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Get a NetReset modem-router power cycler for $34.99

From the Cheapskate: Normally $50, this handy gadget automatically reboots your modem and router to ensure maximum performance.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

CNET's Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page.


Got Internet troubles?

You know the kind I mean. Spotty connections, poor streaming video quality, laggy games or just a general feeling your home Internet isn't up to snuff.

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NetReset power-cycles your modem and router once per day to ensure optimal performance.

NetReset

First thing you should try: resetting your modem and router. Based purely on the science I just made up, that solves 83.2 percent of the aforementioned issues. Seriously, unless the problem lies with your ISP or your device(s), this simple power-cycling really can help.

In fact, one might argue that doing this daily would ensure optimal Internet performance. And, lo, the NetReset was born. This gadget automatically power-cycles your modem and router at scheduled times.

Is that kind of convenience worth $50? Don't bother pondering that question, because for a limited time, you can get a NetReset NR-1000US for $34.99 shipped when you apply coupon code CNET16 at checkout.

All you do is plug the NetReset into an outlet, plug your modem and router (or your all-in-one modem/router) into the NetReset, then set the timer for your preferred power-cycle time (3 a.m., for example). Done!

Unlike a simple programmable timer, the NetReset will power your devices sequentially: first modem, then router. Again, that should help ensure the best connectivity.

Could you deploy two individual timers and accomplish roughly the same thing for less money? Definitely. This is simply a more convenient solution, though it also includes a 20-day backup battery to so it can also said through power outages. Most cheap programmable timers would have to be manually reprogrammed after an outage.

I haven't tested the NetReset myself, but the device earned a 4.4-star average from nearly 90 Amazon customers. (In case you're wondering, I checked Fakespot and found that those are real reviews. I rarely see a product get an 'A' rating on there, but this one did.)

What do you think? Is this worth $35? Or would it be better to go full-cheapskate with a set of inexpensive timers?

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