“Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
“Have you tried switching it off and back on again” is a question that’s often asked in jest these days as the possible solution for any problem with any kind of technology device. To be fair, while it is usually the standard first response a support line technician may give to someone calling with an IT problem, re-booting or re-powering a computer or network device has always been one way of checking if there really is an issue, or whether the device has just got itself stuck in an endless loop, unable to send or receive any signals and function normally.
This can happen with all digital devices, so the “have you tried” question is entirely valid – and it’s why we have the Power Down (PD) function on Zyxel Networks PoE switches. If the switch detects that a PoE-connected device is not functioning properly, it will power the device down and back up again, automatically.
This simple action will more often than not, solve the problem and get the WiFi access point, IP camera, whatever it is, up and running once again. It’s a really useful function in situations where you are running a small network on the edge of a network – such as a cluster of WiFi access points, or IP surveillance cameras, for example, that it’s difficult to monitor all the time. Or indeed, where the device is difficult to reach, such as high up on an outside wall – an outdoor access point might well be positioned in such a location.
You can configure the PD function to be triggered after a connected device has been unresponsive for a certain amount of time. You can also ask for an alert to be sent to you if the device remains unresponsive after being switched off and on and would seem to need further attention.
There are, of course, occasions when things do go wrong and simply switching a device off and on again won’t solve the problem. But at least the switch can take that simple action of powering off and on again, save you some time and get you one step close to solving the issue.
To learn more about this and all the other capabilities of our switches, please get in touch with any Zyxel Networks partner – or contact your nearest Zyxel Networks office location.
