. Turn off the modem. Identify any power switch on the modem. Typically, modems will have only one switch – a power switch. If a power switch is apparent, switch it to off. If there is no power switch, proceed to step 2.
  2. Disconnect the modem. After your modem is switched off, unplug the power cord from your power source. If your modem has no power switch, you can unplug the modem first.
  3. Wait. Wait about 30 seconds.
  4. Reboot. Connect your modem to power and set the power switch to the on position, if applicable.

Your modem will now attempt to reestablish a connection to your internet service provider. Rebooting a modem is often a good strategy if your internet is running slow and if your upload or download speeds seem slower than normal.

This process may take a few minutes as your modem needs to ping and establish a connection to the ISP.

Most modems have status lights that will indicate whether they have been able to reconnect successfully.