Did you know that your router is a computer? Just similar your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, your router has a central processor, retention, and an operating system. But with routers typically on and running 24/7, we tend to identify more demand on them than on most other personal electronics — except for maybe our overworked mobile phones. Like our computers, routers need to be rebooted. Merely how oftentimes should you reboot your router?

Learn how often should you reboot your router

The importance of router care

Treating your wireless router as the computing workhorse it is may assist yous empathise the importance of maintaining information technology to proceed your WiFi running every bit smoothly as possible. Like any computer, routers can get flaky or buggy if they are left on for also long, if they overheat, or if the operating system or firmware gets out of appointment. To keep your router salubrious, it's important to:

  • Go on your router's firmware updated
  • Supervene upon your router every 3-5 years
  • Identify your router in an surface area that is away from heat sources and has decent circulation to prevent overheating
  • Reboot your router regularly

How often should you reboot your router

Nosotros're used to rebooting our phones and computers. When those devices are not working correct, what's the outset matter yous do? That's right — restart it. You lot should do the same with your router to give it the opportunity to reset and start fresh. Depending on the historic period and wellness of your router, a reboot should be done anywhere from monthly to daily.

This is sometimes chosen a "power-cycle." Rebooting your router cleans out the device's short-term retentiveness (too called "enshroud") to keep it running more than smoothly. Information technology also allows the router to re-select the least crowded channel for each frequency, which means a stronger connection to your devices.

Is it a modem or a router? Many people use these ii terms somewhat interchangeably. A wireless router is the equipment that transmits your internet connection to a WiFi indicate that you tin use throughout your home. Still, these days the router is frequently combined with the modem, which delivers the cyberspace connection from the provider's network into your home. With CenturyLink, our modem/router philharmonic is officially called a residential gateway. But y'all'll notice nosotros frequently refer to information technology as a router and occasionally equally a modem, the terms preferred by nearly users.

How to reboot your router on a schedule

No affair what kind of router you have, it tin benefit your WiFi operation to gear up a regularly recurring reboot. With newer units, you lot may only demand to reboot information technology monthly, or whenever it gets bogged down or performance is spotty. For dated routers or ones that seem to be suffering from a system trouble, consider rebooting weekly or even daily.

Option 1: Reboot manually

To manually reboot your router, unplug it (you can remove the ability cord from the wall outlet OR from the power port on the back of the router). Wait ane minute, and plug it back in. After plugging the router dorsum in, it volition usually take another minute or two to reconnect to the network and get fully booted up and gear up to go.

Any style of modem/router y'all have, you can do a manual reboot by unplugging the power cable (typically blackness) from the ability port on the back of the router. Shown below are two of CenturyLink's most popular modems, the Greenwave C4000LG(left) and the Actiontec C3000A(correct).

C4000 rear view with power port C3000A rear view with power port

Note that it is important to wait long plenty. Electrical current tin withal travel through the circuits (the capacitors, to be verbal) for several seconds after the ability is disconnected, so to exist on the rubber side, wait a minimum of 30 seconds to allow the router to fully cycle down and clear its retentivity. Many sources say to look 1 total minute, just to be sure. If yous restart the router too soon, you may end upward right dorsum where yous started.

To practise this on a regular basis, merely set an alarm or put it in your calendar to do it every ii weeks, every month, or whatever interval works. The manual reboot method works just fine and is manageable as long as you're non having to exercise it all the time. 1 perk of doing it this way is that information technology might motivate you to move your router to a more primal spot and out in the open for easy access, which also tends to boost WiFi performance.

Option 2: Use your modem's companion app

In the example of a CenturyLink router, once you get connected to the My CenturyLink app, you can use the app to reboot your modem from the other side of the house or fifty-fifty the other side of the country, if needed. You can also schedule it to reboot at a future fourth dimension. To practice this on a recurring basis, you lot tin can perform the initial reboot from the app and schedule the adjacent one equally soon as information technology's finished. Each time it reboots, schedule the adjacent ane then yous don't forget.

Option 3: Use an outlet timer

A unproblematic plug timer is some other fashion to reboot your router on a schedule. Older, nondigital timers, similar the kind used for Christmas lights, tend to have a lower wattage rating. If y'all only need to manage the router, however, so a lower-wattage option could work simply fine. Just make sure you lot get the grounded kind with a 3-prong plug for maximum safe.

Most plug timers these days are digital and come in the range of 850 to 1800 watts, or enough to handle a major appliance. This is more you lot need for a single cyberspace router, but has the benefit of allowing you to plug in a whole ability strip so you lot can reboot your router, smart dwelling house hub, and more, all at the same time.

Option 4: Use a smart plug

A smart plug that connects to your wireless network will give you lot the ultimate flexibility and convenience. These often come with a remote control and/or a paired smartphone app, so you tin actuate the plug from anywhere in the house and ready information technology upwards on a custom schedule — biweekly, weekly, every three days, or whatever yous find works best for you. And with an app, yous can hands modify the schedule if something comes upwardly. Program to exist doing a tardily-night binge-watching party when your router is ordinarily set to reboot? With a companion app, you can typically merely skip or reschedule that occurrence.

What's side by side?

If you're having frequent issues with your WiFi network dropping or giving inconsistent coverage, rebooting your router regularly should help. If, however, you restart your router regularly and are still having issues, or if you lot get to a point where you're restarting it multiple times every 24-hour interval — well, then it'southward fourth dimension to consider other solutions. Deeper bug (like faulty hardware or firmware, or a router that can't keep upwardly with current internet applied science) won't exist fixed by turning information technology off and back on.

The next matter to try is a full reset to see if returning your router to its out-of-the-box settings will help it perform better. Y'all may also consider using i or more than WiFi range extenders, if the effect seems to be that your wireless bespeak is weaker in areas of your abode that are farther away from the router.

Otherwise, information technology might exist fourth dimension to upgrade your router. Similar your smartphone and other workhorse devices, this is one that needs to be replaced as technology ages and evolves. So it's a good idea to call back nigh upgrading every 3 to 5 years, or if you lot're having consistent WiFi problems and your modem/router is more a few years one-time. A new router can brand a huge difference in your cyberspace speed and functioning, so if you've tried everything else, consider updating to a newer model.

Jennifer Fossenbell enjoys the internet and enjoys writing nigh many things, including the internet. She lives in the Denver area with her children and spouse, who besides enjoy the internet. She as well enjoys traveling and eating around the world, making poetry and art, and continuing in the woods. More at jenniferfossenbell.com.