If you have restarted the modem or router and still have no internet, repeating the same restart is unlikely to tell you much more. The useful next step is to work out where the connection is actually failing.
A restart can recover equipment that has temporarily become stuck, but it cannot repair every cause of an internet outage. A loose WAN cable, failed NBN connection, ISP fault, incorrect router configuration or problem affecting one particular computer can all survive a reboot unchanged.
The failed restart is therefore useful information. Instead of trying increasingly aggressive resets, start isolating the fault.
If you would rather have the connection diagnosed onsite, PcRiot provides Wi-Fi and internet help in Perth for homes and small businesses.
First stop restarting everything
Once you have restarted the router properly and allowed it enough time to reconnect, another five restarts usually do not create five new tests.
If the internet is still unavailable, move from restarting to diagnosis.
The basic connection path is:
Device -> Wi-Fi -> Router -> NBN / ISP -> Internet
Your job now is to determine how far along that path the connection still works.
That does not require changing every network setting. In fact, preserving the current state can make the problem easier to identify.
Does one device have no internet, or does every device fail?
This is the most useful test you can perform after the restart has failed.
Try the internet from at least one completely different device connected to the same home Wi-Fi. A phone and a laptop are a useful combination.
- π± If another device works: the modem, NBN connection and internet service are probably functioning. Concentrate on the device that cannot get online rather than continuing to restart the router.
- π If every device fails: the problem is more likely to involve something shared, such as the modem/router, WAN connection, NBN equipment, cabling or internet provider.
- πΆ If only devices using one extender or mesh point fail: the internet connection may still be working at the main router while that part of the Wi-Fi system has lost its upstream connection.
When testing with a phone, temporarily turn off mobile data. Otherwise the phone may quietly use 4G or 5G and make the home internet connection appear to be working.
If every device is affected, see Wi-Fi Connected but No Internet on All Devices for the whole-network diagnostic path.
Can your devices still reach the router?
Being connected to Wi-Fi does not automatically prove that the entire local network is healthy, but it does give you an important clue.
If your laptop or phone can still join the normal Wi-Fi network, receive a network connection and communicate with the router, this part may still be working:
Device -> Wi-Fi -> Router
The failure may instead be further outward:
Router -> NBN / ISP -> Internet
If you are familiar with your router’s administration page, you may also be able to confirm that the device can still reach the router locally. Do not start changing settings simply because you have opened the page. At this stage, its status information is more valuable than experimenting with configuration.
If devices cannot even connect properly to the router after it restarts, the problem may be within the local Wi-Fi or router itself rather than the external internet connection.
Check whether the router has regained its internet connection
A router can restart normally, broadcast Wi-Fi and allow devices to connect while still failing to establish a connection to the internet.
Look at the router’s status lights or internet status page if you know how to access it.
- π Internet or WAN status: look for a disconnected state, missing connection or indicator that differs from normal.
- πΆ Wi-Fi status: a normal Wi-Fi light only confirms that the wireless network is operating. It does not prove the router can reach the internet.
- π Repeated connecting and disconnecting: a router that continually tries to establish its external connection may be experiencing a WAN, NBN or provider-side problem.
- β οΈ Warning indicators: unusual red, amber or flashing lights can be useful clues, although their exact meaning depends on the equipment.
The important question is whether the router merely restarted or whether it successfully re-established its connection beyond the home.
Check the NBN equipment and WAN cable
Depending on your type of NBN service, you may have separate NBN equipment connected to your modem/router.
A common arrangement is:
NBN connection device -> Ethernet cable -> Router WAN port -> Home network
If the router has restarted but that external path is broken, Wi-Fi can return while the internet remains unavailable.
- π Check the cable: make sure the connection between the NBN equipment and router has not become loose.
- βοΈ Check the port: confirm the incoming connection is still plugged into the correct WAN or internet socket on the router.
- π‘ Look at the NBN equipment: check whether its status lights differ from what you normally see when the connection is working.
- π Check power: make sure any separate NBN equipment is powered normally and has not been accidentally switched off.
The exact light sequence varies between NBN technologies and equipment, so avoid assuming that one particular colour always means the same thing on every connection.
Check whether your internet provider is reporting a problem
If every device remains offline after the router has restarted, use mobile data to check your internet provider’s service-status information.
A confirmed outage can save a great deal of unnecessary troubleshooting inside the home.
Provider-side problems can include:
- π’ A wider internet service outage.
- ποΈ An NBN or carrier network fault.
- π€ An account or service provisioning issue.
- π A connection or authentication problem between the router and provider.
If your provider confirms an upstream fault, resetting computers and changing Wi-Fi settings will not repair it.
However, a provider showing no known outage does not prove everything inside the home is working. Individual line faults, router problems and local cabling faults can produce very similar symptoms.
Think about what changed just before the internet stopped
The timing of the failure can often tell you more than another restart.
Ask what happened immediately before the problem began.
- β‘ Power outage or electrical interruption: network equipment may not have returned to its previous state correctly after power was restored.
- π¦ New modem or router: the replacement equipment may be broadcasting Wi-Fi without having a working WAN or ISP configuration.
- π Cables were moved: an Ethernet lead may have been returned to the wrong socket or left partly disconnected.
- π Changed internet provider or plan: the service may require different connection settings or provisioning.
- βοΈ Router settings were changed: changes to WAN, DNS, DHCP or other network settings can affect internet access even though Wi-Fi remains available.
- π» Only one computer changed: a Windows update, VPN, security product or network configuration change is more relevant when every other device still works normally.
A clear before-and-after event gives the diagnosis somewhere useful to start.
Restarting and factory-resetting are not the same thing
A factory reset is not simply a more powerful version of turning the router off and back on.
A normal restart reloads the router while preserving its configuration.
A factory reset can erase that configuration and return the device to its original defaults.
Depending on the router and internet provider, that may remove or change:
- πΆ Your Wi-Fi network name and password.
- π WAN or internet connection settings.
- π ISP credentials or other provider-specific configuration where required.
- π Mesh, extender or other network-device configuration.
- βοΈ Custom network settings that were working before the outage.
Some ISP-supplied routers can automatically recover much of their configuration. Others may require setup again. Either way, a factory reset can turn one unexplained internet problem into an internet problem plus a changed Wi-Fi network and disconnected household devices.
That is why the recessed reset button should not be the automatic next step merely because a normal restart failed.
If restarting fixes it only temporarily
Sometimes the internet returns after restarting the router but fails again hours or days later.
That is different from a restart making no difference at all.
The restart may be temporarily recovering an unstable condition without addressing its cause.
Possible areas to investigate include:
- π An unstable WAN or NBN connection.
- π§ Router firmware or internal software becoming unstable.
- π A failing router, power supply or connection port.
- π DNS or DHCP problems affecting the network.
- π‘ Mesh or extender equipment losing its connection to the main router.
Repeatedly restarting the router whenever the problem returns may restore service temporarily, but it also hides the pattern that needs diagnosing.
Avoid turning one internet fault into several
Once the basic restart has failed, changing several unrelated settings at once usually makes troubleshooting harder.
- β οΈ Do not factory-reset the router simply because the normal restart did not work.
- β οΈ Do not reset networking on every computer when every device failed at the same time.
- β οΈ Do not change DNS, DHCP, firewall and IP settings together without establishing which part has failed.
- β οΈ Do not replace the router solely because restarting it did not restore service.
- β οΈ Do not repeatedly disconnect and reconnect cables without noting where they were connected originally.
Good troubleshooting narrows the fault. It does not create more variables.
When the ISP should take over
If the modem/router and local network are operating correctly but the connection fails beyond them, the internet provider may need to investigate the service.
This can include confirmed NBN faults, upstream network problems, service provisioning failures or connection issues outside your local equipment.
The difficult part is often determining where that boundary actually is.
A faulty router, incorrect WAN setup or disconnected local cable can look very similar to an ISP outage from the customer’s point of view. Conversely, replacing or factory-resetting perfectly good equipment will not fix an upstream service fault.
The value of diagnosis is establishing which side of that boundary the problem belongs to.
Get help when restarting has not solved the problem
If you have already restarted the modem or router and the internet still does not work, PcRiot can diagnose the connection instead of repeating the same first-line troubleshooting.
That can include checking whether the problem affects one device or the whole network, whether devices can communicate correctly with the router, whether the router has a working WAN connection, the state of relevant NBN equipment and cabling, DNS and DHCP behaviour, and whether the fault appears to be local or needs to be handed over to the internet provider.
The aim is to identify where the connection stops working without unnecessarily factory-resetting equipment or changing settings that were already correct.
PcRiot provides onsite Wi-Fi and internet troubleshooting in Perth for homes and small businesses.