How to restart a router [Xfinity, Spectrum, Eero, More]

A router is the key to providing internet access to multiple devices in your home or office. But sometimes your router connection fails. This can be due to several factors related to the private and public IP addresses it manages.

If you're having trouble with your router, we'll show you how to restart it to clear its short-term memory and hopefully provide stronger internet connections once it's back up and running.

We'll also show you how to restart a variety of routers, as well as how to restart it remotely from your computer or phone.

How to Restart an Xfinity Router

To manually restart your Xfinity router, follow these steps:

1. Locate the "Reset" button on the front or back of the router.
   
2. Hold the button down for at least five seconds.
3. Once you release the button, your router resets and restarts.

If you don't have a "Reset" button, you can restart it by:

1. Turn off your router.
2. Unplug the power cable.
   
3. Wait about a minute.
4. Plug the cable back in and wait another 30 seconds or so before turning it back on.

Once the status lights have settled, check if your devices can successfully connect to the internet.

How to Restart a Spectrum Router

To manually restart your Spectrum router:

1. Unplug your router from the power source and remove all batteries.
   
2. Wait about a minute before reinserting the batteries (if applicable).
3. Reconnect your router to the power source.
4. Wait about two minutes while the router reboots.
5. The status lights will confirm the online status of the router.
   
6. Verify that your devices can successfully connect to the Internet.

How to Restart an AT&T Router

To restart your AT&T router:

1. Shut down your PC.
   
2. Look for the "Reset" button, on the back or next to the router's power input.
   
3. Long press the button for at least five seconds. Do not press for longer than nine seconds, as this may reset the unit to its factory settings by erasing all of your settings.
4. Wait for the solid green LED to show to confirm that the reboot is complete.
5. Confirm that your devices can successfully connect to the Internet.

How to Restart an Eero Router

To restart your eero router unit, follow these steps:

1. Locate the "Reset" button and long press it until the LED flashes yellow.
   
2. After about seven seconds, release it.
3. After a few seconds, the LED on the eero router should return to its solid white with a green outline.
   
4. Verify that your devices can connect to the Internet.

How to Restart a Linksys Router

To restart your Linksys router:

1. Turn off the device via the power button.
   
2. Unplug the power cable.
3. Wait about a minute before reconnecting the power cable.
4. Turn the router back on by pressing the power button.
5. Verify that your devices can successfully connect to the Internet.

How to reboot a router remotely

Rebooting a router remotely can be done by logging into your router's interface as an administrator using your IP. Here's how:

1. From your computer, launch a new web browser window.
2. Type your router's IP address in the URL.
3. On the login screen, enter your administrator credentials.
4. Once connected, locate the option to restart your router. It is usually found via the “Advanced” section of the router menu.
5. Click on the “Restart” option. Your router may then display a countdown to shut down.
6. Once your router shuts down, it will restart automatically. The process usually takes 30-60 seconds.

Restart Remotely Using Windows Telnet

If your router can restart using the Windows Telnet client, you can restart it remotely. Once you have enabled the Telnet client on Windows 10:

1. Select "Start" and open the "Telnet Client".
2. Type "Open" then press "Enter", you may be prompted to enter administrator credentials.
3. Once logged in, enter “help system” to find the restart command.
4. Type the reboot command to restart your router.

Reboot remotely using Smart Plug

Alternatively, you can plug your router into a "smart plug". With this method, whenever you have connection issues and need to restart your router, you can access the “Smart Plug” through its app on your phone.

From the interface, simply disconnect and then reconnect the power supply to restart the router.

How to restart a router from your phone

Rebooting a router remotely through your phone can be done by logging into your router as an administrator from a web browser. You will need your router's IP address, then follow these steps:

1. Open a new web browser window from your phone.
2. Type your router's IP address in the address bar.
3. On the login screen, enter your administrator credentials.
4. Once connected, find the option to restart your router. It is usually found via the “Advanced” section of the router menu.
5. Click the “Reboot” option, then your router may display a countdown for power off.
6. Once your router shuts down, it will restart automatically. The whole process usually takes 30-60 seconds.

Additional FAQ

Does unplugging a router reset it?

Yes. Disconnecting power from a router for about 30 seconds before reconnecting it will reset (reboot) it.

Give your router a fresh start

Disconnecting your router or holding down the "Reset" button for a few seconds can do wonders.

This will clear its cache, reset IP assignments, and be a great troubleshooting tool. After your router restarts, your Wi-Fi connections should be stronger and the router should continue to work as expected. In practice, it's probably a good idea to occasionally reboot your router, just like you would your computer.

Did restarting your router help? Let us know in the comments section below.