How to restart your TELUS modem — the right way

Quickly flicking the power button almost never works. A proper restart takes 7 minutes, fixes a huge share of internet problems, and is the first thing any support line will ask you to do — so do it properly once.

Last reviewed: September 2026 · Written in plain English by Ryoma Wyles, Senior Network & Internet Engineer at MapleLink Support Inc.

Jump to a step
  1. Unplug it (don't just press the button)
  2. Wait a full 60 seconds
  3. Plug it back in — then hands off for 5 minutes
  4. Check the light
  5. If it's still not working
Diagram of the 3-step modem restart: unplug 60 seconds, plug back in, wait 5 minutes
1
1 minute

Unplug the power cord from the back

Pull the power cord out of the back of the white box itself — not just from the wall. If it's plugged into a power bar, plug it straight into the wall socket instead (power bars quietly cause more internet problems than people realize).

2
1 minute

Wait a full 60 seconds

This is the step everyone skips, and it's the whole point. The box keeps a short memory of its broken connection — a 5-second off-switch doesn't clear it. Count to 60. Make tea if it helps.

3
5 minutes

Plug it back in and walk away

Plug it in, then don't touch anything for 5 minutes. It looks idle, but it's quietly re-introducing itself to TELUS's network. Poking buttons during this confuses it and starts the clock over.

4
1 minute

Check the light

A solid green (or solid white, on newer boxes) light means you're back online. Blinking means it's still connecting — give it another 3–5 minutes. Red, or no light at all, means the problem is bigger than a restart.

5
2 minutes

Still down? Now you diagnose

If the light never settles after two proper restarts, the next move is finding out whether it's just you or the whole neighbourhood — see our outage-check guide. If it's only your house, that's when a hands-on fix usually pays for itself.

Good to know: restarting will NOT delete your WiFi name, password, or settings. It's completely safe. The only thing it "forgets" is the broken connection that was causing trouble.

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TELUS internet keeps disconnecting →How to restart your TELUS modem →TELUS internet slower than your plan →Is TELUS down in your area? How to check →

Quick answers

Will restarting my modem delete my settings?
No. Your WiFi name, password, and all settings stay exactly the same. A restart only clears temporary glitches in the connection.
How often should I restart my modem?
Only when there's a problem. If you're restarting weekly, something is failing — that's a fixable issue, not a routine.
Why does my modem need restarting at all?
Think of it like a phone that's been on for months without a reboot. Little errors pile up in memory until the box can't hold the connection properly.