Internet Connectivity Problem. Help Please

[WhitewaterWoman]

My internet through Starlink is working and I have full use of it at the house.

However, internet is not working at my office, which is in a separate building a short ways away, connected by the appropriate cable, the name of which I cannot remember right now.

In my office, the computer is working. The router is plugged in and I get two green lights, the power light and the light that looks like a dot with parentheses around it. However, the light that looks like a planet with a ring around does not come on. It does not even flicker. I have checked all the plugs and plug-in stuff and all seems to be plugged in where they are supposed to be.

So I am assuming the router got blown during the storm (lots of lightning) and I need a new one.

Can you computer experts let me know if there is something else simple I should check before ordering a new router. And how do I know what router to buy?

Thank you all so very much.

 

[Tired]

I feel like my skill for designing mobile games and translating things on Russian won't help here much heh

 

[Outdated]

Can you computer experts let me know if there is something else simple I should check before ordering a new router. And how do I know what router to buy?

A quick and simple test would be to swap your two routers over and see if the problem then shifts to the house.

Lightning's not real good for them though and it wouldn't be surprising if it's blown. For a replacement I don't think your average usage is all that demanding, something cheap would probably be all you need.

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?Order=1&N=50012120 100158096 4814&Manufactory=12120

 

[Judge]

In a hurricane and especially an electrical storm, there could be any number reasons for router failure. But first, simply unplug power to your router for at least 60 seconds and then reconnect it. This might bring it back online if not physically damaged.

Beyond that, you might consider resetting your router just to see if it attains full functionality again before you replace it.

What Happens If I Reset My Router?

Do you connect your modem and router to a surge protector into the same electrical outlet, or are they normally plugged in without any surge protector? If the latter, yes it sounds like your router probably needs replacing. Assuming of course there's nothing wrong with your modem as well.

If none of these remedies work, most likely you will need to replace the router.

 

[Forest Cat]

This is the most obvious advice anyone could give, but have you tried to turn everything off and on again? I'm guessing you have done that.

 

[Judge]

This is the most obvious advice anyone could give, but have you tried to turn everything off and on again? I'm guessing you have done that.

That comes with unplugging and resetting a router. See above.

 

[Outdated]

This is the most obvious advice anyone could give, but have you tried to turn everything off and on again? I'm guessing you have done that.

I was just thinking along similar lines, where my router connects through the old landline phone connection the lead I'm using is a bit of a slack fit, and it's on my kitchen benchtop. If I bump it while cooking my internet drops out and it takes half an hour of jiggling it around before I get a good connection again.

I've been meaning to replace that lead for a while now, but you know...

 

[Judge]

I was just thinking along similar lines, where my router connects through the old landline phone connection the lead I'm using is a bit of a slack fit, and it's on my kitchen benchtop. If I bump it while cooking my internet drops out and it takes half an hour of jiggling it around before I get a good connection again.

I've been meaning to replace that lead for a while now, but you know...

I've had more than one instance where I thought my router was shot, when all I needed to do was to kill the power completely for at least 60 seconds, or in more dire conditions I reset the router altogether. When my router's software settings were somehow corrupted and resetting them brought it all back to life.

Of course it all comes down to whether or not there is actual component damage. If so, such remedies won't work. Hard to say with how much damage a hurricane can do.

 

[Kayla55]

Ah, and banging as very last option. Be amazed how hard drive worked long enough after that to get me data out.

 

[Judge]

I was just thinking along similar lines, where my router connects through the old landline phone connection the lead I'm using is a bit of a slack fit, and it's on my kitchen benchtop. If I bump it while cooking my internet drops out and it takes half an hour of jiggling it around before I get a good connection again.

I've been meaning to replace that lead for a while now, but you know...

Yep. Physically reconnecting all Ethernet cables is also a good idea. Especially if something gets knocked out of place for some reason. Some of the simplest happenings can knock an Internet user right offline.

 

[Kayla55]

A very bad storm resulted in knocking satellite TV out, so technically had to get exacts alignment or poor signal. Sucks but ye, this is life.
Need to go off grid, grow carrots, eat coleslaw

 

[Kayla55]

Buy surge protection asap, that can get expensive depending....
Don't do dis techno stuff so much, I'm very rusty. I just sometimes advise on projects but even that's like I'm so old, these young kids know more

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Thank you all very much. I will start working through these options tomorrow morning when my mind is fresh. It sorts takes a nap around 2 pm and isn’t fully restored until morning.

I know Starlink is working because the internet at the house is working fine. Yes, everything is surge protected. But a direct strike will knock out the surge protectors too. This one seems to be working.

I have unplugged and replugged everything but I might not have waited a full 60 seconds. I will redo that.

I am not sure which parts of Starlink are router and modem. But I would hate to disengage Starlink and not be able to get it working again. I’m fully set up at the house, except for big monitors and printers. Maybe I will give up on the living room idea and just have a computer room instead.

There are not enough nice words to express how wonderful you all are.

 

[db05]

A home router compatible with Starlink as your internet service provider (ISP) should run around $150. I wouldn't pay any above $200 USD or so. But make sure to get one endorsed by Starlink as compatible. Sometimes you may see one on Amazon, eBay or wherever claiming compatibility but may or may not work.

Do they offer rentals? Usually that's the case; some buy one while most pay $15 a month or so to rent for years and the ISP keeps happily collecting rental fees from unaware customers for even a then-obsolete model. But sometimes that's the better option; you know it will work and it would be warrantied.

Lots of troubleshooting steps could help (Are you getting an IP address? Can you get to the local router management site?) but unless you have someone to help look at it in person, those are specific to your model, other things and probably too detailed/technical to get into on a forum post. Good luck.

 

[Judge]

Interfacing with a satellite system, I can't say I'm familiar with much of this compared to a more conventional modem/router combination. Sorry, this appears far more proprietary to the hardware I'm accustomed to dealing with. Looks like you're better off dealing with Starlink directly or at least examine the info they have about this.

"Starlink does not provide installation services for customer-owned routers; however, professional installation services for the Starlink dish and router are available through Starlink's website for an additional fee.

Customers can also set up their own routers by following specific instructions provided for connecting third-party routers to the Starlink system."

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-use-your-own-wi-fi-router-with-starlink

Starlink Gen 3 Router: Here's Everything You Need To Know

 

[Aspychata]

Good luck, we have to cross so many domains to be proficient and plugged in, just yuck.