My brother said "just unplug it for 30 seconds" and it actually fixed my router that I was about to throw out the window

I spent 2 hours on hold with my ISP last week. They wanted me to reset the modem, check cables, all that crap. My brother walks in, sees me fuming, and says "dude just unplug it for 30 seconds." I was like yeah right that's the first thing they tell you. But I did it. 30 seconds. Plugged it back in. Everything worked perfect. Been 4 days now. I feel like an idiot. Does anyone else's family have that one person who always gives the simple fix that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela439d ago

Nah, the 30 second thing is actually important. It's not just about letting it reboot, the capacitors have to fully discharge. If you just unplug and plug it back in right away, it's still holding charge and doesn't really reset. I learned that the hard way after doing quick resets like 5 times and nothing changed. My dad always counted out loud to 45 just to be safe, and he'd laugh at me rushing it. Your brother might have saved you from buying a new router for another few years.

uma_baker999d ago

Ha, I gotta push back a little on this one. I mean, sure, capacitors need to drain, but have you ever looked at the actual circuit board on a modern router? Most of them are using solid state capacitors now, not the old electrolytic ones that held a charge for a while. Those discharge in like 2-3 seconds if you have the power button off or unplugged. I tested this once with a multimeter on my old Netgear, and after 10 seconds the voltage was basically zero. The real reason waiting helps is that the ISP's DHCP lease time needs to expire or reset, not the router's hardware. But hey, your dad counting to 45 probably felt like a ritual that worked, and that counts for something.

zara_hill467d ago

Is it possible that the ritual feeling of waiting is what really matters here, not the actual electronics? I mean, if you think it worked then it probably did for you, but the science might not back it up.