How do I power cycle my home network?

Jun 24, 2021 | Troubleshooting

Last Updated on January 6, 2023

Home Network equipment like Modem, Router, Laptop, desktop, Printer, Scanner, etc., all tend to go into a non-responsive state from time to time. A simple step of powering of waiting for few seconds and turning back on is known as power cycle home network and is a proven technique to fix a lot of hardware to software issues.

When do we need to power cycle? 

When any electronic equipment, especially with firmware or software installed, is acting up, frozen, hanging or not working on its set parameter, we perform a Power cycle. Check this article if you like to know about: How do I update my Nighthawk router’s firmware using the Nighthawk app?.

What are the steps to power cycle my home network?

Following are the steps to perform power cycle the home network:

Approx Time Needed: 5 minutes

  1. Shut down all devices.

    Shut down all devices in your home network, Like; laptop, desktop, modem, router, wireless range extender, printer, scanner etc. Unplug the power cord connected to these devices.

  2. Wait few seconds.

    Wait for 30 seconds.

  3. Completely turn off devices.

    Make sure all the lights on all the devices are completely turned off.

  4. Remove battery if any.

    Devices that have an internal battery connected will require the battery to be removed.

  5. Turned on device systematically. 

    Once all the devices are down, they need to be turned on systematically.

  6. Power on Modem.

    First, we need to power on Modem, wait for a minute or two for all the lights to be stable.

  7. Then turn on Wireless Routers.

    Next, after that, we turn on Wireless Routers. Wireless routers and modems may take up a few minutes to connect to the internet and be ready to pass it further to other devices.

  8. Make sure all the lights are steady.

    Make sure all the lights are steady. (Refer to your device manual for lights status).

  9. Then turn on your system.

    Once the internet devices are on, we turn on Laptops and desktops in our Home Network.

  10. Now you can turn on other devices.

    Next, we turn on other USB devices such as a printer, scanner etc.

These simple steps of the power cycle save a lot of time in troubleshooting non-responsive devices and help boost your router or modem device’s performance.

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