There are plenty of widely known techniques that make computer use much simpler. Sadly, a large number of these tricks are not known by a surprising number of users. For example: losing connection to a wireless router is a basic problem with a simple fix many users do not know about that (while not 100% effective in every scenario) frequently resolves the underlying problem.

When you lose connectivity to your wireless router, power cycling the modem and router will often resolve the problem completely. A number of people don't know how to perform this simple task. Unfortunately, just about every router and modem on the market requires an occasional power cycle. They run constantly and like any electronic device will at times encounter conflicts that can be handled with a simple restart.

If you try to resolve the problem by calling for support, you'll probably experience the following: After spending an hour on hold with your internet service provider, you will be lead through a number of unnecessary tasks to rule out uncommon problems. Since most of these issues can be resolved by power cycling, it makes sense to learn this technique before calling up tech support.

To power cycle your modem and router, simply unplug both devices. If your modem uses a battery, reset it after you've unplugged the router. While each device is different, you should wait an average of two minutes before turning back on both devices. If either unit feels unusually hot, you may want to wait until they cool down a bit.

Once this time has passed, plug in your modem. Allow your modem to finish booting and acquire a connection. After it is back online, plug in your wireless router. Once your router is also connected, attempt to connect your computers to the network.

It can sometimes be a good idea to reboot your computers before connecting them to the router. This will means that hey will connect to the network using a fresh IP address. IP address conflicts are an all too frequent cause for network connectivity problems.

It's regrettable that modems and routers are not built with a technical mechanism that can solve this issue for novice users. Since it is such a common and needed practice, it really should be shown to every user as part of proper network maintenance. If internet service providers provided instructions on power cycling with each new customer, they would probably save a bundle on labor expenses. Untold hours of technical support service are wasted on a procedure that will be necessary for almost every user. In fact, this is something that most people will have to do quite frequently.

Since this procedure requires changes in the states of both the modem and router, it's difficult to create the type of uniform process that would be needed for a purely technical solution. However, there has to be some way to enable the inexperienced user to solve this problem without further complications. Education is the only reasonable answer. While it certainly isn't the biggest challenge facing humanity, everyone stands to gain from solving this communication problem. Routers and modems need frequent power cycling, and most people do not know how to do it on their own.