[SOLVED]: Router not getting internet from modem- How to fix

There are times when you plug your modem to the computer, it works well but when you plug it into your router you notice that it has a flashing orange light. This simply means that your router is not getting internet from the modem. Let us look at a few troubleshooting options you can use to fix this type of connectivity issue.

If your daily activities are centered on working through the internet, connectivity issues may cause a drawback to your routine and deadlines. Sometimes, you may find yourself in the middle of your router not getting internet from your modem and majority of the time you will not know what exactly to do. However, it is important to familiarize yourself with a few troubleshooting options that can get you back on track.

Most times, when your router is unable to receive internet from your modem, it does not always mean that it has crashed for good; it is often fixable. How? When your router doesn’t get internet from your modem, you can fix it by; power cycling both the modem and the router, putting your modem on bridge mode, hard resetting both the modem and the router and by updating the firmware of both devices.

To understand this connectivity issue further, what could be preventing your router from getting internet from the modem?

When your router is not getting internet from your modem you may get pop ups such as ‘connected, but on internet’, ‘internet not connected ‘or ‘no internet’.This can be caused by; loose or damaged power cables, glitching firmware, erratic signal strengths, an overwhelmed connection log or may be an overused network device.

How can you fix your router when it cannot get internet from your modem?

Each specific problem may need a different approach in order to successfully fix it but troubleshooting should generally fix the connectivity problem at once. You should use some of the following troubleshooting steps to fix your connectivity issue when your router is unable to get internet from your modem:

Check the connection between the two network devices

The first thing you would need to do is to check the connection between your router and the modem. You can do this by logging into the administration page by the manufacturer to understand the status of your modem-router connection. At times, the problem could be from an unplugged WAN (wide area network) port which shows a red message on the page. In this case, you need to plug in the WAN port and keep checking whether the red message has disappeared.

Power cycle both your router and modem

Power cycling simply requires you to reboot both network devices. You should try to turn off the wireless function and by using an Ethernet cable, your can try to connect your computer to the modem. This should help you trace where the problem is. However if it still persists, you will need to unplug both network devices from the power connection and also unplug both the modem power cord and the coaxial cables.

Afterwards, you should try to connect the modem to the WAN port of the router and power on the router. Once this is done, you should plug in the modem and power it on. As the devices begin to reconnect, you should check on the status of your IPS because sometimes the problem could be on their side and not yours.

Try putting your modem on bridge mode

You can try putting your modem on bridge mode but as you do this, you should ensure that no other cable is plugged to it except the WAN port that is in your router. Bridge mode is identified as the configuration that is used to disable the network address translation (NAT) feature on your modem and lets your router to operate as a DHCP server without having to cause a conflict in your IP address.

Update the firmware

A cause of connectivity issue would be bugs created by a corrupt firmware in either your modem or your router.Damaged firmware may affect the security code in both your modems which cause faulty connection abilities.Here, you need to update the firmware of both your router and modem.

To access a firmware update, you need to download it from a trusted server and avoid third party one otherwise you may cause more damage to the modem and router. A firmware is important as it increases the internet speed and it fixes the network performance as it often comes with additional features for network efficiency.

The table below shows suggested updates and trouble shooting options for different routers and modems

Hard reset both network devices

If any of the above steps do not work to resolve the connectivity issue between your modem and router, the best option would be to hard reset both devices.Depending on the design of your modem and router, you should locate the reset button and hold it down for about a minute. After doing this, you should manually reconfigure the settings of both your router and modem as you are now starting afresh.When you factory set your modem and router, you should use a different SSID and password.

Conclusion

When you are unable to completely solve this issue, you need to seek extra help from your manufacturer. Sometimes it may show that the problem is in your hardware so you may need to replace it with a newer one, other times either your router or modem could be a faulty device and needs to be exchanged or it may need to be fixed by its respective technicians.

FAQs

What could be the reasons as to why my router is unable to get internet from my modem?

An offline modem, hardware failure, or a settings issue might be to blame for this kind of connectivity failure. However, a few troubleshooting steps can get your router back on track.

When troubleshooting my router, how do I get its utility/ firmware?

Depending on your model type, you should browse through its download center as indicated in the user manual. In its download center, you are able to find the latest drivers, firmware and software.