I occasionally need to re-boot my router when my network slows down. It’s kind of a tricky switch to get to. I was wondering if any of you all knew a way to accomplish this through SmartThings?
Turning the power to my router “OFF” should be easy, with an appliance module. Getting it going again is the part that’s confusing me… I imagine your router needs to be functioning in order to be able to send the “ON” signal back to the connected appliance module. :-/ . Has anyone here found a solution to this type of dilemma? Perhaps an additional 3rd party device (some sort of mechanical or independent timer switch that can receive an instruction automatically to turn itself back on in 30 seconds)? Or, am I looking at this all wrong?
You have summarized the issue well. Once you turn off the router, your internet is dead so how can you use anything connected through your router to turn it back on? A mechanical timer/switch that shuts off the router’s power and then auto-restarts a switch after a period of time could work I guess. Don’t know of any specifics but in theory, it’s very possible I guess.
My solution is to use a Z-Wave switch that’s controlled by my cellular-based Security System (I do NOT trust SmartThings for security purposes). Since the Security system and it’s attached z-Wave switch are cellular-based, I can turn the router’s connected switch off and back on without issue - thereby rebooting the router. I also have my external and internal security cameras, ST hub and WiFi access points on seperate Z-Wave switches so I can reboot any of them as needed too.
@oatbean, yeah- this is a true Catch 22 problem. Although many IT guys will disagree, I believe that an occasional reboot of router keeps things running nicely. I have router plugged into a TP Link smart plug, and I have a schedule set up (in their ‘Kasa’ app) which turn off the smartplug once per week on Wednesday, at 4am. Then I have another schedule set to turn on the smartplug once per week on Wednesday at 4:10am. The key here is that TP Link smartplugs have a “memory”, and they can be turned on by schedules, even if there’s no WiFi! Very cool, and has been working perfectly for me for about 2 years. I also get a notification to my phone each week that tells me that it happened.
There actually are already seven or eight threads on this issue, as it’s one that a lot of people bump up against.
It’s really simple. You just have to have the right equipment so that you have a means of rebooting the device that doesn’t rely on the Internet.
That probably won’t be SmartThings, though. But as others have said it may be a device which does work with SmartThings as well.
There are even smartplugs made specifically for this purpose which regularly ping the website of your choice and if they can’t reach it then they reboot themselves automatically. Or for some models, on a schedule of your choosing.
If you check the quick browse lists in the community – created wiki and look under project report towards the bottom of that page for the “router” list you’ll find several of those threads.
You can’t reboot the router from the router’s management console? Even if it is slow, I would think that would be preferable to just cutting power to it.
Ultimately though…might be time for a new router. Why struggle with failing equipment that needs that much maintenance. In the long run, it might make your life a lot easier.
