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IP address switch may repair broadband

LOU DOLINAR

May 4, 2008

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It's the oldest broadband repair trick, like banging on a Coke machine to get your change back.

The idea's straightforward: Every device on the Internet has a unique IP address, which is assigned from the top down. If there's a problem with the address, for example, two devices try to share it; resetting it often cures a problem.

The sequence goes like this: Power down your equipment for a few minutes, including your router, modem, PCs and network switches. Now power back up, starting with the modem, then the router, then the PCs. The modem will get a new address; hand it off to the router. The router will then assign subnet addresses to the PCs.

If you've installed additional equipment on your local area network, you may also try bringing up one computer or other device at a time, then checking whether the new device works.