How Often You Should Reboot Your Modem and Router

Turn it off and turn it back on again. It’s funny how often this is the first piece of tech advice you get, but it’s a popular recommendation because, well, it works.

This common technique to rid us of our tech “glitches” actually has a technical reason behind why it works. Basically, “restarting wipes out all that temporarily stored data, giving the software a clean slate to run normally again,” according to HuffPost.

So, if rebooting your computer equipment can streamline your smart home or protect your online student from study interruptions, should we be paying more attention? In fact, there are several devices that automate this rebooting process to help prevent problems before they start.

We’ll tell you how this process works and if we think it’s worth it to set up a rebooting scheduler in your home.

On this page:

Why would you need to reboot your modem and router?
Should you proactively reboot?
How to automate the reboot process

Benefits of rebooting your modem and router

We’ve recommended rebooting equipment as a first line of defense in several “how-to” posts across our site. Here are four reasons a quick reboot might be helpful to your home network:

Boost your internet speed and improve your Wi-Fi signal
Better Wi-Fi signal leads to improved video streaming quality
Resolve an IP address conflict error
Disrupt malware if your router has been hacked

Pros and cons of regularly rebooting your modem and router

Now, on to the question of whether you should proactively reboot your equipment. On some level, the answer will depend on how often you run into issues. If you already find yourself needing to reset once or twice a week, it might be helpful to go ahead and proactively automate that process. If you only have to reboot once every few months, you can probably skip it for now.

Pros:

Can keep routing issues and glitches at bay
Prevents problems from happening at inconvenient times (i.e., when taking an online test or in the middle of an important Zoom meeting)
Can offer protection from viruses and malware

Cons:

May shorten the lifespan of your modem and router
Likely unnecessary to reboot too often
Adds another task to add to your daily to-do list

Of course, if you are having to reboot on a regular basis, you probably want to dive into why. For example, if your equipment is more than five years old, it may be time to invest in a new router or modem. But if you have relatively new equipment, your constant rebooting could be a sign that you need a faster internet speed for your home.

How to automate the reboot process

Automating the task of rebooting can be a great option to simplify your home network. That way you don’t have to wait until you run into trouble to restart your devices. Plus, you can schedule your reboots for convenient times that won’t interfere with your family’s work or entertainment habits, such as in the early morning or late at night. Here are a few automated resetting devices you might want to check out.

Automatic modem reboot devices

Product	Price	Feature
Ankuoo Router Reset Plug	$	Best for beginners
NetReset Digital Timer	$$	Best for the average smart home
Dataprobe iBoot-G2	$$$$	Best for larger networks, such as home businesses

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