Why is it necessary to bounce power to modem to fix connectivity?

[lkruper]

I have had this modem for a few years and all of a sudden in a one month period I have had to bounce the power to the modem because there was no connectivity.     Any idea what causes this?

[smith6612]

The Gateway could be going bad. It could just need a factory reset due to a software problem. There could have also been a temporary Internet connection "blip" which caused connectivity to be lost.

How many times have you needed to do this? Has anything changed wiring wise in your home? Added any new devices to the network just before the problem began?

[JRTEMT]

We started shutting off all power to electronics every night. Use APC surge protector also, so one switch turns all off.

7am, one switch powers it back up..."loading...May take a minute"  but it forces refresh!   We get a new router every year. Cheap manufacturer, it's on 16 hrs daily, summer heat caused problems with laptop overheating, etc.

Also noticed the plug was loose! Try spreading prongs for tight fit! Wipe oxidation off power chord on rear of router.DUST AND VACUUM!  (Sorry but it helps with mites and spiders)

[lkruper]

Nothing changed in my network. The only thing I did was to put the modem on a UPS, but that seems to be working fine.

[lkruper]

I need my network to work 24X7. Last month when it happened everything worked fine after cycling power. I am just wondering if the modem could freeze if a change in ip address was forced, or someting like that. Or perhaps there has been a change in the Verizon network for DNS server, etc.

[CRobGauth]

It sounds as though your router (its not a modem) is going bad.

I leave my rotuer on 24x7 and its uptime is inweeks.

Only time it ever gets reset is during the random power outages that may happen.

[CaptainSTX]

While it very well could be your router failing.

Going forward connect your router and other network gear using a UPS.   Clean continious AC power does wonders for the stability of your Internet connection.   I go months without  having to reset anything.  Best $79 I ever spent on computer gear.   Every so often I replace the battery.

[lkruper]

Yes, router!  It is on a ups.   It was reset, so if it happens again I will suspect it needs to be replaced.

[lkruper]

I see my question was marked as solved.   If powering down the router and then resetting is a temporary fix it is not acceptable and it does not answer the question as to why it happened. 

[smith6612]

Just a note - if you are vacuuming the router itself or any of it's ports, try not to do that. Vacuums through their suction method encourage static shock to occur, even if you can't see or hear it. Vacuums can also dislodge electrical components off of the logic board. 

You should use canned air to clean the router in this case, only if you're vacuuming it of course 🙂