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Power Cycle the Router

Power Cycle – This is the act of turning a piece of equipment completely off and then on again.

*Special Note – unless your router was purchased directly from IdeaTek within the past 12 months,

your router maintenance and configuration is the full responsibility of you, the customer.

It may be necessary to power cycle your router if you are not receiving a internet connection either wirelessly (radio signal) or with a wired connection. If you have recently experienced a power outage, experienced a missing network connection, or power cycled the IdeaTek Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), your router may be experiencing a local (in home) internet outage - which is a not uncommon occurance for many routers regardless of brand. To power cycle your router, please follow the simple steps below.

Power Cycle the Router

  • Locate the power supply cable for your router. This will be the power cable (normally thin black cable) connecting your router to the building's electrical outlet.
  • Unplug the power supply cable from the back of the router or at the wall outlet.
  • Leave the power supply cable unplugged for approximately 30 seconds (to allow power to 'drain' from router), then plug it back in again.
  • Allow your router a minimum of 2 minutes to reboot.

Please reference the sample pictures below. There are many different brands and styles of routers. For further assistance, please contact the manufacturer or the authorized dealer from whom you purchased your device.


Bypassing the Router
If you are still experiencing difficulties making a wireless (radio signal) connection after you power cycled the router, you may need to try bypassing the router to confirm internet from the CPE.
To 'bypass the router' means you plug your laptop or other device directly into the Ethernet cable (CAT5) that is currently providing internet to the router. This is the yellow cable depicted in the pictures above. When you plug this cable directly into your device, you will establish a direct connection between the your device and the CPE unit that receives the internet being delivered into the building. 

If you bypass the router and are still unable to establish a connection, you are experiencing one of two problems. You will either need to replace the Ethernet cable (CAT5) connecting the CPE (with a known working cable) to the router or  Power Cycle the CPE . For further assistance, please see other solutions below.

Other Solutions
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