My area has power outages almost every day, sometimes lasting several hours. When the power returns, the internet comes back only partially: some websites fail to load and messaging apps stop working, even though the router appears to be online. Releasing and renewing the IP address fixes everything. This affects all of my devices, including computers and phones. I'm using a Belkin RT3200. What causes this, and is there a way to prevent it?
2 Answers
This sounds more like the router’s WAN connection or DHCP state getting stuck after a long shutdown than a problem with each individual device. Releasing and renewing forces the connection to obtain fresh addressing information, which explains why it immediately helps. Check whether your internet provider’s modem or gateway also needs to be restarted, and try rebooting the modem first, waiting a few minutes, then rebooting the router. If it keeps happening, check for router firmware updates or ask the provider whether the modem is retaining a stale lease.
A UPS helps, but it cannot keep the network running through an outage longer than its battery capacity. If the UPS is about to run out, shutting the router and modem down cleanly is reasonable. When power returns, bring the equipment back up in order: power on the provider’s modem or ONT first, wait until it has a stable connection, and then start the router. Also make sure the router is not showing a 169.254.x.x address, although that would usually indicate a local device failed to receive an IPv4 address and would not explain the same problem on every phone and computer.
The router and other network equipment are already connected to a UPS, but the outage can last up to six hours and the UPS lasts around four to five. Should I shut the router down manually before the UPS is exhausted?