The router is the fundamental piece to have the Internet in our home. It is the device that allows us to connect, navigate, and use the network. However, sometimes there may be problems that cause a malfunction. It can be due to very varied factors, as are the solutions that we could take. But in many cases, as with other devices, it is solved by restarting the device. It must be done correctly, yes. In this article, we are Aiming to explain how to reset or restart the router correctly and what types there are.

How to Properly Reset or Restart the Router

Although a router is design to stay on 24 hours a day and for months without problems, it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes it can cause problems when managing IP addresses, for example. The intensive use, having many connected devices, the type of router. Everything can influence. Therefore, it may sometimes be necessary to restart it.

One of the easiest ways we have to restart the router is to simply disconnect it from the power and turn it on again. Now it must be done correctly. A very common mistake among users is to press the on / off button and then press it again. It is true that the router reboots as it turns off and on again. However, it is not correct.

How Much Time Does it Take to Restart?

To restart the router correctly, you have to keep it turned off for at least 20 seconds (in reality, it is normal for 3 or 4 seconds, but better make sure). In this way, we make sure that the circuits are entirely turn off since it stores a small amount of energy in case it turns off for a moment.

If we do not hold this time, it will cause it not to restart the configuration that it has been storing over time. This could not solve problems when managing IP addresses, among other things.

Once we have turned it on again, the device will take a few more seconds to be ready again. Basically, it is as if we turn off a computer or a mobile and turn it on again. They take a while to be operational.

How to Restart a Router from Device

We can also restart the router from the device’s configuration. For this, we have to access it. Generally, we can enter through the gateway 192.168.1.1. You have to put the corresponding credentials and passwords, and we will be able to enter the configuration.

This will depend on the router model that we are using. Still, the normal thing is that you have to access the advanced configuration, enter maintenance (options, tools, configuration. It will depend on the model), and here looking for something similar to Restart, Reboot. When you press this option, the router will reboot and can solve certain problems you have.

Completely Restore the Router

On the other hand, we can choose to restore the router settings. Sometimes there may be configuration problems, mistakes we have made, and it is necessary to restore the values ​​in order for it to work properly.

Routers usually have a small button built in to reset it. Again we will have to press it for a few seconds until the lights blink. This process must carry out in case of a major problem with the device, and it does not work. For example, if we have forgotten the access code or have configured something that we do not remember how we did it, and it causes it not to work as it should.

Keep in mind that by resetting the router to factory defaults, we are deleting all the configuration we had. This means that the Wi-Fi key returns to the one that came when we acquired it, as well as the access password, the name of the network, etc.

This also means that the firmware will return to what we had in the beginning. This can lead to performance and security issues. We recommend that, if we have no choice but to do a hard reset of the router, we should update the firmware to the latest version as soon as possible. We already know that vulnerabilities sometimes arise that can compromise the security of the device and are exploited by cybercriminals. Updates and patches fix these issues.

In conclusion, these are the options we have to restart and reset the router. As we see, there are differences between the two. Restarting the router can help solve certain problems that we could classify as minor. However, by resetting it completely, we are putting it at factory values, with the default settings. Also find more helpful resources at dyifo.