Internet Not Working After a Power Outage: How to Get the Router and Modem Back Online

When the power comes back after an outage, the lights come on, the fridge hums — and the internet stays dead. Usually nothing is broken: the provider’s network is still recovering, or the modem and router started in the wrong order. Work through these steps before calling support.

Step 1: Check Whether the Outage Is Bigger

A power cut in your street often also hits the provider’s equipment: cabinets, nodes and amplifiers in the neighbourhood need power too, and they may come back later than your home or stay offline until a technician resets them.

• Check your provider’s outage map or app from a phone on mobile data.
• Ask a neighbour on the same provider.
• Give it some time: after a wide outage, connections can take a while to return as the network restarts.

If the provider reports an outage, wait — nothing at home will fix it.

Step 2: Restart in the Right Order

When power returns, the modem and router start at the same time, and the router may ask for an address before the modem has a connection. A clean restart fixes this. Microsoft’s order:

1. Unplug the router, then the modem. If the modem has a backup battery and its lights stay on, remove the battery.
2. Wait at least 30 seconds.
3. Plug in the modem and wait until its lights stop blinking.
4. Plug in the router and wait a few minutes.

With a single gateway (modem and router in one box), restart just that box. With a fiber terminal (ONT) and a separate router, restart the ONT first. More on this in how to reboot your router.

If you use a mesh system, restart the main unit first, then the satellites.

Step 3: Read the Lights

The lights tell you which box is stuck; see router lights meaning for details.

Modem online light off or blinking for a long time: the modem cannot reach the provider — most likely still an outage on their side, or a disconnected coax or fiber cable.

Fiber terminal with a red LOS light: no light is arriving through the fiber; call the provider.

Modem fine, router internet light amber or red: the problem is between the modem and the router; see router not connecting to modem.

Router fine, but one device has no internet: reconnect that device or restart it; see Wi-Fi connected but no internet.

No lights at all: check the power adapter and the outlet. A tripped breaker or a power strip switched off is common after an outage.

Step 4: Lost Settings or a Reset

Routers store their settings permanently, so a power cut normally does not erase them. If the router shows its default Wi-Fi name from the label, or asks for setup again, the configuration was lost — rarely, an outage during a firmware update can cause this.

Sign in and set it up again; see how to set up a new router. If the router does not start properly at all, a factory reset often brings it back. Keeping a backup of the router configuration makes this a two-minute job.

Step 5: Surge Damage

Storms and power restorations can send surges through power lines, and through coax or phone lines too. Signs of damage:

• a device that shows no lights even on a known-good outlet;
• a power adapter that is dead or warm with no output;
• one Ethernet port or the WAN port that no longer works, while others do — NETGEAR’s loopback test checks ports quickly.

Try a replacement power adapter with the same voltage and polarity first; adapters fail more often than routers. Damaged provider equipment is replaced by the provider. For the future, a surge protector for the router — and for the coax line, if you have cable internet — reduces the risk.

Keeping the Internet On in the Next Outage

A small UPS (uninterruptible power supply) keeps the modem and router running through short outages. How long depends on the battery size and the equipment’s draw; see how much electricity does a router use to estimate it. Remember that the provider’s equipment must have power too for the connection to work.

Backup batteries for voice service. Fiber, cable and other non-copper home phone services need power at home to work in an outage. FCC rules require providers of such home voice service to offer backup power options for sale — at least one for 8 hours of standby and one for 24 hours. If you rely on a home phone for emergencies, ask your provider about it.

A phone hotspot keeps one laptop or tablet online when the home connection is down; see mobile hotspot vs home internet.