Can my plusnet router be set to auto reboot on failed ping

[#1]

Thanks but that's not what I want to achieve which I can easily do with a smart plug. The scenerio is where I need to reboot whilst away because connection has dropped.

[#2]

This would not be a fault with the router just a line dropped which a reboot would fix.

[#3]

The first thing would be to reboot which solves 95% of problems. Besides that I'd be away in another country with limited time. I guarantee the first thing they would ask is to reboot. I know they can remotely reboot the router but I'm trying to save time on both sides.

[#4]

@geraldwy  Do you know why the line drops ?

[#5]

It hasn't dropped. This is a business continuity plan as I don't have reboot access outside my property. I also have lots of security in my property that might require it rebooted remotely.
Please I just need remote reboot or automatic reboot anything else is going away from what I need.

[#6]

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@geraldwy wrote:
This would not be a fault with the router just a line dropped which a reboot would fix.

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Not necessarily.

If the line drops, the router will attempt to resync automatically.  If resync cannot be established, a router reboot is not going to help, as the issue is the line / connection, not the router.

The only scenario where a reboot of a router might be relevant is if the router itself fouls up, notably the WiFi network.  Plusnet Hub Zeros had a history of the WiFi sleeping - WiFi connected devices stopped communicating, whilst LAN devices continued as is.  That issue ought to be addressed by replacing the router.

There is though tech out there which can manage these situations - see How to reboot your router automatically when Wi-Fi goes down! - Zobox Router Rebooter - Tech Talk

Further, following your suggestion to @Mustrum - just go Google the question ... there are lots of answers out there ... How do I automatically reboot my router when the internet goes out? : r/homeautomation

Get a good router that has an option in the settings. Or use DD WRT and just tell it to reboot everyday at 2am, then you have nothing to worry about

[#7]

You should be made aware that I an actually a head of It for 3 decades so have dealt with these issues often and at enterprise level. So I'm telling you absolutely a reboot sometimes solves such issues. However that's not the only time a reboot maybe required remotely.
Thank you for the hardware solution link which I was seeking before posting thud route. However the unit is currently unavailable in the UK.

[#8]

@geraldwy 

When on DSL my Hub Two was running for over 12 months, it recovered from overnight maintenance work and occasional DSL drops.

Two years ago you were asking about 4G failover, did you ever come to a conclusion on that quest?

That is solution I would implement as it would remove the single point of failure to you home network, using a local VPN server you can connect remotely and fault find your network.

plusnet does allow the use of third party devices, have you looked at open source router firmware like OpenWRT/pfsense  as @Townman  suggests.

During fault finding situations the Hub Two can be reused for testing purposes.

[#9]

Amazon do just a device for this

https://amzn.eu/d/h9LRXVf

[#10]

I did find a SIM driven smart plug which is my backup option but ideally I would rather not pay for a sim for something so infrequently used.

[#11]

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@geraldwy wrote:
I often work away from home and therefore have no way of rebooting my router remotely if the connection goes down

This is a bit of an oxymoron isn't it? Unless you're dependent on some alternative connection to a controller on your home network, then how is anything expected to communicate from a remote location if the Internet is down? Plusnet themselves cannot do this unless the router has a connection to its remote management platform (which it will not if the Internet is down).

Can my router be set up to auto reboot if its frequent pings fail?

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I imagine this can be achieved if triggered from some other device within the local network. It can't be done natively from the Hub Two.

Not personally aware of any 'out of the box' solutions. You could install a Home Assistant box on your network and a Smart Plug that can be communicated with locally and there's probably a way to script Home Assistant's ping sensor to send an off/on signal to the smart plug if pings to an external site repeatedly fail.

Another thought would be a hardware solution using an ESP module/relay that would do something like this.

Both of those would require a fair degree of DIY/tinkering on your part and I'd personally question the worth of bothering.

[#12]

You do have a point but I often find that it's the case that routers connectionss are not always fully down but suffering from some router backgroud process issue.

Could be cache memory full or drop off due memory leakage that a reboot and fresh start would resolve. Also sometimes home kit cannot communicate with routers if they get confused (table of connected devices).

This is why I prefer the automatic ping reboot option as of my post.

After research it appears literally thousands are asking for similar so perhaps its a market for me to design something like a self monitoring smart switch with remote capability.

To date I've only seen two very expensive solutions from ez outlet and keep.

[#13]

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@geraldwy wrote:
You do have a point but I often find that it's the case that routers connectionss are not always fully down but suffering from some router backgroud process issue.

Could be cache memory full or drop off due memory leakage that a reboot and fresh start would resolve. Also sometimes home kit cannot communicate with routers if they get confused (table of connected devices).

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Memory leaks tend to occur over time. I suspect a scheduled reboot, as has been suggested, would all but irradicate that possibility.

I also doubt the hub itself pinging an external source would necessarily fail under these circumstances either so wouldn't really be a suitable trigger.

Likewise, one piece of home kit not being able to communicate locally with the router does not necessarily mean another device, or the router itself, is in the same state and unable to ping an external source.

If there's external connectivity, then set up a VPN endpoint on your network, VPN in and reboot the hub from there.

All this said, if a router/network is frequently getting into states like you describe (recognise it isn't in this instance), then the effort is better spent tackling the problem at source.

[#14]

Yes I did see this thanks and thought it was a bit pricey for effectively a smart plug

[#15]

Memory leaks don't have an agenda and can OK anytime. Cache memory can accumulate over time and I already have a scheduled reboot for that so this is not what I need regarding this issue.
I don't wish to set up a computer running on my LAN just to reboot my router.
My router/network are not getting into a frequent state of disconnection as I would have dealt with that as a fault. This is a business continuity plan with me able to reboot remotely to resolve general issues.