When it comes to the fixing of internet connectivity related issues, most of the time you will be advised to reset the router. And the same can also be advised to you in case you have forgotten the password of WiFi. Well, there is still an uncertainty that you can find with the term reset, as most of the people use to take this term as the substitute for restart or reboot like terms.
Both these terms use to carry different meaning and can be applied on different occasions. When you restart or reboot an internet modem or router, you are exactly turning off these devices and again you need to turn the on after a few seconds. Contrary to this, when you reset the router, you restore it to the factory settings. So, here you need to read on so that you can understand more about what resetting the route exactly means. This piece of writing will also help you to know when you need to reset the router and how you can reset this device.
Why resetting the router is so vital?
When you rest the router, you also remove all those customizations that you did before. And this also includes the username and password. And when you do this, you also ensure that the router gets back to the factory settings.
This is called as the hard reset and this is the last option that you can try when you want to troubleshoot the connectivity related issues. There are many cases when it was found that by rebooting the router, problems were fixed automatically.
Under what circumstance you will need to reset the router?
When it comes to the hard reset, it can be done under these conditions:
When you want to delete the customized network settings:
As you have customized the network settings, once you hard reset the router, these settings will be gone. Your device will get back to the factory settings and that means you have to configure the device once again so that internet can be accessed. Restoring the factory setting of the router is always a good idea; especially when you want to sell that device.
What if you forget the password?
If you are not able to remember the password, then resetting the router can bring great help for you. The username and password are used to access the router’s interface. And without these elements, you will not be able to alter the password of the WiFi as well as SSID and you cannot even make changes with the network setting so that security measures can be enhanced and connectivity related issues can be fixed.
When you want to reboot the router:
This can be done when there is no internet access or the connection is too slow.
If you have connected multiple devices with the router, then there is always a chance for IP address conflicts. And this might lead the way for spotty or slow connection. In that case, you may need to reassign those channels and you need to do this for each device. This might help to fix the connectivity related issues.
How you can prevent hacking of the network?
When you reboot the device, this also helps to secure the network from the malware attacks. In the recent past, FBI has also declared that consumers must reboot their devices so that malware attack named as VPNFilter can be prevented. Such attack used to make the devices inoperable. So, rebooting the router on a regular interval and resetting the device once or twice in a month can be considered as the best practice. This is how you can safeguard the office or home network.
How you can reset the router?
Power cycling or reboot
In order to reboot the router, you should follow these steps:
- Unplug the router from your modem as well as remove the power cord.
- Leave that device for twenty to thirty seconds. After this, you need to plug all those things again.
- After this, you need to turn on that router as well as wait for some seconds so that the device can resume its operation.
There are also routers coming to the market which are equipped with the reboot option. And this option can be accessed with the web interface of the router. To access the interface, you need to use the username as well as password. Once you are logged in, you should opt for the setting page of the router and simply click on that reboot option. Your device will restart automatically.
Hard reset
Hard reset of the router can be done manually as well. Press that reset button to reset it or you can do this by going to the web interface. For this you need to follow some steps.
- Ensure that you have turned on the router.
- Trace the reset button. This normally stays at the back side of the device.
- Press as well as hold that button for ten to fifteen seconds.
- The light of the router will blink if the reset is successful. And then the device will restart.
- Then you need to log in to the router while using the username and password.
- You also need to reconfigure that device as per the internet service
While going for the web interface of the router, you can also reset the device. All you need to put the username and password and reset that device to the factory settings. And for this you don’t need to press and hold that reset button. You can avail this option under the administration settings.
What you need when it comes to resetting the router?
Before hard resetting the router, ensure that you will have access to these elements:
Username as well as password: To log in with the router’s interface, you need the username as well as password. This must be done once the reset completes. These credentials can be traced at the back side of the device or you can find these elements in user manual. There are also manufacturers who have added these details with their official website.
IP address: In order to long in to the web interface of the router, the IP address of the device is also needed. This will help you to enter web browser. In most of the cases, this IP address remains as 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. To find out the exact IP address, you should refer to user manual provided by the manufacturer.
FAQs:
How I can reset the WiFi router to the factory settings?
To do so, you need to press as well as release that reset button which remains attached to the router. You can also do this while going for the web interface of the router. But here, you will need the username and password to log in first.
What happens with WiFi password when you reset the router?
When you hard reset the router, all those custom settings will be removed. And this also includes the password and username of the WiFi.
What happens when I reset the router?
Once you reset the device, custom settings like forwarding instructions, DNS servers, SSID, password and username will be deleted. And after this the device will reboot with the factory settings.
Reboot and reset; are they same?
No. reboot and reset are two different things. When you reboot, you turn off the device and quickly turn it on and there will be no changes with the settings. But when you reset, the custom settings will be gone and the router will set to the factory settings.
Bottom line
While rebooting the router, you can fix the connectivity related issues occurring with the internet connection. And this also helps to enhance protection against the malicious attacks. But when you reset the device, you also ensure that you restore it to the factory settings. And this is something that you will not like to do until and unless you forgot the username and password that you use to log in with the router.