Restart your router here are some reasons.
Often forgotten until it stops working, a wireless router also called a Wi-Fi router combines the functions of a wireless access point and a traditional router.
Although wireless routers usually have several local area networks (LAN) ports for physically connecting the device to an Internet modem, they are usually eschewed in favor of a wireless connection. In a way, routers are like small computers with a CPU and memory to process incoming and outgoing data. But sometimes the internet seems to slow down or stop completely at times. When this happens, the best solution is to unplug the wireless router, count to 10 slowly, and then plug it back in. Also known as “power cycling,” this process of restarting your wireless router is the most common method of troubleshooting connection gremlins. But what you may not know is that this reboot ritual is a healthy event that should be done regularly, not just when a problem occurs.
Restart your router can solve many internet problems
First and foremost, regular rebooting of the router is necessary to maintain internet speed. If your router does not have a current public IP address, or if two devices on your network have the same IP address, called an IP address conflict, your connection will slow down. The same can happen if there are too many other devices connected to the router. These IP assignments are reset when the router is restarted.
But rebooting your router is more than just a quick connection to stream Netflix. It can also protect you from hackers. In 2018, hackers used malware called VPNFilter to exploit routers around the world and collect sensitive information. As a result, the FBI recommended that all homes and small businesses reboot their routers to temporarily disrupt the malware.
So what is behind the 10-second delay in powering the router backup? Like most modern electronics, routers use capacitors in their circuits. Capacitors store a small electrical charge, almost like a small battery. Granted, they don’t store a ton of power, but it can be enough to keep a memory chip running for a few seconds. Waiting at least 10 seconds after disconnecting power from the router ensures that every last bit of RAM is cleared during reboot.
What separates resetting a router from rebooting it
If all else fails and restarting your router doesn’t fix your problem, you can perform a factory reset. Although restart and reset may sound similar, they are not. Rebooting or power cycling can be done as often as necessary or as a precaution as recommended above. But when you reset your device, you restore it to new settings – the state it was in when you bought it. Any personalizations, passwords, or software updates will be lost as a result.
Restarting your router can be helpful, but it should only be used as a last resort if you’re troubleshooting and reboots don’t work, or in cases where you forget your username or password. Reset buttons are usually located on the back of the device and must be pressed with a paper clip or other small object and/or held for a period of time to prevent accidental activation.