How To Tell If My Router Is Malfunctioning? (8 Possible Signs To Know)

It is infuriating and frustrating when our internet fails because of a bad modem. The efficiency of the internet speed has an impact on everything we do. We’re either at a meeting, playing a crucial game, taking online classes, or doing something else.

Due to a poor internet speed connection, you may miss numerous essential occurrences. If your internet speed starts to lag while you’re playing a game, you risk losing your winning game. Because the Internet speed has the potential to make a difference.

When you’re viewing a video and it starts buffering, you might assume that the problem is caused by your router growing old and obsolete. Many people wonder if wireless routers degrade over time.

But how can I determine if my router is malfunctioning?

We’ll go through some frequent issues that could indicate that your internet speed problem is caused by your router.

Signs To Immediately Replace Your Router

1. What is the age of your router?

The age of a wireless router is one of the most typical issues. Heat damage can occur over time since routers are frequently turned on. According to a PC World article, heat can be a crucial contributor to performance concerns including sporadic connectivity and slower speed test.

Moving your router to a different position with greater airflow, or utilizing a fan to assist cooling, could be a simple repair. Another issue with outdated routers is that they don’t support newer devices or greater speeds through speed tests as new standards emerge.

2. Performance Is Slow

There are various external concerns that could be to fault if your performance is slowing down. Many household appliances, including routers, operate at 2.5 GHz. The 2.5 GHz band is used by cordless phones, microwaves, baby monitors, and even garage door openers.

According to a story on InformationWeek.com, any of these devices could cause router performance concerns.

A fast cure is to move your equipment around, and if that doesn’t work, you can alter the channel your router works on. This is accomplished by manually altering your router’s set-up controls in the program you installed when you first connected your network.

3. Visit the Lights

A number of indicator lights are normally mounted on the front of your router. These indicator lights will indicate whether or not your router is working properly. Power, Internet speed connection, and Wi-Fi signal intensity are commonly displayed by the indicator lights.

Blinking indicator lights does not indicate that the equipment is broken, but colored lights such as amber or red indicate problems that need to be addressed.

Having your router handbook on hand makes it simple to figure out what the lights and colors signify. You can look up the handbook on the manufacturer’s website if you don’t have it. The majority of businesses provide manuals that can be downloaded.

4. Login Issues

You could have trouble logging in if your router isn’t working properly. You may begin to receive a slew of notifications regarding the connection. Your internet access will be restricted. If this is the case, you may need to upgrade your router.

Before concluding that the router is defective, double-check that it is correctly attached, as internet speed problems can sometimes be caused by a loose Ethernet cable.

So, after a few minutes, completely detach the router and reconnect it. If this works, your router is fine; if, go out and buy a new one.

5. Continually Reconnecting

You won’t have to reconnect your router to the device throughout the day if your router isn’t having any issues. If your internet speed connection isn’t operating properly and keeps going down, you may have a router issue.

This problem can be resolved by restarting your smartphone and trying to have a speed test again. Go to your router’s configuration page and look for the option to reset your device.

6. Signals that have been Disrupted

This could also be an ISP issue, so double-check that there isn’t something more serious going on before you toss your router out in retribution.

By unplugging the router and hardwiring your computer directly into the cable modem, you can examine the cable modem. If you have a strong connection, your router has most certainly failed and has to be replaced.

If you’re having internet problems with your cable modem as well, you should contact your ISP to find out what’s wrong with your network. Pinging Google’s primary DNS server, 8.8.8.8, will also reveal this. If it works but you still can’t access Google, you’re dealing with a DNS problem.

7.  Unexpected Halt

An abrupt loss of functionality is a sure sign there’s a problem with your router, or possibly that it’s broken. When this happens, the first thing you should do is rule out the potential that the problem is caused by a simple, unintentional wire connection. 

Check the connector wires and cables that connect the router to other devices, such as the computer and cable modem, to make sure they’re properly inserted. 

If everything appears to be in order, the stoppage could be caused by a damaged router, which should be replaced or repaired. When it comes to a dead router, it’s usually more cost-effective to replace it rather than have it serviced. It may fix your problem, but if it doesn’t, you’ll need to replace your router.

8. When I’m at the pool, I can’t watch Netflix

There’s nothing like catching up on your favorite shows while lounging by the pool, but if you can’t remain connected, you’re either out of range of your Wi-Fi router or have too many structural barriers blocking your signal.

An outdoor access point can assist; these devices are built to resist the elements while providing wireless connectivity to the great outdoors, but you’ll need to connect them to your home network using Ethernet cable wiring.

Installing a second router indoors, closer to your backyard, and using it as a wireless access point is another possibility (AP). Configuring an access point used to necessitate some networking knowledge, but most modern routers offer a simple AP mode setting.

How to Troubleshoot Router’s Problem in Your Own?

1. Start With the Basic

Begin with the basics:

Why do you believe your router is the source of the problem? Just because you can’t get on the internet doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. Isolating the problem is the first and most important step.

Are all of your household gadgets affected, or just your computer? If your PC is the only one affected, the issue is most likely not with the router. It’s preferable to figure this out before wasting time troubleshooting the incorrect problem.

If the issue affects your entire home, it’s likely the router, and you should keep troubleshooting. Start by examining the obvious things on your router. Is the device still plugged in and receiving power from the outlet?

If the outlet is connected to a light switch, double-check that the switch is turned on. If your router is linked to a power strip or surge protector, make sure the power switch is switched on. Also, make sure the breaker for that outlet hasn’t tripped in your breaker panel.

Check the router’s indicator lights now? Do they appear to be normal? The lights on most routers will flash to signal network activity – are they flashing? Are the Ethernet cable port status LEDs on your router lighting up? 

However, you shouldn’t observe port link lights on ports that aren’t plugged in. The appearance of a ‘link’ light on all ports, whether connected or not, is a classic sign that the router is broken.

Is the router making a lot of noise? Does it appear to be a reasonable amount? What about the sound? Consumer routers, on the whole, don’t generate much noise. These kinds of observations can help you figure out how healthy your router is.

2. Troubleshooting for Intermediates

Is your router up and running (passing data)? Open a command window and look at your computer’s IP address to determine whether it has one. On Windows, use the ‘config command, whereas on Mac and Linux, use the ‘config command.

For additional information on locating your router’s IP address, see this article. If it works, try pinging a different device on your network. If that does, your router appears to be working properly. 

Is it possible that the issue is limited to your internet service? Ping Google’s primary DNS server, 8.8.8.8, to see what happens. If it works, go ahead and ping google.com.

If your router appears to be in working order but your internet service isn’t, try resetting your DSL/Cable bad modem or contacting your internet service provider for help.

3. Getting rid of the router once and for all:

If your router continues to fail, consider bypassing it and connecting your computer directly to your ISP’s device (usually a DSL bad modem, cable modem, or fiber ONT).   Are you currently able to connect to the internet or ethernet cable?

If this is the case, your router is very probably the source of the problem, as bypassing it brought you back online. You’ll need to take additional steps to perform this test technique if your ISP uses static IP addresses or PPPoE; simply plugging in won’t suffice.

4. Troubleshooting in Advance

If you’ve determined that the router is bad at this stage, you can either replace it or try some additional techniques to see if you can recover it. If you wish to continue troubleshooting the router, consider resetting it to factory settings.

This will clear the current configuration from the router and reboot it to the factory default state it was in when you first opened it.

If this process is successful, you will need to reconfigure your router from scratch, including setting up your wireless network name, password, channel setting (if previously specified), administrator password, and port forwarding (if required).

CONCLUSION On Router Malfunction

If your router isn’t acting as well as it previously did, you’re experiencing a significant slowdown, or you’re observing that it constantly restarting, it’s possible that you’re in need of a replacement.

So, if you’re wondering if you need a new router, this is a fantastic place to start! You shouldn’t have to be extremely annoyed when using the internet. By following our recommendations, you will be able to determine if your router has failed. 

Then go out and acquire a new one that works with your ISP. Always keep in mind what characteristics you desire from a router. You’ll be able to ensure that your router is ideal for you.

FAQs About Router Malfunction