Remote Power Cycling my Fibre Router

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Gordy7

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#272668 8-Jul-2020 14:05

While away from home I lost access to my home network which uses an NF18ACV router for my fibre.

Orcon suggested power cycling the router. Not easy to do from 150km away.

Orcon could see my router. The only option offered was a remote factory reset which was not an option as it would change my LAN and WiFi config.

When I got home I could not get LAN access to my router. Also I could see my WiFi SSID but could not connect.

A power cycle got everything working again.

I am thinking about remote power cycling options:

- Time clock to power cycle every few hours. Not a good solution.

- Some sort of phone network controller for switching mains power.

- Script control to reboot the router does not appear possible as the router LAN access fails.

I could ask for a replacement router or use my own router.

I would like to find a general solution for power cycling a router.

Anyone have other ideas?

TIA.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

OzoneNZ

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#2519326 8-Jul-2020 14:10

The NF18ACV is hot garbage and I'm not surprised it needs power cycling - honestly I think your money would be better spent on something that won't NEED to be rebooted to remain stable. Ubiquiti EdgeRouter-X or something from MikroTik maybe.

My MikroTik RB3011 goes literally months in between reboots with no power cycling required, and the reboots are only to apply firmware upgrades. My point being that decent-quality gear shouldn't need reboots

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grimwulf

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#2519331 8-Jul-2020 14:25

Given that it's your router you're talking about, in the cases you'd want to reboot it your WAN connection and/or LAN/wifi is likely toast.

You could pay for a secondary cellular connection and just plug in a SIM card (if your router supports) for resilience - but that might be overkill (and wouldn't help if your router's really borked).

There are SMS based messaging switches available that can do this sort of thing via mobile phone SMS i.e. plug in switch to power socket, then SMS a number with a ON/OFF message or similar and it does its thing.

A quick oogle came up with this https://www.ezyswitch.co.nz/ in NZ or this US only unfortunately https://5gstore.com/product/8351_3g_sms_switch.html) - but I'm sure there are others.

Or train your cat to pull out the cable when the phone rings ;).

Gordy7

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#2519340 8-Jul-2020 14:35

I am having a new look at Michael Murfy's The Router Guide...

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=66&topicid=197871

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

michaelmurfy

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#2519342 8-Jul-2020 14:39

If you want something that is rock solid stable and don't care about spending a bit of money then I seriously recommend the Ubiquiti Dream Machine as a worthy replacement. It's WiFi is great, the routing functions work well and the router itself is very stable and improving.

It is better to just replace your router in your case with something you don't have to babysit. I've done the exact same for my parents that are on the other island and while their solution is fully overkill for their needs the fact I don't need to manage it or tell them to reboot is what makes it worth it for me.

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tchart

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#2519344 8-Jul-2020 14:40

Why not get a smart switch/plug? Wemo ones store the schedule on the device so you could set it to turn off at midnight and then back on again 5 minutes later.

EDIT: Have you checked if the router already has something? My D-Link router has a setting that Ive enabled to reboot every night.

jonb

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#2519352 8-Jul-2020 15:00

The Cambium CnPilot I got from @michaelmurfy is also great as a home fibre router, can access it it remotely to restart it I think too, or at least can be set to restart everyday at like 4am.

Gordy7

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#2519354 8-Jul-2020 15:03

tchart:

EDIT: Have you checked if the router already has something? My D-Link router has a setting that Ive enabled to reboot every night.

I have had a bit of a look around the NF18ACV for timed reset but couldn't find anything.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.

michaelmurfy

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#2519380 8-Jul-2020 15:27

Actually @jonb raises a very good point.

This is another router I highly recommend if you want something stable: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/wifirouters/pl-r195wana-rw.html and best of all, it is cheap.

Go Wireless have a configuration guide for it also: https://help.gowifi.co.nz/support/solutions/articles/48001079838-cambium-cnpilot-r-series-ufb-home-router-configuration-guide

zespri

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#2519430 8-Jul-2020 16:53

Would like to echo what others have said, I've been running various mikrotiks over last few years and they do not require reboot, they are all quite stable. Months without reboot is not uncommon. They are also quite powerful for things like dns4me, dynamic dns, restricting kids hours on the net, you can even configure several VLANs and for example completely isolate guests wifi from your home network. If you are planning on using your router for something non-trivial, mikrotik can be a great choice. Caveat emptor: for non-technical user can be difficult to configure beyond basics. For basics, there are many tutorials though.

My current router is this: https://www.gowifi.co.nz/routers/rb962uigs-5hact2hnt.html It's quite a bit more expensive than what Michael suggested, though. Anyway, cheaper than Dream Machine.

For power cycling I have a few WEMO Switches, I think they do not sell these anymore, but other smart plugs are available (google for "smart plug"). However for these to work I rely on my router to be always on, so this is not a solution for power-cycling router, but anything else.

Gordy7

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#2519787 9-Jul-2020 08:52

Thanks for all the help.

I have decided not to nurse-maid my NF18ACV so I have abandoned using it.

Instead, based on Michael Murfy's router guide, I am now using a Spark Smart Modem, which I bought recently off Trademe.

Another recommendation was the HG659 which I gave up on long ago because I have more network devices than the HG659 can handle.

Gordy

My first ever AM radio network connection was with a 1MHz AM crystal(OA91) radio receiver.