How to restart the router from the PC

When the Internet connection gives you some problems or we notice that the computer is not surfing as fast, as usual, one of the first remedies to start surfing again quickly is to restart the modem or router that we use to access the network; routers or modems work like computers, so they too must be restarted from time to time (data cache full, messy routing table, RAM full of data, etc.).
The router can be started in the old way by removing the socket and waiting a few minutes but we can simply restart or reset the router directly from the PC so that we don’t even have to get up from our position to perform this simple operation.
Let’s see in this guide all the useful methods to restart the router or reset the PC.

How to restart the modem from a PC

Like everything we can do on the computer, there are simple procedures and complex procedures, but they all lead to the same result: restarting the modem from the PC without even removing the power plug. Below we will find both the simple method and the method for IT professionals, with the use of Telnet.

How to restart the modem from a PC: a simple procedure

The simplest and most accessible method to restart the modem or router directly requires access to the control panel of the same so that you can start the remote restart procedure. First, then open our web browser (Chrome or Edge) and type in the upper bar the IP address of the modem used on our network (in most cases it is 192.168.1.1, but it can also be 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.254, as seen also in our guide on how Enter the router to access the settings easily).
Once logged in to the control panel (inserting username and password) let’s go to the menu System and make sure to find the menu or item Restart, so you can proceed with restarting the modem. For example, on the FRITZ! The box we can restart the modem by going to the menu System -> Backup -> Restart and pressing the button Restart bottom right.

On other models of modem or router instead, the restart button is available on the home screen, just look for it at the top right or in another corner of the window, as visible also from the image below (based on a TP-Link router).

Do we not remember the login credentials to the router or do we not know what the default credentials are for the model in use? We can find this information in the router’s user manual or we can inquire in detail by reading our guides Default password and login for all Routers is How to reset the modem.

How to restart the modem from a PC: advanced procedure

If instead, we are looking for something more advanced we can try the procedure based on Telnet, a Windows component to be added manually but which provides full control over network devices.
To install Telnet on Windows we open the Start menu at the bottom left and search for “functionality” so we can open the entry Turn Windows features on or off.

In the list we search and tick the item Telnet Client and click on OK, to start the installation of the component.

To use Telnet you need to open a command prompt window as an administrator.
The prompt can be started from the Start menu by searching Command prompt, by right-clicking on it and selecting Run as administrator. From the command prompt, type the following command to access the modem:

telnet 192.168.1.1

If it doesn’t work we have to find the IP address of the home router to avoid making mistakes.
At login you will be asked to enter your login name and password which, if they have never been changed, they should be admin is admin (note that when writing the password the letters do not appear so after writing it press Submit even if you don’t see it).
Once logged in, the command to restart the router may vary from model to model.
Writing help and pressing Submit you get the list of supported commands, among which there should also be the one to restart it (called reboot). If it is not there, you must first go to a control section, which can be system or dev.
The generic command we can try is therefore:

system reboot

which will allow you to restart the router immediately. In the same way you can use the command system reset which restores the router to factory settings.

How to restart the router at regular intervals

To make this restart of the router easier and faster you can create a file on the desktop that will be enough later perform with a double click or automatically every day.
Then create a new text document on the desktop (by right clicking on an empty area and choosing New) and write in this code:

Option explicit
Dim oShell
set oShell = Wscript.CreateObject (“WScript.Shell”)
oShell.Run “telnet”
WScript.Sleep 3000
oShell.Sendkeys “open 192.168.1.1 ~”
WScript.Sleep 3000
oShell.Sendkeys “admin ~”
WScript.Sleep 3000
oShell.Sendkeys “password ~”
WScript.Sleep 3000
oShell.Sendkeys “system reboot ~”
WScript.Sleep 3000
oShell.Sendkeys “~”
Wscript.Quit

In the code you will need to change the login name and password, possibly the IP address and the reboot command if it is not in system.
The file is then saved and renamed with an extension .vbs and no more .txt (to see file extensions edit the folder options from the control panel). The new .vbs file can then be set for automatic daily or weekly execution from thePlanning utility, which we can always find from the Start menu.

Conclusions

If the modem is too far from us or we do not want to change rooms, we can very well use our computer to restart the network device, so as to restore full operability and solve occasional problems such as slow connections or intermittent connections.

Do we want to control our modem or router even when we are away from home? In this case, we advise you to read our guide carefully How to control the router remotely.
If, on the other hand, we are new to the world of routers and want to learn how to use them, we invite you to read our insights Router configuration: all things to do is How to open the doors of the router.