Power outages generally cause minor internet issues, which can be fixed by restarting the router. However, in the case of significant power surges, components involved in the internet connection channel may be damaged as well.
Specifically, a power surge can fry the components in the router, modem, and cables, needing repair or replacement. The RJ45 port on your PC is also vulnerable to voltage surges. Or the problem may exist totally on the other end of the spectrum, i.e., the ISP. Your ISP may also suffer power outages or power surge damages related to ONTs and cables.
Depending on the root cause, you may be able to troubleshoot the internet connection issue yourself or may have to contact tech support for help. In any case, we recommend following the solutions in this article as the best course of action.
Precautions You Should Take
Before moving on to the fixes, you must know the precautionary measures to prevent future internet issues caused by power outages. Majorly, power outages cause problems because various devices involved experience a sudden power cut.
To avoid such circumstances, it is always recommended to use a UPS(Uninterruptible Power Supply), which will work as a power supply for a short period of time.
Moreover, power surges followed by power outages are even more likely to cause more damage to your devices. So, it is better to use power/voltage regulators to cope with the surging or fluctuating power supply.
How to Fix the Internet After a Power Outage?
As discussed, power outages are generally followed by power surges or power fluctuations, these can lead to damaged hardware or burnout cables if precautions aren’t taken. If that’s your case, you will probably have to seek professional support.
However, for not-so-fatal conditions, power outages can impact routers, PC, and ISP as well. Connect any other device to the same router you are using, and check the connectivity.
If the internet is working great on another device, you may jump to the PC fixes section below. But, if all other devices are too having internet issues, you should definitely start with the router solutions as mentioned below:
Power Cycle the Router
Various processes are going on within a router while it’s in a sound state, but a sudden power outage can freeze these processes. Such seizures can make the router unresponsive, and thus, the internet won’t work properly or at all.
For many, internet issues followed by power outages can be solved merely bypower cycling the router. Just disconnect your router from the power source and the modem, and let it rest for a few minutes. Then, connect it and verify if it fixes the internet problem.
Routers are embedded with a physical button called a reset button, which can be pressed to bring them back to their default settings, erasing all the previously configured data. It is placed on one side of a router within an engraved section. Unplug the power cable of the router, then press and hold for 10-30 seconds.
