How to Restart Your Verizon Router: 3 Safe Methods for Fios and 5G Home Internet

The quickest way to restart your Verizon router is to unplug it for two minutes, plug it back in, and wait for the front light to return to solid white. That is a simple restart, and it fixes most slow-speed and dropped Wi-Fi problems without changing a single setting. A factory reset is something else entirely, and it erases everything.

Below are the three restart methods Verizon actually supports: a physical power cycle, the Verizon Home app (or My Verizon), and the router's admin portal. Fios and 5G Home Internet use different hardware, so each method notes where the steps diverge.

Restart vs. Factory Reset: Know Which One You Need

Most people searching for how to reset a Verizon router want a restart, not to reset the router and its settings. The two actions are not interchangeable.

1. Restart (also called a reboot or power cycle): turns the router off and back on. It clears temporary memory, renews the connection's IP address lease, and re-authenticates the device with Verizon's network. Every setting you have configured survives.
2. Factory reset: returns the router to the state it shipped in. Your Wi-Fi name, Wi-Fi password, admin password, port forwarding rules, parental controls, and extender pairings are all erased. May require a firmware update.

Restart vs. Factory Reset at a Glance

Work through the restart methods below first. Do not touch the rear Reset pinhole until you have gone through these steps.

Identify Your Verizon Hardware First

Fios and 5G Home Internet run on different equipment, and following the wrong steps can waste time. The model number is printed on the label on the back or bottom of the device.

Fios customers have a Verizon Router (CR1000A or CR1000B), a Fios Router (G3100), or an older Fios Quantum Gateway (G1100), connected by Ethernet or coax to an ONT (Optical Network Terminal), a white box mounted on an exterior wall or tucked into a garage, basement, or utility closet. Verizon's routers and equipment hub lists every current model alongside its user guide. Fios does not use a modem the way cable internet does; the ONT converts the fiber signal to Ethernet and the router handles the rest.

5G Home Internet customers have a Verizon Internet Gateway, model ARC-XCI55AX, ASK-NCQ1338, ASK-NCQ1338FA, ASK-NCM1100, or WNC-CR200A, which is an all-in-one unit that connects to Verizon's 5G network with no fiber line and no ONT. Some newer installations instead pair a separate 5G Home Modem with a Verizon Router. If you are not sure which you have, Verizon's guide to identifying your 5G Home equipment walks through where to find the model number.

Method 1: Power Cycle Your Router (Start Here)

A physical power cycle is the quickest and most thorough option and the one to try first. It resets the hardware rather than just the software, needs no app, and works even when the connection is completely down.

1. Unplug the power cord from the wall outlet. If the router is wedged behind a media center, unplugging at the back of the unit works just as well.
2. Wait two full minutes. Verizon's own troubleshooting guidance specifies two minutes, notably longer than the 30 to 60 seconds most guides suggest. Use the time to restart whatever device was having trouble.
3. Plug the power back in and leave it alone. Interrupting a boot cycle is one of the few ways to turn a minor problem into a real one.
4. Wait 3 to 5 minutes for the front status light to settle on solid white. If the router installs a firmware update while it boots, allow up to 10 minutes.
5. Reconnect a device and test. Verizon's restart instructions cover the same sequence if you want the manufacturer's version.

5G Home Internet: give the gateway the full five minutes. It has to re-register with Verizon's 5G network after powering up, which takes longer than re-establishing a wired link.

Fios: restart the router by itself first. Only if the light stays solid yellow after it reboots should you power cycle the ONT. Unplug its power adapter, wait two minutes, plug it back in, wait for its indicator lights to stabilize, then restart the router again. Note that many ONTs are paired with a battery backup unit, so the ONT may stay powered until that battery is also disconnected. Reconnect it as soon as the restart is finished.

What the Status Light Is Telling You

The table below covers the Verizon Router (CR1000A and CR1000B) and the Fios Router (G3100), which share a status-light scheme. Verizon documents the full set in its LED status indicator reference, and our wider guide to modem and router lights covers how other manufacturers signal the same conditions.

Two points of clarification: a blinking yellow light does not mean a firmware update is running. On 5G Home configurations, fast-blinking yellow signals a factory reset in progress. And firmware activity appears as fast-blinking white, and an update error appears as red. Light behavior also varies by model: the older Fios Quantum Gateway (G1100) uses a different scheme than the G3100 or the CR1000 series, so check your model's guide before drawing conclusions from a color.

Method 2: Restart from the Verizon Home App or My Verizon

Use this if the router is challenging to access or if you are not home. (You may need to use mobile data or a separate connection for this.) The Verizon Home app is now the primary tool for managing Fios, 5G Home, and LTE Home networks; it replaced the old My Fios app, and it uses the same sign-in credentials as your My Verizon account.

1. Open the Verizon Home app and sign in with your My Verizon credentials.
2. Select your router or gateway from the equipment list.
3. Open the device settings and choose Restart (Verizon documents the flow as Restart Gateway), then confirm.
4. Wait 3 to 5 minutes. The app updates the device status once the restart finishes.

My Verizon works too. Verizon recommends restarting a 5G Home router from the My Verizon app and from the My Verizon website. Menu labels shift between app releases, so look for a Restart or Reboot control under your internet device rather than following a fixed menu path.

One thing worth doing while you are in the app on 5G Home Internet: run the Gateway 5G Optimizer, which identifies the spot in your home with the strongest signal. If restarts only fix the problem temporarily, placement is a likely culprit.

Method 3: Restart from the Admin Portal

Use this when you are already at a computer on the network or when you want to check settings. No internet connection is required, since the portal lives on the router itself.

1. Connect a computer to the router by Ethernet (preferred) or Wi-Fi.
2. In the browser address bar (not the search bar) enter mynetworksettings.com or https://192.168.1.1. A "your connection is not private" warning is expected on a local device; continue past it.
3. Sign in with the password printed on the label on the back of the router. It is labeled Network Settings Password on the CR1000A and CR1000B and Admin Password on the G3100. Verizon's admin sign-in walkthrough covers the details.
4. Go to Advanced → System → Reboot Router, then click Reboot Device. On older firmware the same control sits under Utilities rather than System.
5. Refresh the browser after a minute. You will land back on the login page once the status LED returns to solid white.

Note: the Verizon Router user guide flags this reboot control as something to use when support directs you to. It works fine on its own, but if a portal reboot does not resolve the problem, fall back to Method 1. A physical power cycle resets the hardware, not the software.

What About the Buttons on the Router?

This is where many restart guides go wrong, so it is worth understanding what each control does.

1. The front Unified Button on the Fios Router (G3100) is a WPS and pairing control, not a restart button. Verizon's G3100 user guide describes it as providing quick access to Wi-Fi Protected Setup and pairing mode; holding it starts WPS pairing and turns the status LED blue. It will not reboot the router.
2. The Verizon Router (CR1000A and CR1000B) has no front button at all. The ring on the front is a status LED, and per the CR1000A user guide the WPS button sits on the rear panel.
3. The rear Reset pinhole is a factory reset control. Verizon's hardware section describes a brief press as a soft reboot and a hold of at least 10 seconds as a full factory reset, while its own troubleshooting section describes a three-second press as the way to restore factory defaults. Given that ambiguity, do not use the pinhole to restart. Unplug the router instead. It gives the same result, no chance of wiping your configuration.

When a Restart Does Not Fix the Problem

The Light Stays Solid Yellow

Solid yellow means the router has power but is not receiving an internet signal. On Fios, reseat the Ethernet cable running from the ONT to the router's WAN port at both ends and try a known-good cable, then power cycle the ONT as described above. If the ONT itself shows no indicator lights, it has lost power or the fiber connection is interrupted, and that requires a technician.

On 5G Home Internet, check for a service outage in the Verizon Home or My Verizon app over mobile data, then reposition the gateway near a window facing the nearest tower and rerun the 5G Optimizer. Verizon's 5G Home Internet support hub has model-specific guidance if the problem persists.

The Light Turns Red

Red after two full power cycles, with no outage reported, points to a hardware fault or a provisioning issue on Verizon's side. Neither is something you can fix from home. Call Verizon at 1-800-VERIZON and have your model number ready.

It Reconnects, But Speeds Are Still Slow

Run a wired test with a laptop plugged into the router by Ethernet, using our speed test and network tools or Verizon's own speed test, then compare the result against your plan. Results differ between testing services, so it is worth knowing which speed tests are most accurate before drawing conclusions. If wired speeds match the plan but Wi-Fi does not, the problem is placement, interference, or channel congestion rather than the connection itself. If wired speeds sit consistently below the plan, document it with timestamped tests and open a ticket. Slowdowns that appear only between 7 and 11 p.m. usually point to network congestion, which no restart will touch. And if everything checks out, but the connection still cannot keep up with the household, the plan itself may be undersized; what actually counts as a fast internet speed is a better starting point than another reboot.

Factory Reset: The Last Resort

A factory reset erases every custom setting on the router. Do it only when Verizon support instructs you to, when the admin password has been lost and cannot be recovered, when the router came to you secondhand with unknown configuration, or when repeated restarts have failed to clear a persistent fault.

Before you start, photograph the label on the router so you have the default Wi-Fi name, Wi-Fi password, and admin password. Write down any custom SSID, port forwarding rules, and parental control schedules you will need to rebuild.

1. Leave the router powered on.
2. Insert a straightened paper clip or SIM ejector tool into the recessed Reset pinhole on the rear panel.
3. Press and hold for at least 10 seconds, until the status lights change.
4. Release and wait up to 10 minutes for the router to restore defaults and reboot.
5. Reconnect using the default Wi-Fi credentials printed on the label, then reconfigure your network name and password, admin password, guest and IoT networks, port forwarding, parental controls, and any Wi-Fi extenders, which will need to be re-paired. Note that firmware may need to updated at this point as well.

Restart First, Reset Only as a Last Resort

Restarting a Verizon Router is safe, preserves every setting, and resolves most common connection problems in three to five minutes. Work down the list in order: a physical power cycle first because it is the most thorough, the Verizon Home app when the hardware is hard to reach, and the admin portal at 192.168.1.1 when you are already at a computer. Fios customers should restart the router alone before touching the ONT. Save the factory reset for the situations that genuinely call for it.

If the restart worked but the connection still is not keeping up with what your household needs, the equipment may not be the limitation. Review current Verizon Fios plans and pricing, or compare every internet provider available at your address, to see how what you are paying for stacks up against the alternatives.