Just curious to know why a reboot/power cycle is the only fix whenever a device can't get an IP nor internet connectivity on a router over Wi-Fi? I don't like the idea of using reboot/power cycle all the time as I don't know the cause in case there's a less drastic fix. It's not a persistent issue just one I've noticed that happens occasionally with different routers. The last time was this week as we'd been away for 2 weeks and apparently had a power cut. We have two Wi-Fi SSIDs (one is 2.4 GHz and the other 5GHz). Any device trying to connect to the 2GHz network couldn't get an IP but the 5GHz was OK. I tried turning off/on the 2GHz to no avail. In the end I just rebooted the router to fix the issue. Cheers!
What router is it? What provides your wireless connectivity, the router, Access points, Wireless Extenders? Consumer routers aren't the most resilient devices. If it's a cheapy one, maybe worth replacing?
Well basically let us assume that the DHCP daemon inside the router crashed. These are usually basic things with only a web gui - there'd be no way to restart just the DHCP process, so reboot it is. Frankly, I've seen home routers that are so under-powered, once they hit a certain number of devices connected, they are simply incapable of working with another. That includes 5ghz still working but 2.4ghz being 'full'. The router just locks up because it cannot associate with another station on that ID, despite seeming to. Either way it sounds like you might need something with a bit more power.
This bears repeating. How some of them get past QA into the hands of putners is beyond me. Easily a finalist for most unfit for purpose devices that people seem to simply accept as the norm.
I mean when you consider an ISP gives them away typically for the cost of postage at around £5-£8 one must assume that the purchase price for the router itself is at least partially covered in this charge - since both Hermes and Royal Mail probably charge about £4 for a retail punter to post a box this size and weight. That £7.95 router charge is probably half postage and half the cost price of the router. .... I wouldn't.
I agree with the sentiment of ISP routers basically been cheap and terrible but the cost is more likely to be wrapped up in the monthly broadband fee rather than half of the postage cost (which is sometime free anyway).
Even "good" consumer routers I've used needed restarting with some regularity. If you bought a fridge that just stopped working and needed to be un/re-plugged every few months, it would be straight back to the vendor. With a router, meh it's just par for the course.
My current router which is the best I've ever used is the TP Link AC2800/Archer VR2800. Altogether there's 11 devices that have connected to it (3 wired and 8 wireless). But at any one time there'll be no more than say 6-8 devices which I'd have thought is fine. Again, this isn't a regular issue and the router has been working fine without issue with an uptime of 2-3 months I think. Also it's something I've encountered with each router. Is it something to do with the mechanism which regulates/authorises each device simply failing after continual use and its cache just needs clearing via a reboot?
That is more than likely the case, it happens even on good quality routers sometimes. I assume it has the latest firmware?
Sure, I just meant it as an example. However the buy-in price of these routers is nonetheless probably in the range of £5-£10 max, just to maximise monthly returns. If you're talking about the Virgin Media superhub which is essentially a posh cable modem, well I only just personally switched so the jury is still out as to whether modem mode actually makes it more reliable than in router mode. But I have mine in modem mode, and I've plugged one of these into it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/RBD52G-5HACD2HND-TC-MikroTik-hAP-ac2/dp/B079SD8NVQ/ These are small-medium business devices, despite the price point, and are pretty kick ass. I've recommended them several times, and I personally, have never had to reboot my router - and I've had it for over 3 years now. Yep it's almost just expected these days.
