Power Cycling Router and Modem: Restart in the Right Order
Restart your modem first, then your router. Follow device-specific wait times, avoid a factory reset, and check for a provider outage.
For separate devices, turn both off, restart the modem first, wait for its internet connection, then restart the router. Do not press the recessed Reset button. Power cycling restarts equipment without erasing saved settings; a factory reset deletes custom settings, including your Wi-Fi name and password. NETGEAR explains the difference.
After a power outage, check your internet provider’s outage status using cellular data before restarting equipment. Power returning to your house does not mean the provider’s network is working: Xfinity notes that neighborhood equipment may still be damaged or without power. A home restart cannot fix that.
Plan for the interruption: restarting the gateway also interrupts services that depend on it. Xfinity warns that Xfinity Voice calls, including 911, are unavailable until the gateway is online again. Xfinity restart guidance
Separate modem and router: step by step
Follow your equipment manual if it gives a different procedure. Otherwise, this sequence follows NETGEAR’s cable/DSL modem-and-router guidance:
- Disconnect power from the router and modem. Leave the coaxial, telephone and Ethernet cables connected. Turn off any Wi-Fi extenders you plan to restart. If modem lights stay on, a backup battery may still be supplying power. NETGEAR says it must be removed for a complete shutdown. Follow the model’s battery-removal instructions; do not open a sealed enclosure or disconnect unfamiliar wiring.
- Wait two minutes. This is NETGEAR’s specified power-off interval—not a universal requirement for every device.
- Reconnect power to the modem only. Leave the router off.
- Wait five minutes for the modem to connect to the provider. Some modems take longer. Check the modem manual for the correct Online, Internet or DSL indicator before proceeding; not every light must be solid.
- Reconnect power to the router. Allow a few minutes for its internet connection and Wi-Fi to return. Then turn extenders back on.
- Test the connection. Reconnect a phone or computer to your home Wi-Fi and try loading a webpage. On a phone, temporarily disable cellular data so the test actually checks home internet.
One gateway box—or fiber service
A gateway combines modem and router functions, so there is no separate modem-first sequence. Use the provider’s restart instructions:
- Xfinity gateway: unplug power, wait one minute, then reconnect it. Xfinity says the restart process can take up to 12 minutes. Xfinity restart instructions
- AT&T All-Fi Hub or Wi-Fi gateway: unplug power, wait 20 seconds, then reconnect it; follow its instructions for an internal backup battery if fitted. AT&T says reconnection may take up to five minutes. AT&T restart instructions
For fiber service with a separate optical network terminal (ONT), use your provider’s ONT-specific troubleshooting instructions rather than treating it as a cable modem. Leave fiber connectors alone. Verizon’s ONT guidance, for example, says to keep its power supply plugged in and use its guided troubleshooting if power is present but service is not working.
Still no internet? Stop repeating the restart
Try a computer connected to the router by Ethernet, with its Wi-Fi disabled. If wired internet works but Wi-Fi does not, focus on the wireless connection. If neither works after the equipment finishes starting, check provider status and contact support. This follows NETGEAR’s wired troubleshooting approach.
Report the equipment models, indicator-light behavior, outage timing and wired-test result. For recurring failures, use our guide to finding where internet drops occur. To keep home network equipment powered during the next blackout, see what an internet backup power supply needs to support.