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When experiencing technical difficulties with any type of electronic device, our go-to response is to turn the device off and on again. For whatever reason, that does the trick more often than not. It certainly seems to work with routers and spotty internet connections.
Sure, it’s a touch tedious to have to unplug it from the wall and count to at least 30 Mississippis before plugging it in again, but once you have, it works. Good as new. Then, you simply go back to your Wi-Fi until the day you and your router meet again.
But, according to Consumer Reports, it’s good to restart your router, and doing so more often would mean running into fewer problems with your Wi-Fi. Because these little devices operate more like little computers than you might think.
According to the publication, you can get an outlet timer adapter that will do the reboot for you. Plug it in and program it to restart your router at a certain time each day. Pick a time when you won’t be online, like an hour that’s way past your bedtime, for instance.
Stanley 31221 Digital Timer, $16.16, Amazon
One of these will run you about $15 on Amazon, but you can also purchase one that will restart at a certain time on the weekdays and a separate time on the weekend. You know, just in case you tend to stay up later on the weekends and need your Wi-Fi to run smoothly.
Woods 500008 Indoor 7-Day Digital Outlet Timer, $9.98, Amazon
Convenience may cost you a little extra. But, isn’t it worth it?
[h/t: Consumer Reports]